50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Four

"both her weird expanding breasts (which "grow" and "smoothen" when she meets her lover - WTF?) and her mysterious foofoo"

May I say again that I luff you lot

Keith, I read The Ghost Rider by Ismail Kadare a few years ago. I can relate to your review and I usually enjoy slightly magical, mythical tales. Suffice to say it didn't tempt me to pick up another book by this author.

I'm currently ploughing my way through Pillars of the Earth and a non-fiction title called It Didn't Start With You. The latter includes some exercises to do so it is taking longer than normal to get through.

Thanks Cheerful and Grifone, couple of nice non-fiction books to add to my TBR ( Prisoners of Geography and NutureShock). In a similar vein to the latter, I have been looking out for a copy of The Game Theorist's Guide to Parenting by Paul Raeburn and Kevin Zollman; read an extract somewhere and found it very interesting.

20. The Accident, Ismail Kadare

This is a book for people who like strange dream-like story-telling where you are never quite sure whether things are actually happening and, indeed, whether the characters are actually real or not. Sadly, that's not me. I went into this book with very high hopes (much lauded literary thriller set against a background of European politics and the aftermath of the Balkan war. The story cleverly pulls together diverse threads from Albanian legend, Greek myths, Don Quixote. Sadly, though, I found the book to be written so opaquely that it was almost unreadable. Kadare deliberately prevents the reader from understanding what has happened or is happening.

I was also extremely irritated by the way he wrote about the female protagonist, both her weird expanding breasts (which "grow" and "smoothen" when she meets her lover - WTF?) and her mysterious foofoo, which apparently is a dark cave where the normal rules of life do not apply.... Seriously?! By the end of the book you realise that she's maybe more a symbolic character than a real one; however, I would have thrown it across the room in frustration long before that had it not been for the gushing blurb telling me what an amazing writer Kadare is.

I can't write as amusingly as the rest of you about books I hated. Suffice to say, therefore, that I hated this one.

Not been around recently as work has been a bit full on but now things are a bit quieter again I have not got a bit of time for an update.

16 - Belgravia by Julian Fellowes - This starts on the Eve of Waterloo in Belgium and quickly flicks forward to 1840's Belgravia and the connection between an aristocratic family and one from the nouveau riche. This started with so much promise but I found the majority of the book a bit of slog before it became interesting again at the end.

17 - The Mother by Yvette Edwards - I chose this on impulse from the library and whilst in many ways not an easy read I am so glad that I did. It is the fictional story of Marcia who is attending the trial of the boy who is accused of her son's murder. Her son was not the type of boy to be mixed up with gangs etc and it becomes painfully clear that he fancied the wrong girl. This book dealt really well with the parents grief and how this had affected them individually and a couple. I also felt like it was a look into a world which feels such alien to my own. I would recommend.

18 - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell - Iris has no knowledge of her great Aunt Esme. This all changes when Iris receives a letter to say that Esme is to be released from her long term psychiatric care. Flicking between the 1930's and the present day this book unravels the events that led to Esme being locked away and being removed from the family history. I loved this book and read it in a few days. I am looking forward to reading more by the same author.

19 - The Black Water LIllies - Michael Bussi - I don't want to say too much about this book because I wouldn't want to spoil it for anybody else who is likely to read it. Just to say it is set in Giverny the home of Jean Claude Monet. It starts with one murder and 13 days later ends with another. This book has a very clever plot which is executed well. However the author did have an annoying habit of ending most of the 80 something chapters with a cliff hanger.

Now reading 1984 - George Orwell - Although written 70 odd years ago it is chilling at how much of this is still relevant today.

Will now try and catch up with the rest of the thread.

Gin, from memory it's fairly different to the BJ pregnancy story as it appeared in the columns, although I'd be hard-pressed to give specifics after this much time.

Gin no idea. I never read any of the Bridget Jones columns in the newspapers, just the novelised books.

Although I never got around to reading Mad About The Boy.

@stitches How similar is it to the baby columns published in 2006?

I have just finished Dept of Speculation and thought it was interesting writing, poetic quality if that doesn't sound too pretentious.
Now reading Little big lies fab lightweight frothy akin to desperate housewives in book form!

12. Bridget Jones's Baby by Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones sleeps with the steadfast Mark Darcy and dashing cad Daniel Cleaver within 2 days of each other, and gets pregnant. But which one is the father?

A very light, fast read. Suspension of disbelief a must in order to enjoy this book. Darcy and Cleaver seem remarkably unfazed by the whole situation, and continue competing for Bridget's attention. Bridget gives birth within 3 hours of having the first contraction. And they've got the results of the paternity test before she's even left the delivery room.

Thank you for the warning, Lady. I'll keep clear of FF's other books.

You might want to stay away from The Odessa File yourself. I doubt if you will continue to love it if you read it again, after 25 years.

Grifone- Cloud Atlas is comfortably in my all time top 10 books. Definitely deserves a reread. I still haven't seen the film though.,

Cote - I loved the Odessa File, I think I found the protagonist very attractive (it's probably 25 years since I've read it though!). Can't remember much else other than an old man and a diary. Please don't read any more Forsyth, it's properly all downhill from the Odessa File!

Satsuki - genius bit of writing, careful or Dan Brown will be plagiarising you !!

I'm currently reading Imperium by Robert Harris. Anyone read it? My feelings are mixed so far...

14. The Odessa Files by Frederick Forsyth

I went straight from The Day Of The Jackal to this one, by the same author. I should have known that it was not going to be exactly the same kind of book when I struggled through 50-odd pages of a concentration camp survivor's diary and still I couldn't believe the plot's glacial slowness. I know some on this thread said this is among their favourite books ever, but imho the story wasn't terribly convincing and it was nowhere near as good as Jackal.

22. Indemnity Only (VI Warshawski Book 1) by Sara Paretsky.

A light and easy read; VI Warshawski is a PI and investigates. It was light and fairly entertaining, I will keep going with this series, it's always nice to see a strong (fairly) independent female character. I'm also half way through The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood but I'm finding it all a bit depressing and have started The Vegetarian by Han Kang instead. Interesting.

The Da Vinci Code is the worst book I have ever read. No question.

Grifone, I listened to Cloud Atlas as an audiobook and thought the narration was very good.

I loved Rosemary's Baby as well. I think Ira Levin is really underrated, and agree that his writing feels very fresh. I picked up A Kiss Before Dying in a charity shop at the weekend, and will read after my current Susan Hill.

Ooh thanks Cote, DH is a big Neal Stephenson fan so I've just bought Seveneves for him.

What a pity I had to read a Charlie Parker book in order to write it

We all have our cross to bear Remus.

Yours is obviously a heavy one.

I'd forgotten all about Rosemary's Baby. It gave me nightmares as a teenager Grifone. I think it was the first 'horror' story I ever read and almost the last.

Finished number 15

1. The Muse - Jessie Burton

1. Gone Without a Trace - Mary Torjussen
2. Flesh Wounds - Christopher Brookmyre
3. Phantom: a Harry Hole Thriller - Jo Nesbo
4. Dead Simple (Roy Grace Series) - Peter James
5. All Good Deeds (A Lucy Kendall Thriller) - Stacy Green
6. The Turtle Boy - Kealan Patrick Burke

1. The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion

15. Gallows View (inspector banks series) - Peter Robinson

Utter bilge.

Next!

Neal Stephenson's brilliant book Seveneves is £1.99 on the Kindle

It has been so long since I updated that I had fallen off the thread! These are my latest:

12. Reconstructing Amelia – Kimberly McCreight. Amelia died after jumping from the roof of her school. The coroner’s verdict is suicide. Kate then receives a note to say that Amelia did not jump and so begins the journey to uncover the truth about what happened to Amelia and why. This is not a bad story though certain elements such as Kate investigating alongside the police were ridiculous. I liked how the author addressed bullying on social media and the impact on young vulnerable kids. All in all, readable but not memorable.

13. The Wolves of London (Obsidan Heart – Book 1) – Mark Morris. I had this in my Audible library for ages and finally got around to listening to it. In this first book of a trilogy, Alex Locke finds himself in a situation where he has to steal an obsidian heart in order to help his daughter who is in a spot of bother. When his younger daughter is taken and held hostage, he very quicklyrealises that all is not as it seems as he gets caught up in the criminal underworld. This is an urban fantasy with a bit of mystery, science fiction, steampunk and time travel thrown in. Probably not for everyone and may work better as an audiobook than a novel, but I enjoyed it and will definitely see the series through. I would say this might appeal to people who like Neil Gaiman and Ben Aaronovitch.

14. Vigilante- Kerry Wilkinson This is the second book in the Jessica Daniel’s detectives series. Someone is killing criminals and the forensics point to a man who is already in prison. I bought this on a kindle deal a year or so ago and while it is a better read than the first in the series, I really did not engage with the story or the characters.

15. Rosemary’s Baby – Ira Levin. Rosemary and Guy move into the Bramford which is an old New York City apartment building and quickly build a close relationship with their neighbours, Roman and Minnie Castavet. Rosemary gets pregnant and as small events happen that start to make her uneasy she slowly becomes aware that all is not as it seems. Full of suspense and drama this was one of my favourite books of the year so far and it is hard to believe that it is was published 50 years ago. It still feels fresh and contemporary and I would highly recommend it.

16. Prisoners of Geography – Tim Marshall. This is a book about geopolitics and the impact physical geography and location has on the governing of many of the world’s nations. Geopolitics is very complex but this book makes it really easy and is clear, concise, well researched and presented.

17. A Commonplace Killing –Siân Busby. Set in London after WWII, this is a thriller/murder mystery about a woman who was found strangled to death. I enjoyed the descriptions of London and the time period in which it was set. It was somewhat bleak and dealt with some of the social challenges that many working class people faced at this time. It didn’t gel for me at the end but I feel a bit bad saying so as she died while writing it and it seems her husband (Robert Peston) found her notes and transcribed them so the novel could be published posthumously.

18. Snowblind – Ragnar Jónasson. Set in Iceland, this is the first of the Dark Iceland books. Ari Thór is a newly graduated policeman who is posted to the small fishing village of Siglufjördur. A famous Icelandic novelist falls down a stairs and soon the rumours start to circulate suggesting that he may have been pushed. Soon after a woman is found semi naked in the snow with severe injuries. At the beginning these cases seem unrelated but as the story develops Ari has to ask some uncomfortable questions in the small community he is living in, in order to close the case and bring the perpetrators to justice. I think this is a first book and another ending I found a little unsatisfying, however I enjoyed it enough to consider reading the next one in the series.

19. Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell. This was one of my reading targets for 2017 and I am delighted to have finally read it. I know this has been reviewed extensively on these threads so I am not sure that I can really add anything of value other than to say it was truly a masterpiece. I just loved it. Mitchell is an incredible wordsmith and I am still thinking about this even thought I finished it some weeks ago. This is definitely one for a reread and I think this is one that would work really well as an audiobook so I will keep a lookout on Audible for a Daily Deal or 2 for 1.

20. High Force – L.J. Ross. This is the 5th book in the DCI Ryan series and follows on from the last book where the Hacker has escaped from prison and taken Detective McKenzie. Ryan and co have to find her before she it is too late. This is the best of these books so far and the characters are well drawn and realistic. I am on a bit of a murder mystery/police procedural role this year and this was probably the best of them so far.

21. Lock In – John Scalzi. A flu-like virus spreads globally and kills many. However, 1% of the population experience ‘lock in’ where they are conscious and aware but cannot move their bodies or physically respond in any way. Technological advances mean that Hadens can fully function in society again through the development of a complex computer programme that allows them to control a robot like body. It is also discovered that there are a number of people (known as Integrators) who had developed Haden’s and recovered that are receptive to having their brain controlled by ‘locked in’ Hadens. Chris Shane is a Haden and an FBI agent. On his first week on the job he has to deal with a Haden related murder. As the story unfolds Chris and his partner have to solve more murders against the background of political intrigue and corporate corruption. It was slow to start but then the pace picked up and it kept me intrigued to the end. I was expecting more sci fi than murder mystery but the two worked really well together. I thought this was quite clever and the world building worked for me. Interesting and entertaining read.

Next up is Marcus Sakey's Brilliance trilogy and Pompeii by Mary Beard on Audible.

I read The Da Vinci Code on a holiday somewhere and seem to remember I quite enjoyed it but alcohol may have been involved. I read Angels and Demons too but in my defence I was in hospital on that occasion and on painkillers.

Thanks, Happy. What a pity I had to read a Charlie Parker book in order to write it.

DH wouldn't eve think that's funny. He already complains that my Kindle gets far more attention in bed than him

Point out that your Kindle never fails to provide an outstanding performance Cote

Satsuki . I remember one reviewer who said that the DaVinci Code was to literature what SPAM was to food.

Love the "Charlie Parker' review Remus