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1Kell_Smurthwaite
So far, these are the books I've read this year (with ratings out of 10):
Finished in January:
1. The Winter King - B Cornwell – 7/10
2. The Prestige - C Priest – 9/10
3. Chart Throb - B Elton – 8/10
4. The Eagle in the Sand - S Scarrow – 8/10
5. A Life's Music - A Makine – 6/10
6. An Open Vein - J M Warwick – 7/10
7. Adept - R Finn – 8/10
8. The Boleyn Inheritance - P Gregory – 8/10
9. The Debt - S Kernick (audio) - 8/10
10. Beautiful Ride - D Winslow (audio) - 7/10
11.Master of the Storm - J Flint (audio) - 7/10
12. Cold Cold Heart- K Slaughter (audio) - 5/10
13. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - M Twain (audio) - 6/10
14. The Picture of Dorian Gray - O Wilde (audio) - 7/10
Finished in February:
15. The Bookseller of Kabul - A Seierstad – 7/10
16. The Sexual Life of Catherine M - C Millet – 7/10
17. American Psycho - B E Ellis – 6/10
18. Black Dog - S Booth – 8/10
19. The Complete Maus - A Spiegelman – 8/10
20. Hogfather: The Illustrated Screenplay - V Jean- 6/10
21. The List - T Ison – 7/10
22. The Spur on the Plate - M Rylance – 7/10
23. The Alchemist - P Coelho – 8/10
24. My Man Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse (audio) - 7/10
25. The Invisible Man - H. G. Wells (audio) - 5/10
26. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - M Twain (audio) - 6/10
Finished in March:
27. Of Love and Other Demons - G G Márquez – 3/10
28. The Interpretation of Murder - J Rubenfeld – 7/10
29. The Vampire's Seduction - R Hart – 7/10
30. The Crystal Chalice - D E Hill & S Brandenburg – 7/10
31. Deception - R Alcorn – 8/10
32. Karma - H A Harvey – 8/10
33. Good Omens - T Pratchett & N Gaiman (audio) – 8/10
34. Moving Pictures - T Pratchett (audio) - 8/10
35. Right Ho, Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse (audio) - 8/10
The Man Who Knew Too Much – G K Chesterton - UNFINISHED
36. Northanger Abbey - J Austen (audio) - 8/10
37. The Prisoner of Zenda - A Hope (audio) - 6/10
Finished in April:
38. The Stone Pilot - P Stewart & C Riddell – 7/10
39. The Pirates! In an Adventure with Whaling - G Defoe – 8/10
40. Black Beauty - A Sewell – 7/10
41. Perfume - P Süskind – 8/10
42. The Tea Rose - J Donnelly – 9/10
43. The Rosary Girls - R Montanari – 8/10
44. Pride & Prejudice- J Austen – 8/10
45. Purple Hibiscus - A N Adichie – 7/10
46. The Fourth Bear - J Fforde – 8/10
47. Fluffy - S Lia – 7/10
48. Dress to Kill - E Izzard – 7/10
49. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian - M Lewycka – 4/10
50. The Handmaid's Tale - M Atwood (audio) - 7/10
51. Nineteen Eighty-Four - G Orwell (audio) - 9/10
52. King Solomon's Mines - H R Haggard (audio) - 6/10
Finished in May:
53. The Separation - C Priest – 7/10
54. Daughters of the Doge - E Charles – 6/10
55. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - M O'Farrell – 8/10
56. The Bell Jar - S Plath – 2/10
57. Wideacre - P Gregory – 8/10
58. No Humans Involved - K Armstrong – 9/10
59. Broken Skin - S MacBride – 9/10
60. Jane Eyre - C Bronte – 8/10
61. Brave New World - A Huxley (audio) - 4/10
62. The Three Musketeers - A Dumas (audio) - 9/10
Finished in June:
63. The Eyre Affair - J Fforde – 8/10
64. The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger – 6/10
65. Blood and Chocolate - A C Klaus – 6/10
66. Rosemary's Baby - I Levin – 8/10
67. Disgrace - J. M. Coetzee – 6/10
68. The Thief of Always - C Barker – 6/10
69. The Robber Bride - M Atwood – 7/10
70. Faceless Killers - H Mankell – 7/10
71. Ronia, The Robber's Daughter - A Lindgren – 10/10
72. Follow Me Down - J Hearn – 6/10
73. The Plucker: An Illustrated Novel - Brom – 10/10
74. The Little Prince - A De Saint-Exupéry – 7/10
75. The Wizard of Oz - L. Baum – 7/10
76. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - R L Stevenson (audio) - 7/10
77. Carmilla - J S LeFanu (audio) - 7/10
78. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - W Irving (audio) - 8/10
79. The Hound of the Baskervilles - A C Doyle (audio) - 7/10
80.Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure - J Cleland (audio) - 8/10
Candide – Voltaire (audio) - UNFINISHED
81. The Sign of the Four - A C Doyle (audio) - 6/10
Books finished in July:
82. The Black Dahlia - J Ellroy – 4/10
83. Lady Chatterley's Lover - D. H. Lawrence – 7/10
84. Emlyn's Moon - J Nimmo – 8/10
85. The Chestnut Soldier - J Nimmo – 8/10
86. Dracula - B Stoker – 7/10
87. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J K Rowling – 7/10
88. The Woman and the Ape - P Høeg – 5/10
89. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - M Spark – 3/10
90. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - M Twain (audio) – 7/10
91. The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin - M Leblanc (audio) - 8/10
Finished in August:
92. The Name of the Rose - U Eco - 7/10
93. Mansfield Park – J Austen (audio) - 7/10
94. Anne of Green Gables - L M Montgomery - 7/10
95. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - L See - 8/10
96. Lost in a Good Book - J Fforde - 7/10
97. The Memory Keeper's Daughter - K Edwards (borrowed from colleague) - 8/10
Half of a Yellow Sun - C N Adichie - 5/10 (UNFINISHED)
Finished in September:
98. Lovely Green Eyes by A Lustig - 6/10
99. Another Time and Place - S Grosser - 8/10
100. The Graduate - C Webb - 7/10
101. The Time Machine - H. G. Wells - 6/10
102. Wuthering Heights - E Bronte - 8/10
103. Stuck in Neutral - T Trueman - 10/10
104. The Secret Life of Bees - S Monk Kidd - 7/10
The Sooterkin - T Gilling - UNFINISHED
105. The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition - S King - 10/10
106. To Kill a Mockingbird - H Lee (audio) - 9/10
Finished in October:
107. The Messenger - A. E.Shipley - 8/10
108. Carter Beats the Devil - G. D Gold - 8/10
109. Gulliver's Travels - J Swift (audio book) - 6/10
110. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Anne Bronte - 7/10
111. Join Me - Danny Wallace - 7/10
112. The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman - 7/10
113. A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon - 7/10
114. The Talented Mr. Ripley - Patricia Highsmith - 8/10
Finished in November:
115. Howards End - E. M. Forster (audio book) - 6/10
116. Lady Susan - Jane Austen (audio book) - 6/10
117. The Identity Factor - James Houston Turner - 8/10
118. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier - 8/10
119. A Room With a View - E. M. Forster (audio book) - 8/10
120. Love and Freindship (sic) - Jane Austen (audio book) - 5/10
Finished in December:
121. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins - 7/10
122. Tarzan of the Apes - Edgar Rice Burroughs (audio book) - 8/10
123. Boy A - Jonathan Trigell - 8/10
124. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - 6/10
125. Orlando - Virginia Woolf - 4/10 (UNFINISHED)
Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy - CURRENTLY READING
The Truth About Fairy Tales - K T Casha - CURRENTLY READING
Finished in January:
1. The Winter King - B Cornwell – 7/10
2. The Prestige - C Priest – 9/10
3. Chart Throb - B Elton – 8/10
4. The Eagle in the Sand - S Scarrow – 8/10
5. A Life's Music - A Makine – 6/10
6. An Open Vein - J M Warwick – 7/10
7. Adept - R Finn – 8/10
8. The Boleyn Inheritance - P Gregory – 8/10
9. The Debt - S Kernick (audio) - 8/10
10. Beautiful Ride - D Winslow (audio) - 7/10
11.Master of the Storm - J Flint (audio) - 7/10
12. Cold Cold Heart- K Slaughter (audio) - 5/10
13. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - M Twain (audio) - 6/10
14. The Picture of Dorian Gray - O Wilde (audio) - 7/10
Finished in February:
15. The Bookseller of Kabul - A Seierstad – 7/10
16. The Sexual Life of Catherine M - C Millet – 7/10
17. American Psycho - B E Ellis – 6/10
18. Black Dog - S Booth – 8/10
19. The Complete Maus - A Spiegelman – 8/10
20. Hogfather: The Illustrated Screenplay - V Jean- 6/10
21. The List - T Ison – 7/10
22. The Spur on the Plate - M Rylance – 7/10
23. The Alchemist - P Coelho – 8/10
24. My Man Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse (audio) - 7/10
25. The Invisible Man - H. G. Wells (audio) - 5/10
26. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - M Twain (audio) - 6/10
Finished in March:
27. Of Love and Other Demons - G G Márquez – 3/10
28. The Interpretation of Murder - J Rubenfeld – 7/10
29. The Vampire's Seduction - R Hart – 7/10
30. The Crystal Chalice - D E Hill & S Brandenburg – 7/10
31. Deception - R Alcorn – 8/10
32. Karma - H A Harvey – 8/10
33. Good Omens - T Pratchett & N Gaiman (audio) – 8/10
34. Moving Pictures - T Pratchett (audio) - 8/10
35. Right Ho, Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse (audio) - 8/10
The Man Who Knew Too Much – G K Chesterton - UNFINISHED
36. Northanger Abbey - J Austen (audio) - 8/10
37. The Prisoner of Zenda - A Hope (audio) - 6/10
Finished in April:
38. The Stone Pilot - P Stewart & C Riddell – 7/10
39. The Pirates! In an Adventure with Whaling - G Defoe – 8/10
40. Black Beauty - A Sewell – 7/10
41. Perfume - P Süskind – 8/10
42. The Tea Rose - J Donnelly – 9/10
43. The Rosary Girls - R Montanari – 8/10
44. Pride & Prejudice- J Austen – 8/10
45. Purple Hibiscus - A N Adichie – 7/10
46. The Fourth Bear - J Fforde – 8/10
47. Fluffy - S Lia – 7/10
48. Dress to Kill - E Izzard – 7/10
49. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian - M Lewycka – 4/10
50. The Handmaid's Tale - M Atwood (audio) - 7/10
51. Nineteen Eighty-Four - G Orwell (audio) - 9/10
52. King Solomon's Mines - H R Haggard (audio) - 6/10
Finished in May:
53. The Separation - C Priest – 7/10
54. Daughters of the Doge - E Charles – 6/10
55. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - M O'Farrell – 8/10
56. The Bell Jar - S Plath – 2/10
57. Wideacre - P Gregory – 8/10
58. No Humans Involved - K Armstrong – 9/10
59. Broken Skin - S MacBride – 9/10
60. Jane Eyre - C Bronte – 8/10
61. Brave New World - A Huxley (audio) - 4/10
62. The Three Musketeers - A Dumas (audio) - 9/10
Finished in June:
63. The Eyre Affair - J Fforde – 8/10
64. The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger – 6/10
65. Blood and Chocolate - A C Klaus – 6/10
66. Rosemary's Baby - I Levin – 8/10
67. Disgrace - J. M. Coetzee – 6/10
68. The Thief of Always - C Barker – 6/10
69. The Robber Bride - M Atwood – 7/10
70. Faceless Killers - H Mankell – 7/10
71. Ronia, The Robber's Daughter - A Lindgren – 10/10
72. Follow Me Down - J Hearn – 6/10
73. The Plucker: An Illustrated Novel - Brom – 10/10
74. The Little Prince - A De Saint-Exupéry – 7/10
75. The Wizard of Oz - L. Baum – 7/10
76. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - R L Stevenson (audio) - 7/10
77. Carmilla - J S LeFanu (audio) - 7/10
78. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - W Irving (audio) - 8/10
79. The Hound of the Baskervilles - A C Doyle (audio) - 7/10
80.Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure - J Cleland (audio) - 8/10
Candide – Voltaire (audio) - UNFINISHED
81. The Sign of the Four - A C Doyle (audio) - 6/10
Books finished in July:
82. The Black Dahlia - J Ellroy – 4/10
83. Lady Chatterley's Lover - D. H. Lawrence – 7/10
84. Emlyn's Moon - J Nimmo – 8/10
85. The Chestnut Soldier - J Nimmo – 8/10
86. Dracula - B Stoker – 7/10
87. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J K Rowling – 7/10
88. The Woman and the Ape - P Høeg – 5/10
89. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - M Spark – 3/10
90. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - M Twain (audio) – 7/10
91. The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin - M Leblanc (audio) - 8/10
Finished in August:
92. The Name of the Rose - U Eco - 7/10
93. Mansfield Park – J Austen (audio) - 7/10
94. Anne of Green Gables - L M Montgomery - 7/10
95. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - L See - 8/10
96. Lost in a Good Book - J Fforde - 7/10
97. The Memory Keeper's Daughter - K Edwards (borrowed from colleague) - 8/10
Half of a Yellow Sun - C N Adichie - 5/10 (UNFINISHED)
Finished in September:
98. Lovely Green Eyes by A Lustig - 6/10
99. Another Time and Place - S Grosser - 8/10
100. The Graduate - C Webb - 7/10
101. The Time Machine - H. G. Wells - 6/10
102. Wuthering Heights - E Bronte - 8/10
103. Stuck in Neutral - T Trueman - 10/10
104. The Secret Life of Bees - S Monk Kidd - 7/10
The Sooterkin - T Gilling - UNFINISHED
105. The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition - S King - 10/10
106. To Kill a Mockingbird - H Lee (audio) - 9/10
Finished in October:
107. The Messenger - A. E.Shipley - 8/10
108. Carter Beats the Devil - G. D Gold - 8/10
109. Gulliver's Travels - J Swift (audio book) - 6/10
110. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Anne Bronte - 7/10
111. Join Me - Danny Wallace - 7/10
112. The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman - 7/10
113. A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon - 7/10
114. The Talented Mr. Ripley - Patricia Highsmith - 8/10
Finished in November:
115. Howards End - E. M. Forster (audio book) - 6/10
116. Lady Susan - Jane Austen (audio book) - 6/10
117. The Identity Factor - James Houston Turner - 8/10
118. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier - 8/10
119. A Room With a View - E. M. Forster (audio book) - 8/10
120. Love and Freindship (sic) - Jane Austen (audio book) - 5/10
Finished in December:
121. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins - 7/10
122. Tarzan of the Apes - Edgar Rice Burroughs (audio book) - 8/10
123. Boy A - Jonathan Trigell - 8/10
124. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - 6/10
125. Orlando - Virginia Woolf - 4/10 (UNFINISHED)
Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy - CURRENTLY READING
The Truth About Fairy Tales - K T Casha - CURRENTLY READING
2Kell_Smurthwaite
I've just had a week of holiday and spent the entire time reading, so I feel wonderfully refreshed and eager to try new things - thought I'd try Pride and Prejudice next...
3aluvalibri
Kell, you will love it!
4Kell_Smurthwaite
I'm enjoying it so far, that's for sure - far more than I did Emma. The characters seem to have a bit more life about them - I can see why this is known as Jane Austen's best-loved novel!
5aluvalibri
Of all her books, it is my favourite.
6momom248
I'm impressed w/ how many books you've read or listened to so far this year. I'm lucky if I get 2 read in a month. I'm a very slow reader and unfortunately my read time is at night before bed --so the reading is my sleeping pill. Many of your books are on my TBR list. Interesting to see which you liked and did not.
7Kell_Smurthwaite
#6 momom248 - Reading is my main form of entertainment - I don't watch much TV at all (at any given time there are maybe two scheduled programmes I'll watch per week - LOL!). I read during my coffee breaks and lunch hour at work and once we've had dinner of an evening and I've caught up with everything online, I love to soak in the bath with a book. Then I'll read till bedtime. ;) I don't get so much reading done on the weekends, as that's when I catch up with all the housework & meet up with friends, but once that's done it's back to the books. It's an all-weather pastime - I love to read outside in the summer months, and in the winter, there's nothing like curling up all cosy with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. Mmmmm!
I've also had all last week as holiday from work, so I got a LOT of reading done then (which is why I'm further ahead for April than I might have ordinarily been).
I've also had all last week as holiday from work, so I got a LOT of reading done then (which is why I'm further ahead for April than I might have ordinarily been).
8Kell_Smurthwaite
Thought I'd try something from far away as part of my Olympic Challenge - have decided to go with Purple Hibiscus by Chimanada Ngozi Adichie. So far it seems very interesting with a slight undercurrent of something dark...
9lauralkeet
Kell, I've heard great things about Purple Hibiscus, so am eager to read your impressions.
Also, if you like it, you may want to try Adichie's more recent book, Half of a Yellow Sun. This has been much-discussed on LT and was FANTASTIC.
Also, if you like it, you may want to try Adichie's more recent book, Half of a Yellow Sun. This has been much-discussed on LT and was FANTASTIC.
10Kell_Smurthwaite
I finished Purple Hibiscus this afternoon and rather enjoyed it, but not quite as much as i thought I would - i think it got hyped a bit much as several people I know raved about it, so maybe my expectations were just a tad too high. Still, it was very well written with interesting relationship dynamics. I wonder how much of it (if any) was autobiographical?
I'll be moving on to The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde next, as one of my friends has loaned it to me. I read The Big Over Easy last year and I have The Eyre Affair on my shelf...
I'll be moving on to The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde next, as one of my friends has loaned it to me. I read The Big Over Easy last year and I have The Eyre Affair on my shelf...
11Kell_Smurthwaite
Finished listening to 1984 by George Orwell - absolutely loved it! Tomorrow I'll start listening to the audio bok of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, so it's from one modern classic dystopian novel to another!
12Kell_Smurthwaite
Having a very reading-orientated weekend. Read the graphic novel Fluffy by Simone Lia yesterday, and then, because that didn't take very long, decided to read Dress to Kill by Eddie Izzard (with David Quantick and Steve Double).
Next I'll be reading another book for my Olympic Challenge - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka...
Next I'll be reading another book for my Olympic Challenge - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka...
13momom248
Oh to read in the tub w/ a book!! Sounds wonderful. Now that its nice out I will be sitting on the deck w/ a book.
Handmaid's Tale is on my TBR list and I have the book--am anxious to find out how your like it.
Handmaid's Tale is on my TBR list and I have the book--am anxious to find out how your like it.
14Kell_Smurthwaite
# 13 momom248 - I'm enjoying The Handmaid's Tale so far - definitely worth picking up!
15amandameale
Kell, I think you might like The Observations by Jane Harris. Have a flick through the first two pages at your bookstore.
16Kell_Smurthwaite
Thanks, Amandameale - I'll look out for that one.
Been doing a fair old bit of reading since my last post - Have listened to all of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, and although I enjoyed it, I think it may have been a little over-hyped for me, as many people told me it was one of their all-time favourite books.
I then moved on to The Three Musketeers by Alexnadre Dumas which was read by Michael York, which made it VERY enjoyable as it felt like it was being read by D'Artagnon himself (if you haven't seen the film, you haven't lived!). Loved that one.
Have just started listening to Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (also read by Michael York), although so far I'm finding it a little dry and am hoping it picks up.
Book-wise, this month I finished one book I started last month - The Separation by Christopher Priest - I enjoyed it, but not nearly so much as I did The Prestige. This one didn't feel as complete and well-rounded.
Then I read and reviewed Daughters of the Doge by Edward Charles for The Book Bag, but it was largely disappointing. It had so much promise of a rich and detailed story of Renaissance Venice, but never really delivered, and the characters were all rather two-dimensional.
Just finished reading The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell last night, which I thoroughly enjoyed - very moving and sad, but with wonderful characters and superb visualisation - well worth a look! This one was the Book Club Forum reading circle choice for May and I wouldn't have chosen it for myself, but I would have been missing out!
I'll be starting The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath today. Again, not one I would choose myself, but it's the Posh Club reading circle choice for May, so I'll give it a try. I'm worrying that I'm reading one book featuring a girl with mental problems after another though! (A bit like I did earlier on, following 1984 by George Orwell with The Handmaid's Tale - two distopian futures in a row on audio!)
Been doing a fair old bit of reading since my last post - Have listened to all of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, and although I enjoyed it, I think it may have been a little over-hyped for me, as many people told me it was one of their all-time favourite books.
I then moved on to The Three Musketeers by Alexnadre Dumas which was read by Michael York, which made it VERY enjoyable as it felt like it was being read by D'Artagnon himself (if you haven't seen the film, you haven't lived!). Loved that one.
Have just started listening to Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (also read by Michael York), although so far I'm finding it a little dry and am hoping it picks up.
Book-wise, this month I finished one book I started last month - The Separation by Christopher Priest - I enjoyed it, but not nearly so much as I did The Prestige. This one didn't feel as complete and well-rounded.
Then I read and reviewed Daughters of the Doge by Edward Charles for The Book Bag, but it was largely disappointing. It had so much promise of a rich and detailed story of Renaissance Venice, but never really delivered, and the characters were all rather two-dimensional.
Just finished reading The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell last night, which I thoroughly enjoyed - very moving and sad, but with wonderful characters and superb visualisation - well worth a look! This one was the Book Club Forum reading circle choice for May and I wouldn't have chosen it for myself, but I would have been missing out!
I'll be starting The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath today. Again, not one I would choose myself, but it's the Posh Club reading circle choice for May, so I'll give it a try. I'm worrying that I'm reading one book featuring a girl with mental problems after another though! (A bit like I did earlier on, following 1984 by George Orwell with The Handmaid's Tale - two distopian futures in a row on audio!)
17Kell_Smurthwaite
I really didn't get on with The Bell Jar at all - not my thing at all - it did absolutely nothing for me.
Decided to move onto an author whose work I have enjoyed in the past - Philippa Gregory - so I'm going to read Wideacre, which is the first in a trilogy...
Decided to move onto an author whose work I have enjoyed in the past - Philippa Gregory - so I'm going to read Wideacre, which is the first in a trilogy...
18Kell_Smurthwaite
For some reason it's not letting me update my first post. I'll be starting the audio book of Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland next time I leave the house with my iPod...
19Kell_Smurthwaite
Finally able to update the first post - hurrah! I finished reading Wideacre this morning and have now started on No Humans Involved, which is the latest novel in the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong and so far I'm really enjoying it. I'm a big fan of hers anyway, but this one doesn't look like it will disappoint!
20Kell_Smurthwaite
Finished No Humans Involved this morning - what a rush! Chock full of action and still completely fresh and unexpected, despite being the 7th in the series.
Moving onto another very recent acquisition - Broken Skin, which is the third novel by Stuart MacBride and which I got autographed by him when he was visiting our local Waterstones last Saturday - he drew a little naked man shouting "Spanky!" next to his signature - so cool!
Moving onto another very recent acquisition - Broken Skin, which is the third novel by Stuart MacBride and which I got autographed by him when he was visiting our local Waterstones last Saturday - he drew a little naked man shouting "Spanky!" next to his signature - so cool!
21Kell_Smurthwaite
Broken Skin was absolutely brilliant - Stuart MacBride gets better each and every time!
I'll be moving onto a classic novel next - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte...
I'll be moving onto a classic novel next - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte...
22Kell_Smurthwaite
I adored Jane Eyre - such a beautifully written novel! I'll definitely be reading more Charlotte Bronte as well as books by her sisters too.
Next, I'm rather fittingly moving onto The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, which has been patiently awaiting my reading Jane Eyre, as I wanted to "get" all the references...
Next, I'm rather fittingly moving onto The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, which has been patiently awaiting my reading Jane Eyre, as I wanted to "get" all the references...
23Kell_Smurthwaite
I loved The Eyre Affair - I'll definitely be reading the rest of the Thursday Next series!
Next up is The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger...
Next up is The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger...
24Kell_Smurthwaite
Well, I'm off sick at the moment (bad bout of the flu) so I've been reading a LOT, seeing as how I can't actually get any sleep. Finished The Catcher in the Rye in double-quick time, as it's such a short book anyway (it wasn't bad, but wasn't as good as I was expecting), and then swiftly moved onto Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klaus, which was a get well soon giftie from my lovely hubby (and also wasn't bad).
Now, I fancy a bit of horror and will start reading Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin next. I adored the film starring Mia Farrow, but have never got round to reading the book till now...
Now, I fancy a bit of horror and will start reading Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin next. I adored the film starring Mia Farrow, but have never got round to reading the book till now...
26Kell_Smurthwaite
Disgrace was a bit strange but quite interesting - I'm not quite sure I "got" it's message, but it was very beautifully written and that often makes up for a lot.
I also finished listening to Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure which was EXCELLENT.
So, two new titles to start now: The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood is one I've had on my shelf for quite some time now and I'll be reading that one next. I'll also be listening to The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on audio book.
I also finished listening to Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure which was EXCELLENT.
So, two new titles to start now: The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood is one I've had on my shelf for quite some time now and I'll be reading that one next. I'll also be listening to The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on audio book.
27Kell_Smurthwaite
My copy of The Thief of Always by Clive Barker arrived today. I'll be reading it for the Book Club Forum reading circle for June, so I'll be starting that one tonight too...
28Kell_Smurthwaite
I've finished listening to The Legegnd of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (which was excellent) and now I've moved onto the classic vampire horror that inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula - Carmilla by J. Sheridan LeFanu.
29Kell_Smurthwaite
Starting another book this weekend - Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell. It's the first in the Kurt Wallander series - crime fiction set in Sweden.
30Kell_Smurthwaite
I thought I'd re-visit a childhood favourite of mine, also, coincidentally, by a Swedish author - Ronia, The Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren.
31Kell_Smurthwaite
Another book started today and by an author who is new to me: Follow Me Down by Julie Hearn.
32Kell_Smurthwaite
Follow Me Down was alright, but nothing special. Tried to follow it up with The English patient but couldn't get into it at all. I might re-visit it at some point, but not for a while.
Last night I read The Plucker: A Graphic Noel b Brom which was absolutely wonderful - real 10/10 stuff - I can highly recommend it!
Next up is The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry, which I've borrowed from a good buddy.
have also started listening to a new audio book - The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Last night I read The Plucker: A Graphic Noel b Brom which was absolutely wonderful - real 10/10 stuff - I can highly recommend it!
Next up is The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry, which I've borrowed from a good buddy.
have also started listening to a new audio book - The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
33Kell_Smurthwaite
Finished reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and am now moving onto The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy. June has been a good month for books!
34Kell_Smurthwaite
I wasn't much impressed with The Black Dahlia - I really didn't enjoy James Ellroy's style at all - it was far too rambling. Despite the fact that everyone I'd spoken to said that "once it gets passed all the boxing stuff it's great", I was the other way round - I enjoyed the boxing bits but it all went downhill after that. :(
I'll be moving onto something completely different next - Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence - as it's the reading circle choice for July at the Book Club Forum.
I'll be moving onto something completely different next - Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence - as it's the reading circle choice for July at the Book Club Forum.
35laytonwoman3rd
I haven't read The Black Dahlia, but I really enjoyed L.A. Confidential. Dark, difficult, but good.
36Kell_Smurthwaite
I enjoyed Lady Chatterley's Lover a lot more than I thought I would - I'll definitely read more by D H Lawrence in the future.
late last year I re-read The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo, so I' now following that up withthe two sequels that complete the trilogy - Emlyn's Moon and The Chestnut Soldier.
Also listening to a librivox audio book of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain.
late last year I re-read The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo, so I' now following that up withthe two sequels that complete the trilogy - Emlyn's Moon and The Chestnut Soldier.
Also listening to a librivox audio book of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain.
37Kell_Smurthwaite
This month, The Book Club Forum are trying out a new thing - a comparative reading circle. The two books being compared are Carmilla by J Sheridan LeFanu (which I very recently read) and Dracula by Bram Stoker which was heavily influenced by the former book.
It's been many many years since I read Dracula, so that's my next book - let's see if I enjoy it as much as I remember (I think I was about 13 or 14 at the time!).
It's been many many years since I read Dracula, so that's my next book - let's see if I enjoy it as much as I remember (I think I was about 13 or 14 at the time!).
38Kell_Smurthwaite
Another one for my 1001 and Modern Classics challenges - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, chosen specifically as a filler, as it's short and I'm picking up the new Harry potter book tomorrow morning,...
39Kell_Smurthwaite
Although I'm not done with Miss Jean Brodie, I couldn't resist starting the final Harry Potter book...
40Kell_Smurthwaite
Don't fancy returning to Miss Jean Brodie at the moment, so I'm moving onto The Woman and the Ape by Peter Høeg instead.
41LadyN
Hey Kell, just wanted to say thank you for this thread - I really enjoy your updates and reviews. Keep up the good work!
42Kell_Smurthwaite
Aww, thanks, Lady N!
I started listening to a new audio book today too - The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar by Maurice LeBlanc, which I downloaded free from Librivox. So far it's excellent - I'm enjoying it far better than I have the Sherlock Holmes stories I've read as this has a lighter, more comedic touch to it - Lupin seems constantly amused.
I started listening to a new audio book today too - The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar by Maurice LeBlanc, which I downloaded free from Librivox. So far it's excellent - I'm enjoying it far better than I have the Sherlock Holmes stories I've read as this has a lighter, more comedic touch to it - Lupin seems constantly amused.
43LadyN
I don't knw why, but I've never been tempted by audio books. you have inspired me though, and my mum's lent me a Vikram Seth, so I'm sure I'll get around to listening soon.
44amandameale
Wow Kell! You are killing this challenge. I want to recommend a book I think you would like - The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly. If you read it and dont' like it I'll send you a book of your choice.
45Kell_Smurthwaite
amandameale - I'll certainly look out for The Lizard Cage, but it may be a while before I get to it - as I have more than 80 unread books on my mountain of TBR books, my husband has effectively banned me from getting any that aren't specified for the various reading groups in which I participate. :(
Perhaps he'll consent to get it for my birthday - that would be nice!
When I get to it, I'll certainly let you know what i thought of it.
LadyN - Before this year I'd never bothered with audio books myself, but I do a lot of wandering around (I don't drive, so I walk everywhere or take a bus or train for longer journeys). As I walk to and from work every day (25 minutes each way), it seemed like a good idea to fill that time with more books if I could. Sure, I've had a couple of duff ones, but on the whole, I've had a very positive experience, and it's meant that I'm trying out a lot more classics than I ordinarily would have done, as many of them are in the public domain and therefore you can get them free (hurrah!). I hope you'll find yourself enjoying your audio book experience.
Perhaps he'll consent to get it for my birthday - that would be nice!
When I get to it, I'll certainly let you know what i thought of it.
LadyN - Before this year I'd never bothered with audio books myself, but I do a lot of wandering around (I don't drive, so I walk everywhere or take a bus or train for longer journeys). As I walk to and from work every day (25 minutes each way), it seemed like a good idea to fill that time with more books if I could. Sure, I've had a couple of duff ones, but on the whole, I've had a very positive experience, and it's meant that I'm trying out a lot more classics than I ordinarily would have done, as many of them are in the public domain and therefore you can get them free (hurrah!). I hope you'll find yourself enjoying your audio book experience.
47Kell_Smurthwaite
Two new ones to start the new month - I'm reading The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco and listening to Mansfield park by Jane Austen, both of which are very good so far...
48Kell_Smurthwaite
I'm going away on holiday for a week come Wednesday morning, to visit friends in Swindon, so, as there's nothing to do in Swindon except leave Swindon, I'll be taking the following books with me to keep me amused (although, with my 6-y-o Godson around, I doubt I'll get much time or peace for reading!):
Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery (reading circle)
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (reading circle)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (reading circle)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde (because it's set in Swindon and seems appropriate - LOL!)
I'll also have my iPod loaded up with:
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Howards End by E M Forster
I know I'll get plenty reading time travelling both ways (an hour at the airport and an hour in the air each way should give me ample reading time for one, or perhaps even two, of the books), but once I arrive, i don't know what will be happening - I just want to have plenty of choice depending on my mood once I'm away and no longer have access to my vast mountain of TBR books!
Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery (reading circle)
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (reading circle)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (reading circle)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde (because it's set in Swindon and seems appropriate - LOL!)
I'll also have my iPod loaded up with:
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Howards End by E M Forster
I know I'll get plenty reading time travelling both ways (an hour at the airport and an hour in the air each way should give me ample reading time for one, or perhaps even two, of the books), but once I arrive, i don't know what will be happening - I just want to have plenty of choice depending on my mood once I'm away and no longer have access to my vast mountain of TBR books!
49Kell_Smurthwaite
Managed to read 3 books while I was away:
Anne of Green Gables
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Lost in a Good Book
All were excellent reads (with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan being the best of the bunch in my opinion).
Am now moving onto The Memory Keeper's Daughter...
Anne of Green Gables
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Lost in a Good Book
All were excellent reads (with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan being the best of the bunch in my opinion).
Am now moving onto The Memory Keeper's Daughter...
50Kell_Smurthwaite
The Memory keeper's Daughter was incredibly moving - quite one of the most moving books I've read in a very long time.
Now moving onto Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, as it's the reading circle choice for The Posh Club and the meeting is next Tuesday, so i'd better get cracking!
Now moving onto Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, as it's the reading circle choice for The Posh Club and the meeting is next Tuesday, so i'd better get cracking!
51LadyN
I'm half way through Half of a Yellow Sun. I loved Adichie's first novel Purple Hibiscus too. I think she writes so well.
52Kell_Smurthwaite
I was a bit disappointed at bored with Purple Hibiscus, so I'm really hoping I fare better with Half of a Yellow Sun. I've only just started it, so I can't really say yet whether or not it's doing anything for me (I haven't even reached the 50-page mark yet). After being so disappointed by the last Adichie I tried, though, I've decided that if it's doing nothing for me by the time I get to page 125, I'm putting it down.
You never know, though - I might be pleasantly surprised!
You never know, though - I might be pleasantly surprised!
53LadyN
I've had to take a break from it - I got a bit bogged down by the politics, which I need to brush up on! I've been inspired to pick up Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and am loving it.
54Kell_Smurthwaite
Glad to hear you're enjoying Snow Flower - I loved that one. It's so different from the other books I've been reading and so beautifully written.
I'm still persevering with the Adichie, as the group meeting is tomorrow night, but I very much doubt I'll be finished it by then and doubt I'll ever finish it - I just don't like her style and all the jumping between characters - I wish she'd settle on one and tell it from their point of view. Actually, i wish she'd tell it from Kainene's POV, as she's the one I have found most interesting, but she hardly gets a look in so far really. :(
I'm still persevering with the Adichie, as the group meeting is tomorrow night, but I very much doubt I'll be finished it by then and doubt I'll ever finish it - I just don't like her style and all the jumping between characters - I wish she'd settle on one and tell it from their point of view. Actually, i wish she'd tell it from Kainene's POV, as she's the one I have found most interesting, but she hardly gets a look in so far really. :(
55LadyN
I'm determined to finish it - but I think it might take me a while! If you decide to give up, I'lll let you know whether or not it was worth persevering! Snow Flower on the other hand is taking over my life. I've been researching foot-binding today...
56Kell_Smurthwaite
I did exactly the same - it's such a gruesome process it amazes me that anyone ever came up with the idea! Fascinating stuff thogh!
57momom248
Kell- Half a Yellow Sun is in my TBR pile. I have heard mixed reviews of it--either you love it or you don't. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was a favorite of mine as was Memory Keepers Daughter. I will be interested in your thoughts about Half of a Yellow Sun once you finish it as well at what your book group thought.
58Kell_Smurthwaite
Momon248 - I was the only one of the group who didn't love it (apart from one other who didn't even read it at all as she didn't fancy it). I couldn't finish it as I was having to force myself to pick up the book and do any reading at all (it took me 5 days to read 2/3rds of the book, which has to be a record as any other book of this length would have been finished in 2 days). I found it very fragmented with all the jumping back and forth between the early and late sixties, as well as splitting the story, chapter-by-chapter, between 3 characters. I just don't like Adichie's style at all and I won't be reading any more of her books. :(
Anyway, onto the next book now - Lovely Green Eyes by Arnost Lustig...
Anyway, onto the next book now - Lovely Green Eyes by Arnost Lustig...
59Kell_Smurthwaite
Next up is Another Time and Place by Samantha Grosser - I was fortunate enough to win an autographed copy of this book, so I was well chuffed!
Of course, it means two in a row about WWII, but if it's good, it's good!
Of course, it means two in a row about WWII, but if it's good, it's good!
60Kell_Smurthwaite
Another Time and Place was excellent - I highly recommend it!
Next up is The Graduate by Charles Webb.
Next up is The Graduate by Charles Webb.
61Kell_Smurthwaite
The Graduate was pretty good and a quick read. The film is a very faithful adaptation of the novel and the same air of monotony and frustration is evident throughout - very enjoyable.
Next up is a short classic - The Time Machine by H. G. Wells.
Next up is a short classic - The Time Machine by H. G. Wells.
62digifish_books
Hi Kell, just popped in to congratulate you on having read more than 100 books already!!
63Kell_Smurthwaite
Thank you, digifish - it's my primary source of entertainment - I always seem to have my nose stuck in a book. ;)
64Kell_Smurthwaite
Thought I should finally get round to reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I've been meaning to read this book for as long as I can remember, so now is as good a time as any! I know it's the favourite-book-of-all-time for many people, but I'm trying not to let it get too hyped up for me, as that often ruins a books for me. I've seen several film versions and, of course, the story is well-known, but I'm looking forward to reading it all first-hand.
65Kell_Smurthwaite
Wuthering Heights was every bit as wonderful as I expected it to be! Now I'm moving onto another book - Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman...
66Kell_Smurthwaite
Stuck in Neutral was wonderful - I shall be watching out for more books by the same author!
Next up is a book-ring book - The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd:
Lily has grown up believing she accidentally killed her mother when she was four. She not only has her own memory of holding the gun, but her father's account of the event. Now fourteen, she yeams for her mother, and for forgiveness. Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her father, she has only one friend: Rosaleen, a black servant whose sharp exterior hides a tender heart. South Carolina in the sixties is a place where segregation is still considered a cause worth fighting for. When racial tension explodes one summer afternoon, and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten, Lily is compelled to act. Fugitives from justice and from Lily's harsh and unyielding father, they follow a trail left by the woman who died ten years before. Finding sanctuary in the home of three beekeeping sisters, Lily starts a journey as much about her understanding of the world, as about the mystery surrounding her mother.
Next up is a book-ring book - The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd:
Lily has grown up believing she accidentally killed her mother when she was four. She not only has her own memory of holding the gun, but her father's account of the event. Now fourteen, she yeams for her mother, and for forgiveness. Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her father, she has only one friend: Rosaleen, a black servant whose sharp exterior hides a tender heart. South Carolina in the sixties is a place where segregation is still considered a cause worth fighting for. When racial tension explodes one summer afternoon, and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten, Lily is compelled to act. Fugitives from justice and from Lily's harsh and unyielding father, they follow a trail left by the woman who died ten years before. Finding sanctuary in the home of three beekeeping sisters, Lily starts a journey as much about her understanding of the world, as about the mystery surrounding her mother.
67Kell_Smurthwaite
The Secret Life of Bees was pretty good, and not at all what I was expecting (although I'm not sure exactly what that might have been in the first place).
Now starting The Sooterkin by Tom Gilling:
On a squally afternoon in the winter of 1821, Sarah Dyer gives birth to the strangest child ever seen in Tasmania, a thing more seal than human. The pup is a joy to its parents and a welcome companion to their nine-year-old son, Ned, who discovers surprising and profitable talents in his whiskery brother. But when a well-dressed stranger arrives bearing a modest proposal for the infant's future, no one foresees the trouble that lies ahead. A fantastical story in the tradition of Peter Carey, roundly praised by the critics and already an international bestseller.
Now starting The Sooterkin by Tom Gilling:
On a squally afternoon in the winter of 1821, Sarah Dyer gives birth to the strangest child ever seen in Tasmania, a thing more seal than human. The pup is a joy to its parents and a welcome companion to their nine-year-old son, Ned, who discovers surprising and profitable talents in his whiskery brother. But when a well-dressed stranger arrives bearing a modest proposal for the infant's future, no one foresees the trouble that lies ahead. A fantastical story in the tradition of Peter Carey, roundly praised by the critics and already an international bestseller.
68Kell_Smurthwaite
i can't get into The Sooterkin at all, so I'm abandoning it in favour of The Dumas Club by Arturo Perez-Reverte:
In the world of rare books everything has its price. But when the book is a satanic tract, the currency is not money but life. A well-know bibliophile is found hanged days after selling a rare manuscript of Alexander Dumas's classic, The Three Musketeers. Across Madrid, Spain's wealthiest book dealer has finally laid his hands on a 17th-century manual for summoning the devil. Lucas Corso, solitary and obsessive, is the detective hired to authenticate both texts. But the further he follows the trail of devil worship, the more it leads him back to Dumas. He's the unwitting protagonist in someone's evil plot, but is he sleuth or hero, Sherlock Holmes or d'Artagnan?
In the world of rare books everything has its price. But when the book is a satanic tract, the currency is not money but life. A well-know bibliophile is found hanged days after selling a rare manuscript of Alexander Dumas's classic, The Three Musketeers. Across Madrid, Spain's wealthiest book dealer has finally laid his hands on a 17th-century manual for summoning the devil. Lucas Corso, solitary and obsessive, is the detective hired to authenticate both texts. But the further he follows the trail of devil worship, the more it leads him back to Dumas. He's the unwitting protagonist in someone's evil plot, but is he sleuth or hero, Sherlock Holmes or d'Artagnan?
69wandering_star
I'd been waiting to ask what you thought of The Sooterkin - I read it a few years back, and didn't think much of it (although I can't remember why now).
Enjoy The Dumas Club - I like Perez-Reverte a lot (my favourite is The Seville Communion, have you read that?).
Enjoy The Dumas Club - I like Perez-Reverte a lot (my favourite is The Seville Communion, have you read that?).
70Kell_Smurthwaite
I've not read The Seville Communion, but I'm enjoying the Dumas Club so far. I'd read a few pages before I twigged that this book was made into the film, The Ninth Gate, starring Johnny Depp, which I've seen a couple of times and enjoyed! So far, though, the book is proving better, so if this keeps up, it looks to be a very enjoyable read indeed!
I don't think I'll be bothering to go back to the Sooterkin - it really wasn't appealing at all. not only could I not get into the story, but I found the style very off-putting - I have a hard time with third-person, present-tense books at the best of times, but this one just didn't strike me as worth persevering with to get to the end - I just wasn't getting any enjoyment out of it at all.
I don't think I'll be bothering to go back to the Sooterkin - it really wasn't appealing at all. not only could I not get into the story, but I found the style very off-putting - I have a hard time with third-person, present-tense books at the best of times, but this one just didn't strike me as worth persevering with to get to the end - I just wasn't getting any enjoyment out of it at all.
71Kell_Smurthwaite
As I have an entire week off work now, I thought I'd take the opportunity to join in the Book Club Forum reading circle and re-read my hefty hardback version of of The Stand: The Complete Uncut Edition by Stephen King. It's just too heavy to cart around in my handbag to and from work, so this is the best possible time, when I don't have to go anywhere, to revisit my old buddies Stu Redman and Larry Underwood...
Synopsis:
This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defence Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.
And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides - or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail - and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.
Stephen King's best book is now even better. When The Stand was first published in 1978, 150,000 words were cut from the manuscript. With this new edition, those words are restored, providing new characters, a greater depth of characterization, and a new, expanded ending.
Synopsis:
This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defence Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.
And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides - or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail - and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.
Stephen King's best book is now even better. When The Stand was first published in 1978, 150,000 words were cut from the manuscript. With this new edition, those words are restored, providing new characters, a greater depth of characterization, and a new, expanded ending.
72sussabmax
I have been thinking about re-reading The Stand for awhile now. I last read it in high school, so about 20 years ago, but I still remember loving it. First I am re-reading another long classic, Dune by Frank Herbert and then I need to go buy a copy of the book--the one I read in high school was a paperback that I borrowed from my aunt with the front cover torn off. It fell apart as I read it...
73Kell_Smurthwaite
I'll be starting The Messenger by Andrew E. Shipley today - I'm reviewing it for the author through TCM:
Is U.S. Senator Peters a prophet, a fraud, neither, both? Senator Peters vaults to worldwide fame and political prominence after his first speech from the Senate floor. According to Senator Peters, he delivered his speech in English, but according to amazed listeners from around the world, he could be understood by all who heard it, no matter what their language. When the 'tongues' phenomenon recurs, several parties, ranging from a political power broker to a Catholic Archbishop, seek to appropriate the apparent miracles for their own purposes. As Peters exploits his newfound fame to propel his career to heights beyond those he had ever dreamed possible, two men following different trains of thought reach an identical conclusion: the Senator must die. Meanwhile, a centuries old society known as the Order of Mani keeps watch. The Order believes that it alone holds the secret to the Messenger's true purpose, and it is determined to stop it.
I'll also be listening to an audio book (from Librivox) of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift:
'Thus, gentle Reader, I have given thee a faithful History of my Travels for Sixteen Years, and above Seven Months; wherein I have not been so studious of Ornament as of Truth.' In these words Gulliver represents himself as a reliable reporter of the fantastic adventures he has just set down; but how far can we rely on a narrator whose identity is elusive and whoses inventiveness is self-evident? Gulliver's Travels purports to be a travel book, and describes Gulliver's encounters with the inhabitants of four extraordinary places: Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and the country of the Houyhnhnms. A consummately skilful blend of fantasy and realism makes Gulliver's Travels by turns hilarious, frightening, and profound. Swift plays tricks on us, and delivers one of the world's most disturbing satires of the human condition.
Is U.S. Senator Peters a prophet, a fraud, neither, both? Senator Peters vaults to worldwide fame and political prominence after his first speech from the Senate floor. According to Senator Peters, he delivered his speech in English, but according to amazed listeners from around the world, he could be understood by all who heard it, no matter what their language. When the 'tongues' phenomenon recurs, several parties, ranging from a political power broker to a Catholic Archbishop, seek to appropriate the apparent miracles for their own purposes. As Peters exploits his newfound fame to propel his career to heights beyond those he had ever dreamed possible, two men following different trains of thought reach an identical conclusion: the Senator must die. Meanwhile, a centuries old society known as the Order of Mani keeps watch. The Order believes that it alone holds the secret to the Messenger's true purpose, and it is determined to stop it.
I'll also be listening to an audio book (from Librivox) of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift:
'Thus, gentle Reader, I have given thee a faithful History of my Travels for Sixteen Years, and above Seven Months; wherein I have not been so studious of Ornament as of Truth.' In these words Gulliver represents himself as a reliable reporter of the fantastic adventures he has just set down; but how far can we rely on a narrator whose identity is elusive and whoses inventiveness is self-evident? Gulliver's Travels purports to be a travel book, and describes Gulliver's encounters with the inhabitants of four extraordinary places: Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and the country of the Houyhnhnms. A consummately skilful blend of fantasy and realism makes Gulliver's Travels by turns hilarious, frightening, and profound. Swift plays tricks on us, and delivers one of the world's most disturbing satires of the human condition.
74Kell_Smurthwaite
Next up is Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold, which a very kind friend has loaned to me:
Charles Carter, dubbed Carter the Great by Houdini himself, was born into privilege but became a magician out of need: only when dazzling an audience can he defeat his fear of loneliness. But in 1920s America, the stakes are growing higher, as technology and the cinema challenge the allure of magic and Carter's stunts become increasingly audacious. Until the night, President Harding takes part in Carter's act only to die two hours later, and Carter finds himself pursued not only by the Secret Service but by a host of others desperate to discover the terrible secret they believe Harding confided in him. Seamlessly blending reality and fiction, Gold lays before us a glittering and romantic panorama of our modern world at a point of irrevocable change.
Charles Carter, dubbed Carter the Great by Houdini himself, was born into privilege but became a magician out of need: only when dazzling an audience can he defeat his fear of loneliness. But in 1920s America, the stakes are growing higher, as technology and the cinema challenge the allure of magic and Carter's stunts become increasingly audacious. Until the night, President Harding takes part in Carter's act only to die two hours later, and Carter finds himself pursued not only by the Secret Service but by a host of others desperate to discover the terrible secret they believe Harding confided in him. Seamlessly blending reality and fiction, Gold lays before us a glittering and romantic panorama of our modern world at a point of irrevocable change.
75mydomino1978
I hate to admit it but over the years I have read The Stand three or four times, twice the uncut edition. Sign of a sick mind I guess. I think it is the best of his books, that I have read.
76Kell_Smurthwaite
#75 mydomino1978 - I must have read The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition about a dozen times now. It's one of my all-time favourite books. So, you're not alone with your sick mind - LOL!
77Kell_Smurthwaite
Moving onto one of my Olympic Challenge books - The Mystic Masseur by V. S. Naipaul (who was born in Trinidad).
Synopsis:
The Mystic Masseur tells the story of Ganesh, who at the beginning of the novel is a struggling masseur at a time when, as the narrator puts it, 'masseurs were ten a penny in Trinidad'. From failed primary school teacher and masseur to author, revered mystic and MBE, his is a journey memorable for its hilarious and bewildering success. Naipaul's clarity of style, humorous touch and powerful characterisation are all in evidence in this, his first book. Funny, touching and perceptive, this novel is a wonderful introduction for readers new to Naipaul's writing.
Synopsis:
The Mystic Masseur tells the story of Ganesh, who at the beginning of the novel is a struggling masseur at a time when, as the narrator puts it, 'masseurs were ten a penny in Trinidad'. From failed primary school teacher and masseur to author, revered mystic and MBE, his is a journey memorable for its hilarious and bewildering success. Naipaul's clarity of style, humorous touch and powerful characterisation are all in evidence in this, his first book. Funny, touching and perceptive, this novel is a wonderful introduction for readers new to Naipaul's writing.
