flissp 2008 books

Hallo everyone!

This seems like a great way to keep track of what you've read (I always mean to do a book diary, but never quite do...) and get other people's opinions on stuff. So... I'm going to give it a go, although I have a tendency to read several books at a time (depending on mood) and I read loads over Christmas, so I'm not quite sure which book I started out with this year - I'll just have to read a couple of extras just in case I'm actually starting from December last year! ;)

So, here's the list (I think) so far:

1) Neil Gaiman's Sandman: I reread all of these over Christmas and into the New Year. Some are better than others, but they all get better every time I read them...

2) Jim Coetzee - Foe: I was a little nonplussed by this, bearing in mind the number of fantastic reviews it's had.

3) Stella Gibbons - Nightingale Wood: I loved Cold Comfort Farm (so witty), so I've chased down a couple of out of print books, this being the last one I found. I can see why it's out of print, while the caricatures are amusing, they've dated quite a bit and the story is just a bit too silly, but I still enjoyed reading it.

4) E M Forster - The Celestial Omnibus: Short stories, he's written better, but again, still enjoyable.

5) Justina Robinson - Living Next Door to the God of Love: Took me a while to get to grips with this, despite it being the holidays when I read it - the story is just all over the place in many senses. Hmmm, jury's out.

6) Flora Thompson - The Lark Rise to Candleford trilogy: The BBC have 'adapted' these, so I thought I'd give them a read. I've been hard-put to see exactly how the BBC managed to end up with what they've had (not that I've not that I've not enjoyed it in a Sunday evening kind of way) - most of the stories seem to be invented from single paragraphs in the final book in the trilogy! Flora Thompson is very readable, but she's definitely viewing her childhood through rose-tinted glasses (she wrote them when she was about 60 I think) - it's all a tad sentimental, with heavy emphasis on how poor they all were but how everyone always mucked in and just got on with it etc etc. I enjoyed the books, but they're not for someone who likes a lot of plot - not a lot happens...

7) F Scott Fitzgerald - Tender Is the Night: This is almost certainly blasphemy, but I found it very hard to care about any of the characters in this book, although I enjoyed it much more one I'd got into it (I probably shouldn't have tried to read it at lunch time at work...)

8) Tom Holt - Barking: The usual silly nonsense. Fun to read quickly.

9) Neil Gaiman - Odd and the Frost Giants: I might be a little bit obsessed by Neil Gaimans stuff...

10) Ekaterina Sedia - The Secret History of Moscow: Fairly original, good quick read, if a tad depressing. Made me want to reread Sergey Lukyanenko's nightwatch/daywatch trilogy again.

11) Nancy Mitford - Don't tell Alfred: Hilarious, even if it's dated! Definitely the best book I've read so far this year. I loved The Blessing too when I read it ages ago, I don't know quite why I haven't read more by her yet...

12) Flora Thompson - Heatherley: I read this mostly to see if the stories that happen in the BBC Lark Rise series came from this (sequal) rather than the Lark Rise trilogy. They don't. Still very readable though.

13) Neil Gaiman - Black Orchid: Yes, I know...

14) Ethan Hawke - Ash Wednesday: Readable enough, but he's a better actor.

15) Evelyn Waugh - Scoop: I read loads of Evelyn Waugh when I was growing up, but somehow managed to miss this one. Again, a bit dated, but still very funny, but somehow unsatisfying. I may have to give Vile Bodies a reread.

and currently reading:

16) Andrey Kurkov - The President's Last Love: I LOVED Death and the Penguin, but I haven't quite got off the ground with this one yet - but then I haven't picked it up in quite a while - something to get going with this weekend!

17) Gustave Flaubert - November: Typically depressing, but the descriptions are so vivid.

18) Iain M Banks - The Algebraist: I've enjoyed his normal fiction, so I thought I'd give his science fiction a go. Hmmm. I borrowed this from the library and have now had to renew it 3 times, I think I may have to give up on it - I just can't bear the ridiculously long names and the long lists of planets and political stuff right from the get-go, it just makes very boring reading. I'm going to try it again as a mate loves it, so it may be I just have to get a bit further in...

Welcome. What a great mix of reads! and thanks for the comments on them as we are a nosey lot.

I've read a couple of Banks (Wasp Factory, Player of Games and Against a Dark Background), my husband is a big Banks fan. He thought The Algebraist needed editing and thought it not his best work. He has the latest Matter in his TBR pile.

I also tend to read several books at a time, sometimes it geographic (one book upstairs, one down, one in the car...) and sometimes type (novel beside the bed, short fiction in the bathroom, nonfiction in the home office), and sometimes it's a mix. Isn't it nice to be among your own kind here?:-)

Thank you for the welcome! and yes, I like to chop and change a lot - although I can go through quite lengthy phases if I like an author - I haven't read any Agatha Christie since I was about 12, because I read too many at once...

I should probably put proper reviews in rather than just what I think, but I was writing at work, and reviews require a bit more thought!!

Re Iain Banks, I absolutely loved Whit (I don't know if you or your husband has read it?) - really made me re-analyse my thoughts on organised religion and cults - definitely worth a read if you haven't. The Wasp Factory is an odd one though, isn't it?! Sadly, I think I'm going to have to give up The Algebraist as I realised I need to return the book to the library by tomorrow... I hate giving up on a book. Maybe I'll borrow it from my mate when I've next got a large tract of time to dedicate to it.

Yes, I'm also guilty of having different books for different locations! I think I inherit it a little from my parents, who have a bookcase in very nearly every single room and in between in their house (including one of the loos)...

and yes, it's good to see I'm not alone in my obessiveness (but then coming from a family like mine, I always kind of knew that!!)!!

OK, a new no. 18) Diana Wynne Jones - Deep Secret: Last night's comfort reading - I always regress to books I loved when I was growing up when I when I'm knackered...

19) Neil Gaiman - Don't Panic: I actually read this a couple of weeks ago, but forgot about it until I uploaded some new books just now. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of those books I enjoy so much I completely lose time when I read it (infact, I used to get the train to and from school and the first time I read it, I went straight past my stop I was so absorbed) - the rest of the 'trilogy' are also great, if not quite as. I bought this ages ago and I'm not quite sure why I never got around to reading it - I biography of a book (well and a person a little bit) - fantastic! And it was - I was giggling away the whole time I was reading it. How sad Douglas Adams died so (relatively) young.

...and I just went in to town to buy my Dad's birthday present, but got there a teeny bit too late for most of the decent bookshops, so tried Borders, which, of course, didn't have any of the 3 books I was after. Grrr. Still managed to come away with 3 new books though (must learn not to do this!), so my next read is:

20) Kevin Brockmeier - The Brief History of the Dead

Hello and welcome flissp,

You are the second person I've seen tonight wiht The Brief History of the Dead on the finished piles. Thought I'd ask for your thoughts on that one since I just bought it and am composing my next TBR pile.

Also, what did you think of the Ethan Hawke book? I have been curious about that one but was reluctant to pick it up.

A very interesting list of books. I too am a big fan of Neil Gaiman, although have only read a few of his so far. I loved The Brief History of the Dead. I thought it was a really original idea and a captivating story.

I read a public library copy of The Brief History of the Dead before I found LT, so it's not in my catalog. I thought it was quite good as well. Let us know what you think when you get to it!

Well, Brief History of the Dead goes into the next TBR stack.....thanks for the recommendations!!!

Bother, just deleted my whole comment and am going to have to repeat it again! Gah!!

Hi all! Been busy so have been away from Librarything for a while (far too distracting!).

6: Hallo to you too blackdogbooks and thanks for the welcome! Re: The Brief History of the Dead, I've actually only just started to read it, so nothing to say yet - I'll get back to you - although it sounds as if I don't need to! I actually noticed today that Amazon people have rated it with only 2 stars, which is a bit offputing, but I shall chose to trust judylou and drneutron as they sound more promising!

Re: Ash Wednesday well I just don't know. It was certainly a very easy read, but it felt very familiar and I'm afraid didn't set the world alight for me. I didn't dislike it, I just feel a bit ambivalent towards it.... A book with a _sort of_ similar theme that I enjoyed much more when I read it last year (?) was Berlin Blues by Sven Regener, which at the time was one of the best books I'd read in a long while...

7: Thanks Judylou. Yes, I'm afraid that I'm becomming a little obsessed by Neil Gaiman's stuff. If you've only read a few, can I recommend Neverwhere and American Gods as my current favourites (and very different books), although the Sandman series are also fantastic (some better than others), even if you're not a comic person. He also has a (most of the time) very entertaining blog at http://www.neilgaiman.com (well, I did warn you!). And thanks for the Brief History recommendation - I was a little put off by the Amazon reviews!

8: Ditto, thanks for the good review - there are so many books on my to read list, if I get put off one, it tends to get shoved right to the bottom of the pile...

...so, progress, well, I've now finished no. 17) and my description still stands - I preferred Madame Bovary really, but it was an interesting read.

16) The President's Last Love - I've had to start this again as it's been such a long while since I touched it - I got distracted by no.s 6) - 14) in between! It is, however, benifiting from this, but is now my lunchtime read book, which probably means it'll take ages to finish...

so I now am officially up to no. 20) (let's pretend to ignore 16) for a while...), which I began last night...

...watch this space! ;)

OK, update:

16) still ongoing, but enjoying it much more this time around

20) Kevin Brockmeier - The Brief History of the Dead: I very much enjoyed this - although, **SPOILER** as a scientist, I did have a problem with the concept of a virus that could wipe out the entire population of the world. Ignoring that fact as just a vehicle for the story, it was an interesting concept.

21) Shaun Tan - The Arrival: This is basically a graphic-novel/picture book, so I don't know if it counts on this list, but I'm going to include it anyway, because I think it deserves to. The wordless story of an imigrant finding his way in a new country whose language he doesn't speak before his family joins him and the stories of the people he meets as he does this. A lovely book.

22) Margot Livesey - EVA Moves the Furniture: I read this because someone (I can't remember who now) on LT was so enthusiastic about Margot Livesey, that I had to give her a go. And I'm glad I did - it's a fantastic read - I started the book on the train down to London yesterday evening, then back again and had to stay up into the small hours to finish it this morning... The characters were very real to me. I did find the book pretty upsetting though and kind of wished I had something to cheer me up when I finished it!

Flissp - thanks for mentioning The Arrival. I teach immigrant high school students and this sounds perfect to use in the classroom. I will be looking out for it.

Shaun Tan is a very talented author and illustrator. He has done some fascinating work. The Arrival is brilliant.

12: dihiba - good good! I'd definitely recommend it...
13: judylou - agreed - will now investigate his stuff further!

OK, onwards and upwards;

23) Rebecca Stott - Ghostwalk: I'm undecided about this one. I have to confess, I mostly picked this up for no other reason than that it's set in Cambridge - well that and it has been given good reviews. I found her writing style a little tortuous to be honest and I found it all a little unconvincing. It wasn't unreadable, but I did find myself just wanting the book to be shorter so that I could finish it and get on with the next one. Oh and there's one part of the plot that made me very angry, but to describe why would be to give away the plot, so I won't...

24) Bruce Chatwin - Utz: Have just started this - haven't read any Chatwin in a long while, but I loved Songlines (my copy of which, infuriatingly, I've lost - probably lent it to someone, but I can't for the life of me remember who) and What Am I Doing Here...

Flissp - Information on The Arrival has been sent out to the ESL teachers in our school board - thanks to your post!

I just read a collection of Nancy Mitford's letters, and Don't Tell Alfred was mentioned numerous times--now you've made me want to track it down and read it! Though I'm ashamed to say that I haven't actually read my copy of The Pursuit of Love/Love in a Cold Climate; I should probably read that first.

15: dihiba - hallo again, I'm glad - I hope they enjoy it!

16: wunderkind - the first Nancy Mitford I read was The Blessing, which probably rates just as highly as Don't Tell Alfred for me - it was one of those books that just stuck out a mile above everything else I was reading at the time. But my (probably not very obvious) point is that I don't think chronology matters that much with her books, so don't worry! I know I've read 1 of the 2 you have, but I can't for the life of me remember which one (the one with The Boulter in - probably the 2nd? I'm going to re-/read both anyway) - I think that, for me anyway, this means that whichever of the others I read, it didn't make nearly as much of an impact as (although I have a pretty rubbish memory most of the time), if a book makes an impression on me, I remember it in a great deal of detail - hope that helps (late at night/early in the morning, probably garbled post)!

Incidently, I bought 'Decca' (letters) for my sister and she's just loving them (we have pretty similar taste most of the time) - I get the impression that they're whole family were very entertaining letter writers (not least because they all led such unusual lives)?!?
___

Anyway, counting on,

24) Utz: I have to confess, I had to make myself read this - this wasn't because it was badly written - Bruce Chatwin is always very readable - I think it just had less to entertain me than most of his work - what I enjoy reading about is all these places I might visit (not that the Czech Republic and Prague aren't places I want to visit - infact, I've been to Prague, out of season, loved it and wanted to explore the country beyond the capital of stag-nights) and the little stories involved. This has a bit of that, but initially, this is principally about porcelain (hmmm) and while it does develop and becomes more interesting (fairly near the end) and less about porcelain (!), it never quite gets there fully.

currently reading:

16) Andrey Kurkov still... (maybe I should take longer lunch breaks, or just go ahead and finish it off this weekend...

25) Paul Auster - Travels in the Scriptorium: Just got this novella from the library and it's instantly readable - would have finished it already this morning if I didn't have to clean my windows!!

26) Alan Moore - Watchmen: another graphic novel - not that these don't count, but, I seem to have read a lot recently and this is not actually very representative of my reading! I'm reading this as a lot of people I greatly respect love Alan Moore and Watchmen has been namechecked by many people, so I thought it was high time I read it basically. Initial impressions are that in some ways, it's exactly what I expected (nihilistic, cynical impressions of life, the innovative take on 'superheros') and in others, it's really not (nothing like as graphically disturbing as I'd imagined it would be, which is a relief, although that's not to say it's not... much more plot and less obvious (excuse me - early in the morning, struggling to think of a better way to put it) mind-f**ks than I expected)

Other than that, I've not had time to read much other than work-related papers since last I wrote, (which probably should count as they take just as much time and thought to read, but I'm not going to include as they're not nearly so much about enjoyment for me - hmmm, I should probably think about a new career... Also, I'd probably have passed the 75 book challenge by now, which would take away all the fun)

I actually just bought The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family the other day--anticipating an urge to buy any volume of Mitford letters that I come across, I thought I'd get some biographical/historical background first.

I've read the Mitford book - fascinating!

I read the Auster novel, quite liked it but maybe didn't love it. I love clever books and postmodernism falls into that category. . . (I tag such books 'clever stuff' in my library). I have Ghostwalk in my mountainous TBR pile, something leftover from the bookstore days.

With regards to Whit, I have not read it but chances are my husband has. He has all the Iain M. and Iain Banks novels and has read most.

wunderkind - that's a good idea, I should really read more about them - most of my background knowledge on the Mitfords comes from my mother (she's a historian and finds them fascinating).

16) Andrey Kurkov - The President's Last Love: Finally got around to finishing this. This is a (fictional!) story about the future president of the Ukraine following his relationships and the progression of his career against the background of pre and post-USSR and it's seemingly unavoidable corruption. We begin in 2015, following a heart attack and consequent transplant, as everything he is used to careers out of his control. The book interweaves 3 important stages of his life - his 20's as a directionless young man with no real thought about his future; 2004-5, an up and coming politician and the 'current' day, 2015 as everything appears to be crumbling.

This book made me a little ashamed at how little I really know about most of the Eastern block countries, beyond the obvious. I did enjoy it, although not as much as Death and the Penguin, which was for me somehow more atmospheric (and slightly more off the wall, which I enjoyed!), but I'm still sorting out my opinion of it a little. I think it'll have to be a re-read at some point.

27) Margot Livesey - Banishing Verona: I read this as I very much enjoyed Eva Moves The Furniture. The love-story between two very different people, Zeke a straight-forward, thoughtful man with Aspergers Syndrome (I think) and Verona, who is on the run from money-lenders who are after her brother. Again, I enjoyed this, finding it very readable and the characters convincing, but don't really have much to say beyond that...

Next on the list:

28) Brad Listi - Attention. Deficit. Disorder. A Novel: This is an Early Reviewers book which has only just arrived after quite a wait, so I feel I should really read it before anything else, but now I come to it, it appeals to me less! Well, we'll see...

28 Brad Listi - Attention. Deficit. Disorder. A Novel: Despite what I said last post, I'm very glad I read this book. Here's what I posted as a review:

This book is all about self-discovery and dealing with grief. As it begins, Wayne Fencer is on his way to an ex-girlfriend's funeral. She has killed herself. The relationship didn't end well and he feels bad about this, but it's been 3 years and as far as he/we're concerned, they've both moved on. During the course of the funeral/wake, he discovers that she had an abortion while they were seeing each other. Even while he doesn't fully acknowledge this, the whole situation knocks him for six. He cashes everything in and fundamentally spends the following year sorting himself out, which is the root of the book.

I found this very believable. I identified hugely with Wayne and the prose, throughout, was just right in its style somehow, it completely reflects his feelings - particularly to begin with. It's very disjointed, you can feel just how spaced he feels - you can see he's in shock, even though he doesn't realise it. It's a pretty honest book, showing all the warts. A comment has been made, that they didn't see how this was different from any college graduate's right of passage (or words to that effect). I disagree with this completely. There is an element of truth in that most/many people have the same disorientation when they leave school/college/university - the loss of focus and all that, but I don't think it's quite the same. I've been there and for me, his complete non-dealing and avoidance of what happened was all too real. One of the major strenghs of this book for me was the way in which it showed his reaction to the whole situation.

That said, although the book starts well and is very readable, it doesn't ever really progress and to be quite honest, it just peters out in the end. It tries to end in a self-revelation, but doesn't really make it and I just wish the author had hung about a bit longer and made something better of it.

A by-the-way point - the blurb on the back of the book is misleading (as it so often is).

29) Andrew Kaufman - All My Friends Are Superheroes: I can't remember where I heard about this, but I picked it up in Waterstones yesterday because I'd heard someone talking about it. May have been 6music.

A man is on a flight to Vancouver with his new wife. He's invisible to her as she's been hypnotised by a previous boyfriend not to see him and he has the flight to make her see him, or his heart will break. There are (fairly minor) superheroes involved. :)

This is a very sweet, but extremely surreal story, which I enjoyed very much - and left me feeling all happy!

30) Albert Camus - L'etranger: I bought this years ago in French, as it looked like fairly readable French - the point being that I'm OK verbally, but would like to improve my written/reading skills. I've read the first page many times (and can quote it pretty well!), but somehow, I've always been distracted by something new that I can read much faster. I've read the first couple of Harry Potter's in French, but that's aided by the fact that I already knew what was going to happen, so I thought it was about time to retry. And this time with a dictionary ;)

So, most of my (English) vocabulary has come through reading - and I'm not always very good at double checking things in the dictionary. This means that I don't have a bad vocabulary (I have always read pretty extensively), but I sometimes get the meaning of words completely wrong, because I go by the gist of what I think they should mean. I'm determined not to do this this time, so I've got my French/English dictionary by my side as I read, but, all this means that, despite the story being fairly short, it could take a while as I'm checking even words that I 'think' I know, but am not entirely sure about...

I wish I was a better linguist!

And to temper this, the next book on my list is:

31) Paul Auster - The New York Trilogy.

I'll be interested to see your thoughts on The New York Trilogy. I read the first two books a few days ago, but I can't seem to convince myself to pick up the last book yet. It's not as though I didn't think the books were well done, they just didn't draw me in very much.

i'll keep you posted - not really got far enough to have an opinion yet...

I'm reading very slowly at the moment as work is quite busy and also doing my usual thing of reading several at the time, so 30) & 31) are still ongoing. I have actually finished the first book of The New York Trilogy; City Of Glass (which actually, half way through, I realised I'd read before!). Comments to follow when I've finished all 3.

32) Amelie Nothomb - Sulphuric Acid: A satire on reality TV, set in the future with the next thing on from 'Big Brother' (a program title I've always found slightly sinister - I wonder if the person who came up with the title ever read 1984?!) - the next thing on being reality TV concentration camps. The story centers around two women and their relationship; one a brutish prison guard and the second a prisoner with an unusual sense of dignity.

While the story is not completely original and I didn't completely engage with the characters (although they were convincing), I very much enjoyed this book.

33) Diana Wynne Jones - Howl's Moving Castle: One of my favourite children's books - comfort reading!

34) Christopher Brookmyre - Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks: Christopher Brookmyre is always good fun to read - basiclly detective fiction, but amusing and slightly speccy at the same time. This one centers around scientific investigation of the paranormal.

I would read Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks, if I could find it, just for the title alone!

Isn't that funny? I thought the same thing! I guess if you write a book, all you have to do is give it the right title, and poof! That's how I shop at book fairs--skimming the titles for something that stops me in my tracks.

#28: I wonder just how many people do that? I cannot tell you how many times I have. I am perpetually going into the library meaning to pick up just one or two books, but then I start seeing intriguing titles all around me that I just have to read!

Hi all - I agree, it's a great title! Christopher Brookmyre always does come up with good ones though... I do recommend him - it's all mostly very silly, but good fun. This is not his best one, but I still enjoyed it - I think I've rated all his books in my library if you're interested.

I've definitely picked up books on the basis of the title before when I've been browsing - and (I'm ashamed to admit), based on their covers too! In my defense though, I've found some great books I probably would never have read otherwise this way...

31) Still ongoing

35) Stephen Clarke - A Year in the Merde: Paris and Parisians from the perspective of a British bloke who goes over there to work for a year and his assimilation. This had rave reviews from all over the place when it came out several years ago (including Parisians incidently I believe), so I always meant to read it, but only just got around to it. Made me laugh, but it probably won't stick in my memory very long. May well read the sequal though.

30) & 31) Still ongoing.

36) Katherine Paterson - Bridge to Terabithia: Yet another childhood favourite - rented the film the other day and just felt like re-reading it. Such a great book.

37) Martin Millar - The Good Faries of New York: A hilarious, slightly insane muddle of action. Enjoyed this very much.

38) Janet Frame - The Lagoon: Been meaning to read this for ages. A collection of short stories. She writes very lyrically, the stories mostly feel a bit like a stream of consciousness, snapshots of moments in different peoples lives.

39) Colette - Gigi & The Cat (in one book): Although I read these very quickly, I didn't really get along with them - I struggled to care about any of the characters, or find them at all believable really. I've also got Cheri, so I'll give her another go at some point, but probably not yet.

40) Lemony Snicket - The Bad Beginning: This was a random BookMooch the other day. The first of A Series of Unfortunate Events by "Lemony Snicket" (obviously, I knew that this was an invented author, but I only found out yesterday that they're acutally written by Daniel Handler, who wrote The Basic Eight - I read this a few years ago - enjoyable, nothing particularly remarkable, but it has stuck in my memory). Does what it says on the tin really - faux gothic story about the 3 Baudelaire children, orphaned by a house fire and the continuing series of bad things that happen to them. Very silly and amusing. I'm surprised that these are marketed explicityly as children's books though - I'd say they cross the age gap pretty well - and a lot of the humour is directed at adults. But then I've always hated the idea of compartmentalising both books and music - a large portion of my library (and CD collection) could fit very well into several categories...

I also really loved Death and the Penguin, and want to read the follow-up novels as well as this one. Can you or anyone recommend authors with similar writing styles?
Roseann

Hi Roseann - to be completely honest, while I have enjoyed Andrey Kurkov's other work, Death and the Penguin does remain my favourite - although if you enjoyed it, you should definitely read Penguin Lost (the sequel). Regarding authors with similar writing styles, I will have a think (when I'm not at work!) and get back to you. Have you read any other Ukrainian/Russian authors?

41) Lemony Snicket - The Reptile Room: Next in the series, more of the same. Great fun.

30) & 31) _still_ ongoing...

31) Paul Auster - The New York Trilogy: finally finished this. More on it later when I'm not at work. I did enjoy it, but think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been reading it in very short fits and starts during every other lunch break - I really need to pick my lunchtime books better I think!

42) C. S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew and
43) C. S. Lewis - The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

Re-read these (and will re-read the rest) as I recently went to see the new film of Prince Caspian with my mum (it's tradition!) and just wanted to remind myself. They're still enjoyable, although very dated and, reading them as an adult, the religious theme is _a lot_ more obvious (completely failed to notice it when I first read them - but then I was only about 8 or 9). My favourite always used to be The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - we'll have to see if it remains so...

31) (Camus) still ongoing as I need to be in the right frame of mind to tackle the French and I just haven't had time recently (and probably won't until the end of August!).

Definitely feel the need to read an adult book next though - been reading far too much YA/children's fiction lately!

Glad to see there is another Dawn Treader fan! It was always my favorite growing up - I loved (and still do) Reepicheep. I do not think my adoration is causing my husband any concern, lol.

#38: Yep - Reepicheep was a 'big' favourite for me too! :)

Re the Paul Auster New York Trilogy, fundamentally, the common theme of these was the nature of identity - how we relate to ourselves, to others and to their perceptions of us and also the extreme effects of retreating into oneself. Retrospectively, I wish I hadn't read them in such fits and starts - I think I'd have got more out of them if I'd had time to read more thoroughly. As things stand, I've probably missed quite a lot. That said, the final book The Locked Room did bring everything together for me and I probably enjoyed it more than either City of Glass (which I'd already read) and, in particular Ghosts. I think it was that it was just a bit more human - I just didn't really connect with the charaters so much in the other two.

Anyway, my next lunchtime read will be Bill Bryson's Shakespeare book as he's always good for dipping in and out of.

#34: I'm sorry, I'm really struggling to come up with someone similar to Andrey Kurkov, but I'll continue to have a think and leave a note on your page if I come up with anything!

Re: Message 33. If you enjoy audio books, you should listen to the Lemony Snicket books ready by Tim Curry. I loved the books, but I especially enjoyed the ones I listened to that Curry read. He is a marvel.

Ah, I have loved Tim Curry ever since Clue! (not to mention Rocky Horror...).

I don't listen to audiobooks much, but strangely enough, have recently bought a couple. I did grow up with a few classics - when we went on holiday we used to get the ferry and drive long distances in between ferry and various camping spots, so lots of listening time... I do agree though, it's all about who reads them (I have very fond memories of Nicol Williams reading The Hobbit in particular - and tracked down an LP a couple of years ago). So thanks for your recommendation, shall give them a go!

31) still ongoing (actually, I haven't touched it in a while, so if I don't get round to reading it at all during my hols at the end of August, I'll probably take it off my 'reading pile' and try again when I have a little more time on my hands)...

44) Diana Wynne Jones - The House of Many Ways: Somehow managed to miss the release of this one, so it was a great joy to find a new DWJ book I hadn't read yet (yes, I am just as addicted to her as I am to Neil Gaiman - it's partly historical). Anyway, I loved it - a return to form after The Pinhoe Egg, which I found a little disappointing to be honest. But maybe I should try that last again. Pure escapism anyway!

45) Bill Bryson - Shakespeare: This is ongoing, but so far I'm very much enjoying it - not least for the descriptions of London in the C16th...

45) Bill Bryson - Shakespeare: Now finished - I enjoyed this, although I think he's written better.

46) Joanna Kavenna - Inglorious: To be honest, I'm not really sure why I picked this up in the first place - it was a bit of an impulse buy (which has, in the past, worked very well for me). I suppose I thought I might identify with it (not quite sure why, retrospectively). Basically the story of a woman coming to pieces after her mother's death, and the breakdown of her already flagging relationship. I probably wouldn't have got the whole way through this if I hadn't been sitting in a field waching (mostly) mediocre music all day yesterday - it wasn't that bad, but I did struggle to care a) about the central character Rosa or b) what was going to happen next. It was OK I suppose.

Ongoing:
47) James Thurber - The Thirteen Clocks: Only received this in the post on Saturday, but so far loving it. I'm a bit addicted to fairy tales, of whatever description.

48) Neil Shubin - Your Inner Fish: Fairly interesting, but it turns out I'm less fascinated by evolution than I thought I was. Although that's not strictly true - I think maybe I'm less interested in paleontology than I thought I was (which is highly possible).

but it turns out I'm less fascinated by evolution than I thought I was: I've SO had those moments, not with evolution/paleontology, but with other topics. It's hard to know sometimes if it's the particular book or the whole subject.

Hi

I'm interested in learning about the book (#47) The Thirteen Clocks. I've seen this posted on a few other LT lists. What did you think of Thurber's work?

Hi!

#44 carlym: it's very frustrating, isn't it?!
#45 Whisper1: not going to write a long post now as just back from Edinburgh (Fringe Festival) in the small hours - but the short answer is that I loved it and would definitely recommend it. It's very feelgood. Will write a bit more later on...

31) Camus and 48) Neil Shubin still ongoing (I left these behind when I went up to Edinburgh as not very ameniable to fitting in between shows or reading at 5.30am in the morning on the train...)

49) Joseph Delaney: The Spook's Battle - whereas this _is_ good for reading at 5.30am on the train...

50) G. K. Chesterton: Basil Howe - A Story of Young Love - one of those great 2nd hand bookshop buys - loved it. Has the most fantastic description of someone who's just gone off in a huff...

51) Joseph Delaney: The Spook's Mistake - most recent in the series.

52) Julian Barnes: A History of the World in 10.5 Chapters - I have mixed feelings about this.

ongoing:
53) J. G. Ballard: Empire of the Sun
54) Andrew Davidson: The Gargoyle - just received this as an ARC through Waterstones.

Will come back to this with a bit more detail when I'm feeling a bit more lucid...

Hi and thanks for your reply to my question re. The Thirteen Clocks I ready this last night and really enjoyed it.

Whisper1 - glad you enjoyed it too!

So, an update:

48) Neil Shubin: Your Inner Fish - I don't really have a lot to add to that which I wrote above unfortunately. It's an easy read and not uninteresting, but didn't really blow my mind - the basic premise isn't really news, after all, and although you can tell he's extremely enthusiastic about his subject area, unusually, that enthusiasm didn't rub off on me. Has one or two great 'dad' jokes though!

53) J. G. Ballard: Empire of the Sun - I found this very gripping and not a little disturbing - not least through the general every-day-ness of death, right from the start. It's an odd book though - semi-auto-biographical, semi-fiction. It seems strange to me that in both this and The Kindness of Women, while purportedly about his life (from during WWII, growing up interned in a civilian prison camp following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, through - in The Kindness of Women - to his arrival back in England, Cambridge and later life), there are couple of glaring changes. In reality, he was confined to a prison camp with his parents and his sister, but in both books, he becomes separated from his parents, who were sent to a different camp - and he doesn't mention his sister from beginning to end. I (fortunately) can't imagine what it must have been like to spend most of your formative years as a child in a prison camp, always short of food, always having to look out for yourself, with people around you dying all the time.

54) Andrew Davidson: The Gargoyle - I enjoyed this more than I expected to after seeing the front cover (the phrase on the front 'Love is as strong as death, as hard as hell' just seemed a little trite to me) and reading the first chapter (extremely graphic description of burning in a car crash). I need to (very belatedly - the book arrived while I was on holiday) upload a review to the Waterstones website, but when I've done that I'll load it up here as well. (Edited to add that the review is now online)

55) J. G. Ballard: The Kindness of Women - obviously following on from The Empire of the Sun (see above) - I had to know what happened next. Unfortunately, my bag (with very nearly finished book inside) was stolen (from outside the church while I was bridesmaid-ing no less - unbelievable!), so I've been chomping at the bit to finish it (I was disinclined to buy it completely afresh, so it's en route via Bookmooch at the moment)... So, strictly speaking, it's unfinished, but I was all but there...

56) James Thurber: Further Fables For Our Time - I read this because I loved The Thirteen Clocks - a collection of slightly warped fables for adults - not quite as good, but had me sniggering to myself on the train home from London last night - I'm not sure what the other people on the train thought!

Now reading:

57) Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis and
58) Lemony Snicket: The Wide Window

flissp, absolutely have to second the post above about listening to the Lemony Snicket audiobooks. Tim Curry is a genius and the whole thing completely comes alive. You used to be able to get the whole set on from The Book People for very few of your earth pounds, though it may not be there any more...

Enjoying your list! Particularly all these Diana Wynne Jones books that I've never heard of before - I loved DWJ when I was growing up, but haven't really read anything other than the few I re-read constantly since then (apart from Conrad's Fate which tbh I found a bit disappointing).

PS Don't Panic sounds FABULOUS. Can't believe I'd never come across it before! On the birthday list.

58) Lemony Snicket: The Wide Window ...on a similar theme as the other 2 - still enjoying them...

Rachel/FlossieT - I also loved DWJ when I was growing up - she's true escapism for me and, consequently, I can never truly dislike anything she's written (although, I've still never read Changeover even though I own it) - but there are definitely some that are better than others and it's also true that mostly her earlier ones are better. The funny thing is that some of those I read when I was a lot younger are actually better now (funny because she's not a particularly complex read!) eg Homeward Bounders. Anyway, I've read everything (bar Changeover) that she's written, so if you every want a DWJ recommendation...!

...I've been going through a bit of a YA phase this year - mostly because I've been pretty busy at work, so not had a lot of spare time.

...oh and definitely recommend Don't Panic and Neil Gaiman in general.

Argh, haven't been on LT for more than a few minutes at a time for ages and the threads I was reading are all now horrendously long. How does anyone keep up with it all?!?

OK, well...

Finished 57) Persepolis, which made me cry although wasn't quite what I was expecting.

Continued rereading the Narnia books:
59) The Horse and His Boy: I don't know why I didn't like this one so much when I read it when I was small.
60) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: still my favourite - Reepicheep's definitely the best character!
61) The Silver Chair: I always forget about this one for some reason.

62) Roddy Doyle - Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha!: A ten year old boy in 50's Ireland deals with his parents disintegrating marriage and life generally. A very touching book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as The Snapper, or The Commitments. Roddy Doyle always writes very sympathetic, believable characters, but it took more getting into as it's written from the point of view of a 10 year old boy and follows his train of thought - which is all over the place. Once I'd got into the book, this worked very well, but initially, it took me a while to follow as it was a lunch time book.

Currently ongoing:

63) G. K. Chesterton - The Napoleon of Notting Hill: am on a bit of a G K Chesterton kick at the moment - I have a couple more lined up.

64) Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited - I went through a bit of an Evelyn Waugh phase at school and I think this was my favourite really. Last night, I went to see a showing of the new film adaptation (Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon etc) at the Cambridge Film Festival and came away thinking that a few things weren't quite right, but, besides the odd thing, I mostly couldn't really put my finger on them as it's been such a long time since I read it... So, I thought it was time for a reread.

65) C. S. Lewis - The Last Battle - well, I have to finish the series, don't I?!

oh and 55) I Bookmooched a new copy of The Kindness of Women, only to discover that some very kind person had found and handed in my stolen bag to the police (nearly restoring my faith in mankind after it was stolen while I was in a church at _a_wedding_) and that one of the things still in it was this book... Anyone want a nearly new copy, before I put it back up on Bookmooch?! ;)

...also, on the recommendation of, oh, so many people, I've bought the complete series of A Series of Unfortunate Events as read by the wonderful Tim Curry on audiobook, courtesy of The Book People (thanks for the recommendation FlossieT), so I'll be listening to that in the car, probably for the forseeable future as I don't drive very far very often...

edited to add that I forgot to list Prince Caspian with the Narnia book, so we'll call that 58.5)!

66) Just realised that I forgot to add Nation by Terry Pratchett (which should be no. 59, but never mind!). I had a massive Terry Pratchett phase at school and have never had to buy a book by him since, I always get given them - usually before I realise that he has a new one out... I _really_ enjoyed this one. Much better than Making Money, or in fact, most of the last few I've read - good to see him back on form, despite the Altzheimers (I think I've spelt that wrong?). I wish he'd write more non-Discworld novels, it quite often brings out the best in him.

Wow, fliss, racing through them there!!

I went to see Terry Pratchett at the Edinburgh Book Festival in August (free ticket from work) and experienced a bit of a sad disillusionment moment. It might just be the Alzheimers, but all he seemed to want to talk about was how successful he was, how many copies his books sold, how long his signings went on for.... etc. etc. And he doesn't sign 'personally' any more - no names, just the scrawl. How things have changed since I first stood in line in Heffers (mumble) years ago when I first moved to Cambridge - he signed about three of mine AND one for my brother too.

Ahem. Sorry, that was probably oversharing!! He read from Nation at Edinburgh and it sounded fun - he said he'd been working on it for several years, but after the Boxing Day tsunami felt it needed to go on the back-burner for a while. He also said he was working on a Discworld football novel at the moment which sounds extremely entertaining.

Oh - and I'd love to read The Kindness of Women - but happy to do it the 'official' way via BookMooch so you get the points! I'm FlossieT on there as well.

Ah, it's just because I haven't logged in properly for a while!

Sorry about the disillusionment! I know what you mean - I've been to a couple of his signings and the first time left with a similar feeling - less so the one I went to this year strangely, so maybe it was just a bad day!

I think this is why I'm always so nervous about meeting anyone who's stuff I enjoy (music/books) - half of me would rather meet people who I don't really care about, just in case they turn out not to be very nice! Not that it's something I do very often - only when I'm feeling particularly geeky!

You're very welcome to The Kindness of Women - and I won't say no to BookMooch points, but please don't feel obliged! It's not creased or anything, but it's obviously a second hand book. I'll put it up tonight anyway.

65) C. S. Lewis - The Last Battle: My least favourite of the Narnia books. I just can't get to grips that it's supposed to be a good thing that they've all been killed in a train crash and that Susan doesn't get to go to heaven because she likes lipstick. I must reread that Neil Gaiman short story... Anyway, that's that for Narnia for another few years. I have enjoyed giggling at how dated the language can be "father is actually rather a brick" "I say, what a rotter he is!" etc, etc - and the fact that all boys naturally carry matches and penknives on them and girls aren't very good at directions (carefully rectified in the last book)...

67) Ilona Andrews - Magic Bites: I felt like something silly for the weekend and this was, indeed, very silly - but fun nonetheless. Can't think how I picked it out now - it was a Bookmooch thing, but it's not something that would normally leap out at me. Back on Bookmooch it goes!

63)Napoleon of Notting Hill and 64) Brideshead Revisited still ongoing (I'm reading Brideshead at work, so it'll be slow progress, but I'd forgotten just how readable Evelyn Waugh can be. Such a good book, I'm enjoying savouring it - it's quite a different thing reading a book knowing how things turn out...

I'm laughing hard at "Susan doesn't get to go to heaven because she likes lipstick". And gasping because to my priggish 7-year-old self this seemed entirely justified as lipstick represented such a deep betrayal of what it meant to be a child.

Neil Gaiman short story?

Whoa. I've never made it all the way through the Narnia books and have somehow managed to never hear that they all die, except Susan. That makes me sad just thinking about it now.

wunderkind: Argh! I'm so sorry - I hate giving away plot-lines. Although, it's not actually that fundamental to the story - it's just an afterthought at the end of The Last Battle. They're very quick reads and interesting, partly because they're very of their time...

FlossieT: I know what you mean - when I first read them, I didn't particularly like Susan anyway, so it seemed fair enough - I fail to see why now!

The Neil Gaiman short story is in Fragile Things - "The Problem of Susan" - you can find it here: http://www.impalapublications.com/blog/index.php?/archives/2396-The-Problem-of-S... - Fragile Things is a funny mix - I enjoyed half of it very much more than the other half (whereas I have loved all of his novels) - this is one I'm undecided about. I don't particularly like it, but it's an interesting thought.

Don't worry, I'll probably have forgotten by the time I get around to reading them. No harm, no foul.

flissp, I read the first three in the Series of Unfortunate Events, but have just received the next three as audio books from the library. I am looking forward to hearing them. I've heard good things.

Going to give up on 30) Camus - L'Etranger for the time being and give it another go at Christmas when (supposedly) I'll have a bit more time to spare as my French is just a bit too rusty to whizz through it at the moment. So, to replace it:

30) George Orwell - Cigarettes vs Books: Kindly lent by FlossieT - and actually, I don't have a lot to add to her thoughts, except that he was clearly just a little chippy about his school days! Interesting though and I completely agree that a lot of his comments seem very dated now. Unlike everyone else though, I actually do enjoy reading his work - and 1984 was quite a seminal book for me when I first read it. I even found Down and Out in Paris and London fascinating, although less my cup of tea...

63) G. K. Chesterton - The Napoleon of Notting Hill: London in the future (for GKC anyway), where no one cares about anything very much and everything has become average (something actually, I find hard to imagine, but then it's not really the point) and the leader of England is a randomly elected king. Everything changes when Auberon Quin, whose life revolves around finding the humour in every situation, however unfunny, is elected as the new king. As a joke, deliberately to rile his friends, he divides London up into its boroughs, introducing all sorts of ceremony and thoroughly annoying, well, pretty much everyone. Except one man, who takes it all very seriously.
One of the things that I particularly enjoy about G. K. Chesterton is his incredibly vivid descriptions and there are some good ones in this (I'd put an eg in, but I don't have the book to hand). However, I don't think I was really in the right frame of mind to read it - the surreal situation, which is the kind of thing I normally love, lost me a little bit. I wouldn't say that I didn't enjoy this, but it didn't capture my imagination in the way that The Man Who Was Thursday or Basil Howe did.

64) Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited: reading this at work, so still ongoing, but am enjoying it as much as I did the first time round.

68) Ilona Andrews - Magic Burns: I have no willpower. I promised myself I wouldn't buy any more music or books for at least a month and then I went clothes shopping (something I detest, but it's getting desperate). As inevitably happens, I ended up in both HMV and Waterstones... Ah well... I was yet again in the mood for something silly, so thought I'd get the sequal to 67). It is, indeed, very silly. Even sillier than the last one. Still fun though, although even more cliched. It did have me cackling away for quite some time at the very idea of a were-mink - hee!

Now (in addition to Brideshead) reading 69) Annie Proulx - Brokeback Mountain and other stories (just randomly spied it in the library).

Wow, I read the Father Brown series by Chesterton long ago and enjoyed the stories very much. I also recently read Orwell's essays in Why I Write which were funny, heartbreaking, and great reads. I didn't get to Brideshead Revisited but did read The Loved One by Waugh and loved it.

flissp
Your reading list is VERY impressive.

And, I can certainly relate to the obsession of obtaining books. The BookCloseouts.com website keeps calling me, thus far I've been able to turn a deaf ear...but it is only a matter of time before my fingers will go to the computer and start the search to fill the cart again.

Flissp, interesting that you weren't wild about the Orwell too despite being much more of a fan of his than me...it is rather a beautiful object though. sigh.

I've never read any G.K. Chesterton, astoundingly, and thinking I ought to now... Christmas, maybe.

I find that "randomly in the library" thing happens too often at the moment. Even worse is my tendency to request things via the online system and then have them all come in at once and have to be read in the same three weeks.

> 61: Judylou - yep, I'm enjoying working my way through the A Series of Unfortunate Events audiobooks in the car, although, having just got to book 5 (I started from the beginning again, not quite sure why), I'm finding it a little frustrating as my journey to work isn't really quite long enough to get into things fully. Actually, I also think that some of the word play works better when you read it physically, than when you listen, where it can be a little irritating (only in a "yes, very good, but I want to know what happens next" sense!). I also liked Tim Curry as a reader much better than 'Lemony Snicket' himself - but I think the next one goes back to Tim Curry again! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the next few!

> 64: Prop2gether - I've got a selection of Father Brown stories lined up in my G. K. Chesterton pile, so you enthuse me all over again! However, when I mentioned that I was really enjoying his stuff to my parents, my dad got all excited and brought out a book of his non-fiction work, selected by W. H. Auden that he read at university - apparently I absolutely must read his stuff on Charles Dickens, so this is next on this list!

Re Evelyn Waugh, I think The Loved One was the first I read - I read quite a lot of his work at school and loved it, but slowed down after a while as his somewhat bleak outlook just got a little depressing. I've recently bought a couple more second hand however, which I'm very much looking forward to at some point. I'd definitely recommend reading more. Brideshead Revisited is probably my favourite that I've read, but I also very much enjoyed Vile Bodies.

> 65: Whisper1. Thank you! As is yours! I don't know the Bookcloseouts.com site. As with you, I'm not sure that I should visit it - it sounds like it could be dangerous to my bank balance!

> 66: FlossieT, ah yes, the requesting books at the library problem ;) I find I keep having to renew everything... I'd definitely recommend G. K. Chesterton. I think my favourite so far is Basil Howe, but (from my extensive knowledge of just 3 books!), I wouldn't say that it's very typical of his work.

Oh dear. Am working at home this afternoon and am clearly not being very productive!!

flssp & flossie, funny you should both have interesting Pratchett signing stories. I have one also (pre-Alzheimer diagnosis) but I won't recount it here. Suffice it to say, I was not impressed with him (I'm not really a reader of his work...).

It's sad, because actually when he's interviewed, he comes across quite well. That and I hate to think ill of someone whose work I enjoy. I suppose that the length of the queues that he has for signings are horrendous, so maybe that has something to do with it - and actually, last time I went to a signing, he was quite friendly. Ho hum.

Anyway, this was just a quick note to say that I finished Brideshead Revisited at the weekend after all. Still love it. Will probably write a bit more about it later when I'm not at work!

Right, it's been a while since I checked in for more than a couple of minutes (and actually, probably won't now either), but general busy-ness should now start to ease up for a bit, so that's good... So, where am I...

69) Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx: I really struggled with this one - didn't enjoy it at all. I kept going though, mostly because it's short stories and I kept thinking that I would find something I liked, but it didn't really happen, beyond the odd glimpse. I am sure that she writes very well, but as I was reading, my mind kept wandering off topic and, actually, I just couldn't bear how brutal everything was. I also found it all completely alien to me - I didn't recognise anything. I hasten to add at this point that, normally, although I like to identify with characters I read about, it isn't necessary, and I have read many books with similarly brutal themes. Just for some reason this time, I couldn't get to grips with it.

70) The Magician's Guild
71) The Novice
72) The High Lord
All by Trudi Canavan. I read these, because a mate thought I might like them and I happened to see the 1st one going for 50p second hand, so I gave it a go and then borrowed the other two. Well, they're a little formulaic (becoming more so through the series), but easy to read, which was what I was in need of for a bit, until I've caught up on my sleep. Nothing remarkable, but she's quite good at hitting the right buttons (although a little transparently). I'll mooch the first one on now, but they were enjoyable enough. The one thing I did feel uncomfortable about was how cavalier she was about people killing people. There didn't seem to be a lot of guilt there, not really. Particularly in the characters in the 'Thieves Guild' - an organization that I think was supposed to sound a bit sinister, and really should have been, being effectively a form of Mafia, but actually seemed quite fluffy. Well, they did the job anyway, and I have to admit, I stayed up far too late at night reading them, so there can't have been that much wrong with them.

73) The Cheese Monkeys - Chip Kidd: Read my sister's copy of this ages ago and loved it. Recently saw that there's now a sequel - my overriding memory of the first time around is that it leaves you a bit in the lurch, so the sequel had to be read, but I wanted to reread this one first. Still good although I enjoyed it more last time round.

74) The Learners - Chip Kidd: The sequel. Just finished this, so still formulating my thoughts. A bit darker than The Cheese Monkeys (although actually, I always thought that that was darker than it is described by the reviews on the back - yes it's funny, but it's also pretty sad). The Learners also reads a bit differently from the previous book, in a strange way. Anyway, I'll have a think and write more later.

So... Just about to begin no. 75) The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman, which, completely unintentionally is a something I've been waiting to read for _ages_. It may not have escaped people's notice, but I'm a teensy bit addicted to Neil Gaiman, so I've been anticipating this since I finished Fragile Things and he first started to talk about it on his blog. I ordered it online pretty much as soon as it was possible to and have been very restrained as it has actually been available in some bookshops 3 weeks ahead of the official UK publication date for some reason. Waterstones online, however, didn't send it out until the official publication date (and actually that was delayed for me, as the card I'd paid with was one of the ones that had been stolen, so the payment didn't go through at first - argh!). I very nearly ended up with multiple copies - probably the only two reasons I didn't was the distracting factor of my sister's wedding and the monstrous size of my current TBR pile - I decided to keep it until after her wedding... Anyway, I can't wait any longer!

I'm glad to hear Canavan's books were ok. I'm just about to start The Magician's Guild when I get done with The New Annotated Dracula.

Oh, and congrats on an outstanding choice for number 75!

congratulations on reaching the 75 book challenge goal!

Woo Hoo! Another one meets the challenge! Good going.

Congratulations on making the number!

Thanks people! So:

75) The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman: drneutron, agreed - I loved this! I finished it the evening I began it... But then, perhaps, by this point, I find it a little hard to be objective about Neil Gaiman's stuff - I just get so excited that I get carried away with myself.

I'm not giving anything away if I say that the book begins with the murder of the parents and sister of a little boy, who escapes by accident, wandering into a graveyard just up the hill. The murderer follows, but the toddler is protected by the ghosts of the graveyard who bring him up.

The Graveyard Book has been compared to The Jungle Book, which, despite having only seen the Disney film (! I think I may have to read this soon), I can see the reasoning of. Anyway, as I say, I find it hard to be objective about Neil Gaiman's work and will have to give it a bit more space before I write a proper review. What I would say, however, is that, as ever, he writes incredibly lyrically. It feels like it's designed to be read aloud. In fact, he read a chapter at each stage of the US promotional tour and they're up online somewhere - Harper Collins I think? I'll have to check. I deliberately didn't listen to them as I wanted to read the book first, but if people prefer audiobooks, they might want to check these out if they're still up - he's a very good speaker. Although I still prefer American Gods and Neverwhere, I enjoyed this immensly.

Now ongoing:

76) The Last Watch - Sergei Lukyanenko: Wasn't expecting another one of these, I thought the series would finish after book three, but so far it's good. It's funny, you can sort of see Sergei Lukyanenko becoming more famous as you work your way through the series (they're incredibly popular in Russia) - I'm not quite sure how, maybe it's just that they become more confident. They definitely move with the times and always feel completely contemporary. I wonder how they'll read in 20 years time? I have noticed one glaring error - it starts, set in the September, during the Edinburgh Festival, which is actually during August - but that's just me being picky!

Also, if there are any Russians out there, does everyone _really_ eat fried potatoes with mushrooms, sausage and vodka _all_ the time?! It's not just Lukyanenko that is giving me this impression! I do remember that in my Russian lessons at school, we always used to have to describe going mushroom picking... ;) Of course, Diana Wynne Jones, for example, also gives the impression that the British only eat fry ups and cornish pasties...

77) After Dark - Haruki Murakami: I'm reading this at work, so it'll take a bit longer. I do love his writing style though (or the translator's writing style at any rate!).

How did I miss another Lukyanenko book? that just made my day!

*scurries off to the library*

me too! i came across it completely by accident - i think it's only just come out though - arrived on my doorstep the same day as the graveyard book - woo!!

I haven't read the lukyanenko books yet but am interested. Y'alls great reaction has convinced me. Have either of you seen the movies made from the stories??? How'd they do with the adaptation???

I haven't seen them, but I've heard good things. Now that we're Netflix members, I need to put 'em on our queue.

i'd definitely recommend the books. i enjoyed both films, but the story differs quite a bit - not in a bad way though. to me, they just feel like different versions of the same story - a bit like all the different versions of hitchhikers...

Well done on the 75, flissp!

I belatedly opened my Lovereading email this morning, which advertised a special signed slipcased etc etc edition of The Graveyard Book.... naturally all gone gone gone as I had taken a slack three days to get to it. sigh.

Corgratulations on reaching #75!

Thanks everyone! FlossieT, I very nearly did the signed slipcased thing for The Graveyard Book, but I thought I was going to be around for his reading tour in the UK and I'd get my copy signed more personally then. Sadly I was at a gig... Ah well, I'm sure there'll be other opportunities (and it was a good gig!)

I've now finished both 76) The Last Watch - Sergei Lukyanenko and 77) After Dark - Haruki Murakami and enjoyed both.

I would say, however, that I'm afraid I agree with others who have commented on The Last Watch - this book (the 4th in the series) just didn't really quite match up to the last three. It just feels a lot more clunky - less subtle.

After Dark follows several characters whose lives interchange over the course of one night. One of whom has been asleep for the last two months. It's a mysterious telling of what is really quite a simple story and it had me enthralled the whole way through. This book actually reminded me quite a lot of Paul Auster, in particular Travels in the Scriptorium, which I read earlier this year.

Next up is an Early Reviewers book The Fiddle Case by Christine Palamidessi Moore. I've tried not to read too much blurb, so I have no idea what to expect really!

#83 flissp: Thanks for the recommendation of After Dark. I just read Kafka on the Shore by Murakami and was looking for another of his to read, so I think I will give that one a try.

New to this thread but glad I came!
Msgs 27-29 (choosing on the basis of the title) I thought that was funny, and I'm sure the marketing people approach it that way. For me it's the cover. In the library, a book that looks old and like it hasn't been checked out in years is one likely to go home with me. That's how I found Mystery of Marriage by Mason. More recently I saw it all fancied up with flowers on the cover and sepia inside. No way would I have looked twice with it like that. So glad I found it in the "neglected and forgotten" look instead!

"35) Stephen Clarke - A Year in the Merde" Having lived in the banlieu for 5 years I think i might enjoy this one -- thx

Msg 37 et al Funny how folks are so different (lovely too!), The Horse and His Boy is my fav but okay okay Reepicheep is pretty cool -- in fact his reappearance was about all I liked in The Last Battle.

Thank you all while reading this thread I finally figured out what to do with audio books -- lol. Use them in the car. I read aloud while Steph drives usually but I can only go so many pages before my voice needs a break. Thanks for the inspiration even if I shouldn't have needed it (I mean how obvious is that?!!)

Thanks Flissp for an enjoyable thread :)

#84 alcottacre - definitely recommend After Dark. I've never read Kafka On The Shore for some reason - I take it you recommend it then? I began The Wind-up Bird Chronicle a while ago, but got waylaid by a particularly manic period at work, so never finished it - will probably have to reattempt this soon.

#85 suslyn - thank you - glad you're enjoying it! I'm afraid I'm also a real sucker for a good cover too, when I'm browsing and I always love the old orange penguins in second hand booksales. Re no. 35) though, I would say that it doesn't really stand up to some of the other things I've read this year, but it did make me giggle, so it's a fun quick read, but not life-changing. Re C S Lewis, I do actually agree with you - I never particularly enjoyed The Last Battle - there are good bits, but it mostly, it annoys me. The Horse and His Boy, although I didn't like it so much when I was small, like The Magician's Nephew, now I'm older, it's actually one of the ones I prefer. Funny how we change as we get older...

You've reminded me about the audiobooks I've been getting through in the car. I think I'll number these separately - I'm up to book 11 in the Series of Unfortunate Events now and still enjoying them (although quite looking forward to the end too!)

So.

78) The Fiddle Case - Christine Palamidessi More: As with most of the ARCs I've had, this is another 3 star one for me - I quite enjoyed it, but it didn't bowl me over. Probably my least favourite ER book so far - not bad, just average. Will post a proper review a bit later when I've thought about it a bit.

79) Shoot the Moon - Billie Letts: I think I got this one from FlossieT's thread? A man, who everyone thought was killed at the same time as his mother when he was 10 months old, shows up looking for his birth mother having only recently discovered he's adopted. An enjoyable murder mystery, although I didn't really believe in the central character Mark/Nick particularly - he seems to undergo a bit of a character change half way through. The diary entries of his teenage mum inserted at the end of most of the chapters _were_ completely convincing however and very sad.

80) The Double Helix - James D. Watson: This is a reread. I'm not much of a non-fiction reader, but every now and then, I need a reminder why I do what I do and this is a great book. So catty! James Watson came across as even more of an arrogant, misogynistic snob than I remembered, but he writes very well and, for me at least, the discovery of the structure of DNA is one of the most crucial scientific advances of the C20th. It's an incredibly tense read, particularly as they get closer and closer - when they're not quite there, but think they are - it all seems so obvious now, but of course it was not at all at the time. I've recommended this to pretty much everyone I know with even a passing interest in genetics/biochemistry/science.

...which led to me wanting to read a biography of Rosalind Franklin (unsung for many years, but played a crucial role), because James Watson really does not do her credit. He _just_about_ rectifys things a small amount in the epilogue at the end of the book, but even then manages to make her sound a bit like a puppy traipsing along to her master to show him what she's done (something that completely contradicts the earlier impression he gives of her in the main text). Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything in Waterstones yesterday, but I did come away with a biography of Francis Crick (rather originally called Francis Crick) by Matt Ridley, as he was, by all accounts, a very much larger than life and I very much enjoyed Matt Ridley's Genome, I thought I'd read this next.

Also reading the next Christopher Brookmyre (always good fun).

#86 flissp: Yes, I do recommend Kafka on the Shore but from other things I have read, it seems to be a different style than his earlier writings such as The Wind Up Bird Chronicle (which I have not yet read, so I really cannot compare), so keep that in mind as you read it.

I did bring home After Dark from the library the other day based on your recommendation. We'll see how I like it.

Off the topic(s)a bit: Each time I see After Dark, I think The Speed of Dark by E Moon. Has anyone else read it? This futuristic novel is really more of an exploration of autism than sci-fi. I think the jacket says "novel" rather than sf. If I recall correctly, she has an autistic child. It was really just excellent.

>80 flissp:: flissp, didn't Brenda Maddox do a biog of Rosalind Franklin a few years ago? Subtitle 'The Dark Lady of DNA', but I can't actually remember the main title (possibly 'Rosalind Franklin'...). I know I put it on my TBR list.

I think there is a special piquancy to living in Cambridge and reading about DNA too.

Yep, I think that there has been at least one biography of Rosalind Franklin - just couldn't seem to find one at the time - having mentioned this to my parents, I've a sneaking suspicion, I may be getting it for Christmas!

Agreed about the living in Cambridge bit - I was out in town the night I finished rereading The Double Helix and it gave me a real buzz walking past The Eagle, despite having been there many times before!

On the topic, I'm finding Matt Ridley's Francis Crick very interesting - certainly gives more of a balanced view. It does whizz through his life though - which I suppose is inevitable given everything Crick managed to cram in and the length of the book. Matt Ridley is a very readable writer, although, I'd say it's not as well written as Genome - the style just feels a bit clunkier - all these little incidental facts keep on popping up in a bit of an incongruous fashion - that said, they're usually quite interesting, so I'm not really complaining!

#88 suslyn, I've not heard of The Speed of Dark - sounds intriguing...

#87 alcottacre, I'm going to feel bad if you don't enjoy After Dark now! Thanks for the Kafka on the Shore recommendation - shall have to add it to my list when I've read The Wind Up Bird Chronicle...

So...

81) A Snowball In Hell - Christopher Brookmyre: I was just a little disappointed by this - some of my favourite reoccurring characters, but it was just a little too gruesome for me. Not to say that I didn't read it very quickly...

82) The Man in the Picture - Susan Hill: I think FlossieT recommended this ages ago? I'd forgotten how fun ghost stories can be - I may have to bring out my M R James collection!

...I'm feeling a bit guilty about not yet putting up my review for The Fiddle Case - I've been very busy, but it's mostly because I was just a bit nonplussed by it, but I don't want to be as negative as other reviewers have been... Well, I suppose it's important to be honest with these things.

message 86> I also received an ER copy of The Fiddle Case and thought it was horrible. I was confused the entire time about who was going where and what was really happening. I didn't like any of the characters. I thought they were too shallow or too drama. What did you like about the book?

Yes, it was a bit OTT, wasn't it?! The one positive thing I would have to say was that I actually thought that the friendship between the two girls was quite believable. That was until the end when I realised that these incredibly close mates can't have been that close to have completely lost touch with each other for however many years. But that was about it really. That and the fact that I never got so bored/frustrated that I didn't want to finish it, but that's a fairly negative note of praise.

It's interesting - having had time to ponder it a little since I finished it, I notice from my comments in (86) that it's actually gone down in my estimation since, unlike, for example Boy A, which I kept on thinking about. I should probably make a habit of leaving a few days before I write reviews.

I just don't want to leave a completely negative review when there are books I've disliked a whole lot more. I'm a little stumped as to what to write about it though, which is never a good sign!

>88 suslyn:: I also liked The Speed of Dark. I remember wondering at the time how much of an insight the author had into the topic - I suppose if she has an autistic child, then she's likely to have more than most.

If you liked this one, you might want to try Skallagrigg by William Horwood, and if you haven't already, there's also The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

>88 suslyn: & 90
I checked Elizabeth Moon's bio pages. Her son is autistic. Thx for the suggestions.

83) Persuasion
84) Pride and Prejudice - These are my two favourite Jane Austen's - had a bit of a binge at the weekend!

...still not posted my Fiddle Case review - must do that!

...going to add that 1 of my 999 challenge categories is books recommended to me by LTers that I've never heard of before, so all suggestions welcome!!

hmmm now you've got me thinking about obscure gems... I've been thinking movies and can't seem to pull my head out of that groove. Alors, here's a wonderful movie you might have missed LOL -- Winter People.

oooh, all obscure gems welcome!! you're right, not heard of Winter People - looks interesting - what did you particularly enjoy about it?

It's a wonderful love story -- . I thought it was wonderfully acted. The scenery is spectacular. But most it's the interplay of cultures and the exploration of feuding that persists, I expect, in some of the backhills of the Appalachias and Ozarks. One grieving scene I found particularly heart-rending. It was nice too to see Kurt Russel in this kind of role (a seeming 'softie' for whom none of the local men have respect). Just plain old good stuff! LOL Do tell me what you think if you watch it. Blockbuster should have it. Another fav is "My Brilliant Career." Set in 1900 or so in Australia. Explores careerism for women. I'm still furious with the heroine! LOL It came out the same year as Chariots of Fire. While the film might have been missed anyway, I blame Chariot's huge success for part of what left My Brilliant Career in near obscurity. Found this one in the foreign films section in Blockbuster. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079596/

And no, just in case you wondered, it's nothing like the Snowy River films (which I also enjoy for completely different reasons). I'd call My Brilliant Career a more serious film. Hmmm maybe I should read the book! Thought the same on Winter People when I found it once in a library -- but I was in school with no time...

suslyn, I shall clearly have to rent it over Christmas at some point! My Brilliant Career rings bells, but I don't think I've seen that either, I'll add it to the list - going to need a Librarything for films ;) I did think that Chariots of Fire was a good film too though...

so... finally pasted a not very good review of the fiddle book, but at least it's done in time for the next ER book to arrive (which it did yesterday - I've been very lucky with ER books this year!).

85) The Ladies of Grace Adieu - Susanna Clarke: Short stories based in the same world as Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. It's funny, after I read Jonathan Strange, I read a lot of reviews comparing Susanna Clarke to Jane Austen, something that I just didn't really see myself (and I do know Austen pretty well). With these stories however, I could see what they meant - one story in particular, (Mr Simonelli, or the Fairy Widower), which is written in letter and diary format - and deliberately almost plagerises Mr Darcy and much of Pride and Prejudice in a way that had me giggling most of the way through (I should note that the story itself bore little relation to Pride and Prejudice). I enjoyed these very much, particularly this last and "Mrs Mabb" (another one which aped Jane Austen in style quite a bit).

I've also finally finished the audiobooks of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which I've been listening to (very slowly) in the car on the way to and from work. FlossieT, thank you very much for the recommendation, Tim Curry reads them really incredibly well (how on earth do you manage to sound as though you're talking from inside a diving suit - and do it convincingly?! I was in hysterics at that part!).

The disadvantage with listening to the Lemony Snicket books as opposed to reading them, is that some of the style devices (for example, when certain things are repeated over and over again, or the bits that are 'deliberately boring' in order to 'stop you reading the terrible story and make you fall asleep') would, I think, have worked better for me, if I'd been reading them, as you just skim these bits - there were times at which I wanted him to just get on with it! That said, I've enjoyed them all very much and am lending them to my sister and her husband this Christmas!

Does anyone know who the music in the audiobooks is performed by? It sounds very much like The Magnetic Fields, but I couldn't find any information on the box set...

Forgot to add, currently on the reading list:

86) The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Charles Dickens: I'm a bit worried about this not having been finished, but thought I'd give it a go anyway...
87) The Island at the End of the World - Sam Taylor: The next ER book.

Please let me know how The Mystery of Edwin Drood turns out. I have always been worried about it being unfinished also.

>100 flissp: & 101 I have a copy of Drood that has been completed by A Loyal Dickensian. Not read it yet.

- TT

>101 blackdogbooks: blackdogbooks: will certainly keep you posted!

>102 TheTortoise: TT : that sounds intriguing - but could go very wrong! I suppose it depends who the Loyal Dickensian is ;). My Penguin edition has all sorts of apendices, Dickens' plans on the story and apparently the introduction talks about the ending (I don't want to read it until I finish, just in case it spoils the story)... But all this is never quite the same as having the author themselves finishing the book, is it? We'll have to see!

>103 flissp: fliss, I have no idea who "The Loyal Dickensian" is - It might be Jacob Marley for all I know!

- TT

>104 TheTortoise: We'll have to compare notes when we're both done! I quite like the idea of Jacob Marley 'ghost writing' (sorry) the ending ;)

I'm going to take a leaf out of Wunderkind's book, because I've never really analysed what I read before, and while, on the face of it, this hasn't been a particularly typical year, I don't really know what a typical year of reading is for me, so it's interesting to me... Anyway:

Total to date (24th Dec): 86 (I forgot to count one of the Narnia books), of which:

Fiction: 82
Non-Fiction: 4

You see what I mean when I say I need to read more non-fiction! Although, there were a few books (J. G. Ballard and Flora Thompson), who tread a fine line between fiction and non-fiction...

YA/Children's: 20
Graphic Novels: 5 (I'm counting all the Sandman books as 1)
Rereads: 15

This is definitely more comics than normal (I'm very new to them really) and probably more YA fiction than normal, although I tend to re-read my favourite children's books when I'm down/tired/stressed/busy, so it's not completely surprising. What I was surprised by is the number of books I've re-read this year.

Written in the 00's: 42 (of which, 11 were written in 2008 and 11 in 2007)
Written 1950 - 1999: 30
Written 1900 - 1949: 10
Written pre 1900: 4

This is pretty representative of previous years (I've always read a lot of new fiction). Hopefully, next year, with the 999 challenge, there should be a bit more of a spread.

Author country of origin:

UK: 47 (of which, 5 were Scottish authors)
US: 20
Australia: 4
Russia: 4
Canada: 2
France: 2
Belgium: 1
Ireland: 1
New Zealand: 1
South Africa: 1
Iran: 1
Japan: 1
Ukraine: 1

I had actually thought I read a bit more widely than this (the vast majority are native English speaking) - will have to broaden this next year!

I've also read more than 1 book by 17 authors, the 2 that stick out being C. S. Lewis (7) as I was re-reading Narnia and Neil Gaiman (5 - actually more like 14, if you count all the Sandman's seperately!) as will probably not surprise anyone.

...and finally, these are the books I intend to read over Christmas, before the end of the year (we'll see):

The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Charles Dickens (ongoing and enjoying!)
The Island at the End of the World - Sam Taylor (ER book)
North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell (suddenly had a hankering to reread this and it'll be good for the train on the way back from my granny's)
L'etranger - Albert Camus (started earlier this year, but posponed as my French is very rusty!)

Ooh, I should add the "Date Written" category to my summary, especially since I already do that with my tags. Good thinking!

I'm retreating to 2008 for a breather from my far too many starred threads...

In the end, I didn't read L'etranger after all, which I'm quite cross with myself for as I'm not quite sure when I'm going to next have longer than a couple of days together...

I did finish Edwin Drood though and very much enjoyed it - although was predictably frustated when I got to the part where Dickens died. He does draw the odd-balls so well, even if most of the heroines are cringeworthy.

The Island at the End of the World - still gathering my thoughts to review it...

North and South - love it.

...oh, I suppose I'd better transfer to 2009 now!

Final note, more for myself than anything else... Favourite new reads of 2008:

Don't Tell Alfred by Nancy Mitford
The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber
Basil Howe by G. K. Chesterton
After Dark by Haruki Murakami and
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (or the beginning of it anyway) by Charles Dickens