50 Book Challenge 2015 Part 3

24. The Son by Jo Nesbo

Sonny is a model prisoner, and heroin addict. Convicted after he confessed to two murders aged 18, he has been in prison for 12 years and has become something of a confessor to the other prisoners. He absolves them of their sins. But one of them confesses something connected to his disgraced father, a policeman believed to have been corrupt who committed suicide. Sonny is determined to escape and to make those responsible pay for their crimes.

Like all Nesbo books there is a fair amount of violence, although not as gruesome as in some of his Harry Hole series. The story is told from the perspectives of Sonny and the police officer on his trail, Simon Kefas. In spite of Sonny being a killer I actually found myself really getting behind him - the perfect antihero in many ways. Because in spite of what he is doing, this is a man who seems to touch people's lives for the better. Nesbo has clearly given him a messianic quality and it's a cracking good read.

Book 28. Phil Rickman - Merrily Watkins - The Wine of Angels.

Vicar of Dibley meets Midsomer Murders with a touch of the supernatural thrown in. Really enjoyed it and have downloaded the second in the series.

Biblio no need to be so worried about recommending this, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Book 11. The Silkworm. I really enjoyed the cuckoo's calling but this was far too long and the characters were all too similar. I was bored long before the end. Its a shame, the writing is good but she needs a good editor.

After a March of abandoned, really terrible and unfinished books, I have finally managed to find a book worth persevering with to the end. So, #17 - Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene. A retired bank manager meets his estranged, eccentric and bohemian aunt at his mother's funeral and his relationship with his aunt invigorates his life. I wanted to like this book a whole lot more than I actually did. It was mildly funny rather than laugh out loud and I found it very glib. On the other hand, I actually managed to care enough to finish it, which on recent performance is a rare, rare thing!

On the subject of Alan Bennett - has anyone else seen the trailer for the film of The Lady in the Van? Saw the trailer a couple of weeks ago. Film due out in the autumn. Looked rather good . But AB being played by someone else.

Room by Emma Donoghue is £1.79 on the Kindle, if anyone is interested.

14. The poisonwood bible. Lots of other reviews of this, it was ok in general, good in parts, but overlong for me

Southeast I saw People and it was very good. Saw it at the same time though as two mini-plays of his which I enjoyed more.

Yes, that is exactly what we are looking for on this thread. How could you tell?

Two more to add;
17. Appointment with Death - Agatha Christie - a nice cosy murder mystery, although the victim was a proper evil cowbag, which meant I could enjoy it while hoping that everyone got away with it...

18. We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson. I can't remember who on here recommended it, but thank you! It's a quite dark story told from the point of view of one of a pair of sisters living a very isolated life in an old, grand house with a disabled Uncle after all other members of their family have died, and the local villagers hate them.

Maurice might have to go on my 'to read' list! (I've got a pile to work though)

Definitely one for my re-read list :) Was very surprised to find Dorset Libraries only had one rather scruffy copy I had to ask them to transport right across the county! May have to buy my own copy to keep :)

34. Maurice by E M Forster.

Another superb read. Really liked this one. Left me wondering how Maurice and Alec would get by for the rest of their lives. Bittersweet ending.

Book 14 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

A few weeks ago I read Nineteen Eighty Four and this makes a very interesting contrast.

Where the masses are controlled in 1984 through violence and oppression, the world controllers in BNW use unlimited sex, drugs and conditioning. No one suffers, no ones immediate desires are not fulfilled. Everyone is happy this no one questions the prevailing orthodoxy.

Where 1984 is a treatise on totalitarianism, BNW warns of a world run by and for Big Business.

Uncomfortably recognisable, but funny too.

Though for me some of it was muddled both in plot and tone, and the ending is just plain odd, I'm very glad to have read it.

Sorry that should say start an emotional affair with the photographer sent by the magazine

18 Closer Than You Think by Karen Rose
Loved it her books are very fast paced and page turning.
19 Murder on the orient express by Agatha Christie it's a classic for a reason. Even though I have watched the film's and the tv version many times I still enjoyed the book.
20 A Perfect Home by Kate Glanville. I was sent this as a giveaway by mumsnet and therefore feel really guilty that I didn't like it. It was just too weak. The heroine lives in a perfect house in the country with her children and husband. Her life is idyillic apart from the fact her pil don't like her and her husband spends all his time on diy. She set's up a Cath kidston like business which is an immediate success and her home is photographed for a homes and gardens type magazine.
She then starts an emotional affair with him, oh finds out sets fire to home blah blah blah.
I just didn't get it, she wasn't unhappy , her OH wasn't horrible to her and she didn't fall head over heels for the new bloke. I just wanted to shake her. She was a character that things happened to and I really didn't like her enough to care. That said I didn't care enough to hate it either. I wouldn't read another book by this author

Calfon I love the Eyre Affair and others by Jasper Fforde.

Book 14 was New Finnish Grammar by Diego Marani. A man is found during WW 2 without memory and has no language. The doctor thinks he is Finnish and starts teaching him the language. Main disappointment was that the main plot development is told on Page 3. I kept expecting a twist but there wasn't one.

Book 15 is Death of a Cad by M C Beaton. Lightweight murder mystery.I enjoyed it and will read others as my local library seems to have loads of copies!

It has been a while since I updated but here goes:

11. Storm Front - Jim Butcher. This is the first book in the Dresden Files and it is a cracker. Harry Dresden is a private investigator in Chicago. He is also a wizard. In this book he is working with the Chicago police to try and solve a number of murders that seem to be magical in origin. He has also been hired by a woman to find her husband who has been dabbling in magic. It was a very entertaining book - looking forward to the next in the series.

12. The Night Watch - Terry Pratcherr. Audio book narrated by Stephen Briggs. I have spent the last year listening my way through all the Discworld novels. This is one of my favourites and in this one due to a magical storm Sam Vimes finds himself back in Ankh Morpork in the past and in the few days before the revolution. His future depends on the outcome of the next few days and as he assumes the role of Sergeant John Keel who has been murdered. Vimes finds himself as mentor to his younger self and in the end Vimes makes it back to the present time in time for the birth of his son.

13. Dark Places - Gillian Flynn. This was a book club read. Libby Day was a young girl when her family was murdered. She testified that her brother was at the scene and he was sent to prison. Years later it seems that she may have got it wrong and she set out to discover the truth. The story was set against a backdrop of poverty, abuse, satanic cults and ignorance. It was ok.

14. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde. This is the first in a series of books about literary detective, Thursday Next. The book is set in an alternative England which is at war with Russia over the Crimea and Wales has been and independent state for many years. Thursday works in Spec Ops (Special Operations) and chases a criminal mastermind who steals important original texts with the purpose of changing the original story which results in all the books worldwide changing. This book was totally bonkers and I loved it.

15. Soul Music - Terry Pratchett. Audio book narrated by Nigel Planner. Int his book a young musical imp arrives in Ankh Morpork and with a few others starts a band called 'The Band with Rocks In' and 'Music with Rocks In' takes over. DEATH is upset after the death of his daughter and goes off to join the Klatchian Legion. All in all usual Pratchett genius. This was only let down by the quality of the audio.

I am a little behind but hoping to catch up over the Easter. I started The Goldfinch this moring, am currently listening to A Hat Full of Sky and have to read The Girl on The Train for my book club so will update when I make a bit more progress.

Still reading A Single Breath...enjoying it.

Finished Pepys 1664 diary which was fascinating, as always. Will start his 1666 diary later today which of course is the year of the great fire after the plague year of 1665...

Have added Three Amazing Things About You by Jill Mansell to my Amazon wish list, thank you for the heads up!

JoylessFucker yes Red Love was a Kindle deal and still is 99p. I'm a sucker for a Kindle deal! I'm really not sure how I feel about this book. Having thought about it a bit more, for me there was too much detail on the war, I would have preferred more detail about life in the GDR. But for 99p I would recommend it if you have an interest in the country.
Have now decided on number 14 - I've just started Basil by Wilkie Collins (love Wilkie Collins)

I'm still struggling through the silliness that is The Master And Margarita which I had very high hopes for after all the praise I saw heaped on it over the years on MN. I can't tell if it wants to be Alice In Wonderland or JS & Mr N, but in any case, it's just not doing a good job of it. 76% through and wanting to stick pins in my eyes rather than read another chapter of it, frankly.

Meanwhile.... .... and this has nothing to do with reading but I'd be called insane if I went around telling people this in RL... I did an unassisted headstand today, for the first time in several decades Guess who will seriously impress the DC tonight

Duchess, many thanks for the tip of Girl on a Train. Felt I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about, but sounded like it might be a disappointment so, at that price, its justified!

Bssh, thanks for the review on the Buried Giant. Another one for the List

whippet, like you I was in that position until a year ago when I got fed up of a good friend who collected the books going on (and on). So I picked 11.23.63 (the one around the Kennedy assisination). While it was fine, I can't say I'm dying to read another one.

Eleanor, I was very tempted by Red Love recently, but decided I had to curb the spending. Was it a kindle deal recently? I was drawn to it following a visit to Berlin and after watching a fascinating mini-documentary on you tube. May check it out again ...

I'm on book 19 (and maybe book 20?) Am finally reading IQ84 books 1 & 2. Enjoying it so far ...

Hurray, I have won a copy of H Is For Hawk by Helen Macdonald - really looking forward to this one arriving. I had promised myself I wouldn't buy any more books as I have a huge pile to read but I was keen to read this one so very hapy with a free copy :)

I haven't quite managed to avoid spending. DD has been listening to Matilda on my phone (downloaded from audible when it was deal of the day). She is really enjoying it so I've treated her to set of Roald Dahl CDs from Book People so we can listen to them in the car. Much better than the annoying Disney CD we've had on recently.