Elainedav's book list for 2013

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Elainedav's book list for 2013

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1Elainedav
Modifié : Jan 1, 2013, 12:27 pm

This is my second year on club read. Last year I just kept a simple list - here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/131737

This year I will try to be a bit more detailed and perhaps write a few sentences about each book. I'm also trying out the category challenge for the first time - my thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/146677

Happy new year of reading everyone!

6arubabookwoman
Jan 1, 2013, 8:27 pm

What did you think of Behind the Beautiful Forevers? It's one I would like to get to, and it seems to be almost universally praised.

7judylou
Jan 2, 2013, 1:54 am

I have that one on my wishlist. It has had a lot of attention on different threads.

8Elainedav
Modifié : Jan 20, 2013, 11:23 am

Really enjoying Behind the Beautiful Forevers. It reads a bit like a novel, so I keep forgetting it is non fiction - when you remember that and actually think about what you are reading, it is very sad, shocking and fascinating all rolled into one!

Having finished this book now, I would add that it's story stays with you after reading it. The author has done a great job describing the scene of the slum and the people who live within it. Corruption is rife and yet despite this, teenagers who live here are going to college - although their degrees are not awarded for the same level of study as ours at home.

I read the kindle version and was slightly frustrated that the explanation of the book, written by the author, was found at the end rather than the beginning. In a physical book, I would have read this earlier and I think knowing that the author made lots of visits between 2007 and 2011 and the way she interviewed and recorded what she saw as well as investigating what happened by getting access to official documents, really adds an element of authenticity and realism to what you read. I was also interested to read why the author chose this particular slum to study, over other in the area. I hope she returns in say 5 years or so, to carry out a further study and to give an update on the remaining characters and their ongoing fortunes.

9marieke54
Jan 2, 2013, 2:18 pm

It's on my list too. (beautiful title by, the way..)

10Elainedav
Jan 20, 2013, 11:16 am

Finished reading In Stitches: The Highs and Lows of Being an AandE Doctor by Nick Edwards this morning. I rated it 3.5 stars - this is what I thought:

I really enjoyed this book - it''s been on my list to read for a long time.

I liked the structure of short chapters, each with a unique storyline of their own. The author justifies his 'rant' frequently and often reminds the reader that there are many good aspects of the NHS. Some of the chapters have titles such as 'why I love being an A&E Dr' which give some balance to the overall feel of the book and prevent the book from being criticised as a negative rant throughout. I hope many managers and accountants in the NHS have read this book and taken note of the unintended consquences that some policies have brought about. It would be good to think that the book may have been used as a catalyst for positive and ongoing change in the NHS.

11Elainedav
Modifié : Jan 24, 2013, 6:55 am

Finished reading The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson this morning. I was interested in this book mainly because of the unusual title and because it has been in the bestseller lists for most of the last year. Other than that, I really didn't know anything about it.

The book has two storylines. One is the current story of the 100 year old man and the other is the story of the same man in his younger years. The book is structured with the chapters alternating between the two stories. I enjoyed the present day, 100 year old man story, but I have to say I found the back story of this man's life to be so far fetched that it was ridiculous! Having said that, the author describes the book as light hearted and feel good and it does fit that description. Just not my thing I suppose. 2.5 stars.

12Elainedav
Mar 4, 2013, 11:46 am

A few words about Marie Potter and the Campervan of Doom by Brian Burke. I really like travelogues and this one caught my eye because my husband and I were considering hiring a campervan and driving to Norway. This couple took two years to travel all around europe, including Norway, in their own van.

The book was worth reading and gave some insights to the pitfalls of buying your own van and also wild camping around europe. However, it was really badly edited and contained many spelling mistakes and misplaced words. In addition, at times the writer was quite disparaging about his partner (Marie Potter) for example by making comments about the size of her backside! Arriving somewhere and getting the beer open was also a recurring theme. These things spoiled the book for me and are all issues I would have thought a decent editor would 'tidy up' and sort out.

Disappointing but also memorable for some of the right reasons - 3 stars.

13Elainedav
Juil 14, 2013, 1:17 pm

Haven't written anything for ages about the books I've been reading, but I've recently finished the most disappointing book of the year so far and the most anticipated, great read.

The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling was the most disappointing. I expected more. I guess with the great success she has had with the Harry Potter series (which I have never read BTW), you expect something different and something perhaps worthy of a feature film. I thought The Casual Vacancy, although well written, was dreary. Very observational of small town UK, detailing trials and tribualtions of family life and the central plot of the vacancy on the perish council. Dull - not for me :-(

However, And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini was great. I have enjoyed the previous books by the author and loved this one too. There are loads of characters in this book and at times I had to remind myself who was who. At times the characters are seemingly unrelated, but you know that somehow how they touch one another will become obvious by the end of the book. The story cleverly travels between Afghanistan, France, Greece and the USA. The reviews on the back of the hardback I borrowed from the library sum up my thoughts exactly - The Daily Telegraph says 'Hosseini has that rare thing, a Dickensian knack for storytelling. He excels at writing suspenseful epics filled with compelling characters'.

14avidmom
Juil 14, 2013, 3:18 pm

Hello! I've just now found your thread. I see you read The Book Thief in March. It's one my all-time favorites, even if it is marketed as YA literature. What did you thnk of it? In Stitches looks very interesting too.

15Elainedav
Juil 15, 2013, 2:04 pm

Hi Avidmom. I loved The Book Thief. I didn't know anything about it prior to reading it but I was really curious about why it is constantly the top of the most wishlisted books. Would love to read some of his other work at some point - but currently have 65 books on my kindle and 8 or 9 library books to work my way through, so it will take a while! In Stitches was interesting. I worked in healthcare for a while, so always interested in anything medical and generally enjoy most memoirs/autobiographical accounts.

16Elainedav
Oct 7, 2013, 12:56 pm

Just finished reading Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. What a fantastic, inspirational read! I love travel memoirs anyway, but this one weaves a travel story in with a life story, which is very sad, but unfortunately is a reality for many people. I would love to walk a long trail like the PCT, but I know that I couldn't cope with the lack of toilets and showers - not to mention having to carry a heavy backpack, nearly treading on rattlesnakes and I most certainly wouldn't do it on my own! If you have any interest in travel - read this book, it's great!