A new year.. new discoveries: Yells

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A new year.. new discoveries: Yells

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1Yells
Modifié : Mar 18, 2017, 5:57 pm

This is going to be a year of reading whatever I want. I tend to join too many challenges/groups and then crash and burn halfway through. So, this is the year of no plan, no restrictions, no worries :)

That being said, I do need to read what I own (2000+ books/ebooks) so I will try to avoid buying books and focus more on what I have on the shelf. My reading does tend towards the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list but I have umpteen books on the shelf from that list so I shouldn't have a problem finding some interesting reads.

2Yells
Modifié : Jan 3, 2018, 11:37 am

January

1) The Unit by Holmqvist
2) Travels in the White Man's Grave by MacIntosh
3) His Last Bow by Doyle
4) The Alchemist by Coelho
5) The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches by Soucy
6) The Story of The Eye by Bataille
7) Les Enfants Terrible by Cocteau
8) The Godfather by Puzo
9) James and the Giant Peach by Dahl
10) The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Doyle
11) Prince of Mist by Zafon
12) Watership Down by Adams
13) Foe by Coetzee
14) Bridget Jones's Baby by Fielding
15) Cranford by Gaskell
16) Fantomas by Allain
17) Wenjack by Boyden
18) Almost Transparent Blue by Murakami
19) Pepita Jimenez by Valera
20) Northanger Abbey by Austen

3Yells
Modifié : Août 7, 2017, 8:03 pm

February

21) The Night Watch by Waters
22) Memento Mori by Spark
23) The River Between by Thiong'o
24) Persuasion by Austen
25) A Boy's Own Story by White
26) Some Experiences of an Irish RM by Somerville and Ross
27) Choke by Palahniuk
28) Never a Dull Moment by Hemsworth
29) Hag Seed by Atwood
30) The Quiet American by Green
31) The Steel Kiss by Deaver
32) The Underdogs by Azuela
33) Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Lawson
34) Kilter: 55 Fictions by Gould
35) The Shipyard by Onetti
36) Untouchable by Anand
37) Ghost in the Wires by Minnick
38) Furiously Happy by Lawson
39) The Orenda by Boyden
40) The Haunting of Hill House by Jackson

4Yells
Modifié : Août 7, 2017, 8:04 pm

March

41) The Unconsoled by Ishiguro
42) Under Fire Barbusse
43) Indian Horse by Wagamese
44) Age of Persuasion by O'Reilly
45) Go Tell it on a Mountain by Baldwin
46) Lives of Saints by Ricci
47) Digging to America by Tyler
48) In a Glass House by Ricci
49) Old Filth by Gardam
50) Daddy Lenin and Other Stories by Vanderhaeghe
51) Where Has She Gone by Ricci
52) George and Rue by Clarke
53) Bossypants by Fey
54) Bone and Bread by Nawaz
55) Nerd Do Well by Pegg
56) Sun Records by Floyd
57) The Nix by Hill
58) Reasons She Goes To the Woods by Davies
59) We Should All Be Feminists by Adichie
60) Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Adams

5Yells
Modifié : Août 7, 2017, 8:04 pm

April

61) Coraline by Gaiman
62) The Break by Vermette
63) Heartbreak Hotel by Kellerman
64) Mistress of Nothing by Pullinger
65) Life, Animated by Suskind
66) Secret Daughter by Somaya
67) Recreating Eden by Soderstrom
68) The Stand by King
69) Fresh Girls by Lau

6Yells
Modifié : Août 7, 2017, 8:05 pm

May

70) Willard and His Bowling Trophies by Brannigan
71) Superfandom by Fraade-Blanar
72) Night Shift by King
73) 2001: A Space Odyssey by Clarke
74) Moodie's Tale by Wright
75) Lost City of the Monkey God by Preston
76) The Seeds of Time by Wyndham
77) The Circle by Eggers
78) Homegoing by Gyasi
79) Revenge of Analog by Sax
80) A Man Called Ove by Backman
81) Am I Alone Here by Orner
82) Nostalgia by Vassanji
83) Love is a Mix Tape by Sheffield
84) Books For Living by Schwalbe
85) This is That: Travel Guide to Canada by Kelly
86) Burial Hour by Deaver
87) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Bradley
88) If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits by Bombeck
89) Genius: The Game by Gout

7Yells
Modifié : Jan 5, 2018, 12:25 pm

June

90) Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Bradley
91) Echoes in Death by Robb
92) Tale For The Time Being by Ozeki
93) Full Wolf Moon by Child
94) Canada by Myers
95) Full Count by Blair
96) Armada by Cline
97) Hillbilly Elegy by Vance
98) A Red Herring Without Mustard by Bradley

8Yells
Modifié : Août 7, 2017, 8:09 pm

July

99) A Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein
100) I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Bradley
101) Speaking From Among the Bones by Bradley
102) Get Shorty by Leonard
103) Hood by Donoghue
104) Lyrics Alley by Aboulela
105) Getting Over Edgar by Barfoot
106) Whylah Falls by Clark
107) Exit West by Hamid
108) Dead in their Vaulted Arches by Bradley

9Yells
Modifié : Sep 3, 2017, 10:18 pm

August

109) As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Bradley
110) Game of Thrones by Martin
111) Radiant Way by Drabble
112) Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano by Equiano
113) The Stranger in the Woods by Finkel
114) Black Like Me by Griffin
115) Gulp by Roach
116) Pilgrim by Findley
117) The Well of Loneliness by Hall
118) Goodbye to Berlin by Isherwood
119) A Bone to Pick by Bittman

10Yells
Modifié : Oct 1, 2017, 9:57 pm

September

120) Blindness by Green
121) Outlander by Gabaldon
122) Trout Fishing in America by Brautigan
123) Dragonfly in Amber by Gabaldon
124) Voyager by Gabaldon
125) Drums of Autumn by Gabaldon
126) Women of the Silk by Tsukiyama
127) Y is for Yesterday by Grafton
128) The Laws by Palmen

11Yells
Modifié : Déc 30, 2017, 7:53 pm

October

129) The Dead Zone by King
130) Miss Lonelyhearts by West
131) The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up by Kondo
132) History of Wolves by Fridlund
133) 1001 Arabian Nights by Scott
134) Living Simple, Free and Happy by Frank
135) Underground Railroad by Whitehead
136) Firestarter by King
137) The Power by Alderman
138) The Butcher Boy by McCabe
139) High-Rise by Ballard
140) Testament of Youth by Brittain
141) Arrow of God by Achebe
142) The Woman in White by Collins
143) The Dispossessed by Le Guin
144) Anagrams by Moore
145) I Capture the Castle by Smith

12Yells
Modifié : Déc 26, 2017, 7:33 pm

November

146) Tell Tale by Archer
147) The Moonstone by Collins
148) Obabakoak by Atxaga
149) The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by Le Carre
150) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Alexie
151) Zero Waste Home by Johnson
152) Old Devils by Amis
153) The Story of Tracey Beaker by Wilson
154) The Magic Faraway Tree by Blyton
155) Double Act by Wilson
156) Girls in Love by Wilson
157) Good Night Mister Tom by Magorian
158) Noughts and Crosses by Blackman
159) Consumer.ology by Graves

13Yells
Modifié : Déc 31, 2017, 11:16 pm

December

160) Shada by Roberts
161) The Golden Compass by Pullman
162) The Subtle Knife by Pullman
163) The Amber Spyglass by Pullman
164) This Changes Everything by Klein
165) Two Kinds of Truth by Connelly
166) Everything I Never Told You by Ng
167) Blonde by Oates
168) Super Cannes by Ballard
169) From Here to Eternity by Jones
170) Mothers Milk by St Aubyn
171) Thrice The Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Bradley
172) Evicted by Desmond
173) The One-in-a-Million Boy by Wood
174) Imagined London by Quindlen

14Yells
Modifié : Jan 9, 2018, 12:15 pm



The Unit by Holmqvist - this was a Santathing pick and a good one! It's similar to Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro. The Unit is a facility where people who are older and don't have family can go and live out the remaining days of their lives. They don't have to worry about bills and there are many activities to keep them busy. In return, though, they must agree to participate in various experiments and donate organs as needed. Eventually, they make their final donation and sacrifice their life. It's a rather creepy book but it does raise quite a few questions about the value of life.



Travels in the White Man's Grave by MacIntosh - I can't even remember how long this book has been sitting on the shelf but it was given to me many years ago by a friend who knew that I liked travel literature. The title was a little off-putting so to be honest, I almost donated it unread a few times. But, I finally opened it up and I am ever so glad that I did. This is a fantastic look into western Africa from the eyes of a Scottish logger who travelled there looking for adventure. MacIntosh is a fabulous writer and made the country come alive. This one is highly recommended.



His Last Bow by Doyle. I started working my way through the complete Sherlock Holmes last year but had to take a break. I finally finished this collection and will try to complete the last one shortly. I love reading about Holmes & Watson but I must admit, the stories are getting a little repetitive. I suppose that is par for the course though.

15arubabookwoman
Jan 2, 2017, 7:14 pm

I enjoyed The Unit when I read it several years ago. Looking forward to following your reading this year.

16Simone2
Modifié : Jan 3, 2017, 1:45 am

>14 Yells: Those first two sound great. Looking forward to more of your reviews.

17Yells
Jan 4, 2017, 2:14 pm

Thanks! Hopefully I will remember to update and review things this year ;)

18Yells
Modifié : Fév 24, 2017, 6:50 pm



The Alchemist by Coehlo - you know, if I read this back in my teenage years (when The Celestine Prophecy was the best. book. ever), I think I would have really enjoyed it. But now, it was okay. It's a short little story about perseverance and determination.

19AlisonY
Jan 7, 2017, 6:58 am

>19 AlisonY: I read The Alchemist a few years ago, and when I got to the end thought it was the most over-hyped book I'd ever read. So average it doesn't even deserve a place on my bookshelves.

Funny enough I just chucked The Celestine Prophecy off my bookshelves into the charity shop pile over the holidays. It must be about 16 years since I read that - I remember thinking it was quite interesting but wasn't totally blown away by it (maybe you're right and these are books most appreciated when you're a teenager and full of wonderment about the big, wide world out there).

20Yells
Jan 7, 2017, 3:33 pm

I heartily agree :)

21Yells
Jan 9, 2017, 8:42 pm

Sick day in bed so I figured I would finish up a few stragglers. The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches and Les Enfants Terrible are both about siblings who either grow up in appalling conditions or grew to be rather appalling adults. Both were interesting in their way.

Then I wasted my time with Story of the Eye by Bataille.

Next I will try to finish The Godfather (which is a lot better than I thought it would be).

22Simone2
Modifié : Jan 10, 2017, 1:53 am

>21 Yells: You had a productive day! I remember The Story of the Eye. A waste of time indeed...
I look forward to your review of The Godfather, which has been on my shelves for ages.

23Yells
Modifié : Fév 24, 2017, 6:52 pm



The Godfather by Puzo. I don't like mafia books/movies so I approached this one with trepidation. But, it was on the 1001 list and I am trying to expand my reading choices so I dove in. And lo and beyond, it was quite good! I was worried that it would be heavy on shootings and light on plot but I was impressed at the depth shown by the characters and the plot was surprisingly intricate.



For lighter fare, I reread James and the Giant Peach because I couldn't for the life of me remember what happened after he climbed inside ;)

Right now, I am working my way through the last few Sherlock Holmes stories and also Watership Down.

24auntmarge64
Jan 24, 2017, 9:17 am

>23 Yells: Have you ever seen the Godfather movies?

25Yells
Jan 24, 2017, 2:28 pm

I did see them years ago but to be honest, wasn't paying close attention (you know that mental thing you do when you convince yourself that you don't like something but someone wants you to try it so you 'try' it)? I will go back and re-watch the first one though. The book piqued my interest again.

26Yells
Jan 24, 2017, 2:30 pm

I finished a few more over the weekend (still sick so lots of down time). Watership Down is a lot more violent then I thought it would be. Loved the story but man, rabbits are vicious sometimes!

Fantomas by Allain - it's almost an anti-Sherlock Holmes story. I am surprised that any crimes got solved with this detective on the case.

27auntmarge64
Jan 28, 2017, 10:19 am

>26 Yells: I read Watership Down one year while vacationing in rural Quebec. One day I was sitting on the dock reading and from the cabin, which was perched on a hill above me, I heard a terrible screeching. I ran all the way up, only to find my cat holding a baby rabbit in its mouth. I almost killed the cat! (The baby was OK and escaped back into the woods.)

28Yells
Fév 24, 2017, 3:44 pm

>27 auntmarge64: That would be a little disconcerting when you are trying to relax with nature. Glad all worked out in the end :)

Wow, I suck at updating my threads. I will need to rectify that...

29Yells
Modifié : Fév 24, 2017, 6:37 pm



Untouchable by Anand. What a great novel! It chronicles a day in the life of Bakha, one of India's untouchables. He is a sweeper who cleans latrines for a living and is among the lowest caste. At first he goes through the motions but as the day progresses, various things happen that make him question his life and the lives of those around him. What makes one 'untouchable'? Is this only a religious caste thing? Or has human nature moved it past that? Do most of us, no matter what our status in life, always look for someone less fortunate than ourselves so we can feel a little superior to them? Anand asks a lot of interesting questions.



Choke by Palahniuk. The 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list is forcing me to read authors that I had previously dismissed as weird and uninteresting. And it's forcing me to accept the fact that I rather like this type of writing. In amongst all the oddness (excessive rock collecting, sex addiction etc), there is a serious side. The main character must do whatever he can to earn enough money to pay for the care his ageing mother requires in a nursing home.

30Yells
Modifié : Jan 12, 2018, 11:00 am



Never a Dull Moment by Hepworth. This was a lot of fun! 1971 was apparently a busy year for rock and roll and this is a month-by-month account of some of the cool things that were happening. Hepworth doesn't just write about music but also includes a lot of other tidbits about movies, books and general pop culture.



A Boy's Own Story by White. Another beautifully written, moving novel. This time it's a coming-on-age novel (although apparently autobiographical) of a young homosexual man growing up in 50's America. He hopes that his passion for men is a phase but as he matures, he realises that this isn't something that he will outgrow. It's a difficult read in that his feelings are so raw and eloquently put that you can't help but be immersed in his life.

I knew I was worthless and at the same time I was convinced somebody would find me worth, would worship me for this sexual allure so foreign to my understanding yet so central to my being.

31Yells
Modifié : Août 7, 2017, 8:27 pm



So, late to the party as usual, I just discovered these books. I must say, I laughed and laughed throughout the first one (and cried a little at times) but by the time I got to the second one, I was laughed out and didn't find it nearly as funny. I wonder if I should have taken some time off in between?

There was a lot in both that I related to - I can't tell you how many times I have said the wrong thing at the wrong time or done something inappropriate without even thinking (if I see a unibrow, I actually become Austin Powers in the presence of a mole. My husband knows to scan rooms first and then quietly lead me away). And if I am forced to people too much, I also go looking for a quiet corner to hide in. I can't say that my childhood involved taxidermy or random wild animals roaming the house though...

32Yells
Modifié : Août 7, 2017, 8:28 pm

And again, I find time to update my list but never seem to find time to write a review. I really need to work on that.

33Yells
Modifié : Août 7, 2017, 8:27 pm



The Radiant Way by Drabble. This is a long, meandering story of three friends who met at Cambridge and who have drifted in and out of each others lives over the years. Drabble also introduces a whole host of secondary characters and a mess of plotlines. At times it's quite fascinating but also rather confusing.

34Yells
Modifié : Août 7, 2017, 8:27 pm



Get Shorty by Leonard. This isn't my usual cup of tea so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The writing is quite clever - art imitating life imitating art.

35Yells
Modifié : Août 7, 2017, 8:28 pm



Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein. This one started strong but it just got weird by the end. The religious/philosophical stuff was fascinating at first but he just kept going and going with it.