All About Books discussion
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What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations, reviews Part 2
Read Eclipse by Margaret Tabor - nothing about an eclipse, but more an alternative universe tale - and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2378838777.
Last week I finished Strange Shores by Arnaldur Indriðason, my first book by this author and I can see why he's such a highly regarded storyteller in the crime genre. Here’s my review
Finished Frankenstein in Baghdad. I have mixed feelings about it--strong in some areas, not so in others.My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by Ernest Cline - 4 Stars.What a fun adventure this book was!
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
my review of The Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning3 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3 stars
The Silent Hours by Cesca Major
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and
An Unsuitable Match by Joanna Trollope
4 stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished The Good People by Hannah KentI enjoyed this story, which is based on a true case. It was well researched and a story set in it's time.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have completed Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald. It won the Man Booker Prize in 1979.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Petra wrote: "I just finished The Good People by Hannah KentI enjoyed this story, which is based on a true case. It was well researched and a story set in it's time.
My review..."
I gave it four stars too, but in comparison to the author's Burial Rites, it is not as good.
Chrissie wrote: "I gave it four stars too, but in comparison to the author's Burial Rites, it is not as good. ..."Chrissie, that's good to hear. I am looking forward to reading more of her books. I enjoyed The Good People. If the others are better, that's a terrific bonus.
Petra wrote: "I just finished The Good People by Hannah KentI enjoyed this story, which is based on a true case. It was well researched and a story set in it's time.
My review..."
I didn't realise you were also reading this, I've nearly finished this too, and finding it very absorbing. Burial Rites is good, too.
my review of The Girl Who Came Back by Susan Lewis2 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of Jazz in Available Light: Illuminating the Jazz Greats from the 1960s, '70s and '80s by Veryl Oakland:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Shirley wrote: "I didn't realise you were also reading this, I've nearly finished this too, and finding it very absorbing. Burial Rites is good, too. ..."I didn't realize you were reading it either, Shirley! I found the story terribly interesting. I'm looking forward to your thoughts when done.
I understand the need to create a new folder for one which got too big but I think you should repeat the gist of the folder as the first comment or somewhere in early posts.
I recently read The Balcony who ch I don't recommend this is the story of five people or families who inhabit the same home years apart. I've read other books like this one but this books k don't don't work for me. Too disjointed and I didn't much like the characters.I also read The Room on Amelie Street which takes place in France during WWII. This book is by Ella Carey whose older books I really enjoyed.
I finally read the simple, heart-rending The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne, who writes for both adults and children. The language is easy enough for children to read, but the observations and insights are all too ashamedly adult.
5★ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Chrissie wrote: "Petra, oh I just assumed you had read Burial Rites. That is fantastic."I was lucky to have just discovered this author. I look forward to Burial Rites.
I have completed The House of the Seven Gables. I wanted to read it since I very much enjoyed the author's The Scarlet Letter.Here follows my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Chrissie wrote: "Petra, oh I just assumed you had read Burial Rites. That is fantastic."I really liked that one as well, I thought it was excellent.
Chrissie wrote: "I have completed The House of the Seven Gables. I wanted to read it since I very much enjoyed the author's The Scarlet Letter.
Here follows my review:
https://www.goodr..."
Chrissie, reading your review I've just realized that Anthony Heald is also the narrator of Shadow Country, he is superb isn't he? I don't listen to enough audio books to really have favourite narrators (apart from him who's name I somehow remembered....well Shadow Country is long so that gives you LOTS of time to remember ;)) but they are so important aren't they? Do you have any that come to mind?
Jenny wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Petra, oh I just assumed you had read Burial Rites. That is fantastic."I really liked that one as well, I thought it was excellent.
Chrissie wrote: "I have compl..."
Good narrators can be as delicious icing on a yummy cake, but they can never save a book I totally dislike. I try to distinguish between the performance and the quality of an author's writing. Some other good narrators are Edward Herrmann, who I am listening to now, Suzanne Tören, Timothy West, David Horovitch, Jeremy Irons, Grover Gardner, Derek Jakobi.....are names that pop into my head.
Thanks for that Chrissie, I will copy those names somewhere I can find them back. Sometimes you get the choice between different narrators and then it's nice to know which to go for.
Jenny, glad I could help. If I maybe I have listened to a book you are considering, I always say a few words about the narration in my review. Do keep in mind that I give one rating to the narrator's performance and a separate rating for the book. The rating for the audio performance is stated in my review. At Audible you can give separate ratings for the audio performance and for the book's content, but you cannot do that here at GR.
Chrissie wrote: " At Audible you can give separate ratings for the audio performance and for the book's content, but you cannot do that here at GR"I know, I am always a bit conflicted about that but then it is also hard to untangle the two. I recently read Child of All Nations by Irmgard Keun, a story of a 10 year old child fleeing from one country to the next with her parents during the time of Nazi-Germany. The narrator of the German audio book was an adult woman trying to speak like a little girl which annoyed me a lot and which really got in the way of the story for me. It's hard for me to know how much more I would have enjoyed the book with a better narration or had I read a physical copy.
Jenny wrote: "The narrator of the German audio book was an adult woman trying to speak like a little girl which annoyed me a lot and which really got in the way of the story for me. It's hard for me to know how much more I would have enjoyed the book with a better narration or had I read a physical copy."When I do not like the audiobook's narrator, and since I cannot go and exchange it for the paper version, I repeat the lines in my head. This helps me focus on the author's words rather than what is coming though my ears. I sort of smother out the narrator's intonation which I dislike. It is not fun, but it is possible.
You are way ahead of me there! But I shall try the next time that problem occurs. Thanks Chrissie
One of my favourite authors, Aussie Richard Flanagan won the 2014 Man Booker Prize for The Narrow Road to the Deep North, and no wonder. Brutal, tender, unforgettable.
5★ Link to my review
Finally, a really good book: The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I’ve had a very relaxed day today and have mostly sat and read Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie. I loved this book and would highly recommend. I gave it 5*. It is a retelling of the Greek Myth of Antigone which I haven’t read but I have since watched some videos comparing the two. I really liked the look at the way Muslims are portrayed in British media and culture and the impact this has on young people. It explores how easily a disillusioned young person can become converted to an extremist viewpoint from a moderate background. It also looks at the different representations of faith and identity in the Muslim population and offers an interesting perspective on love and culture. A brilliant read
Over the weekend I became engrossed in one of the sci fi series I have been reading, the Liaden series by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. I read Balance of Trade late last week & it sparked my desire to read more of the series right away! So I read Mouse and Dragon, reread Fledgling (which I had read out of order last year), and then bought & read Saltation (the joys of Kindle books - no having to find a bookstore that carries the book you want, no waiting for the store to open, immediate gratification *grin*).After that, I took a deep breath and tore myself away from the series to read some other books. Otherwise, I might have immersed myself so much in the series that I wouldn't have read anything else for a month! And as much as I enjoyed this temporary spree, I do think that if you read books in a series too close together, it can adversely impact how you perceive them.
My review of The Saint of Wolves and Butchers by Alex Grecian:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
All About Books
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I totally cracked up today listening to Vanity Fair. I get so darn emotional about books. I hate dumping books, but I hated more continuing.