Devon Book Club discussion
Book Club Challenge
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Around The World in 80 Books 2020-2023
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So many books, not enough time
A Meal in Winter for Poland. Set in WW2 this novella is one of the bleakest pieces of writing I have ever come across. Three German soldiers have one of the worst decisions anyone would have to make against an omnipresent frozen landscape. Well worth a read, especially when it's snowing - makes you really appreciate central heating!
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Let's get our cold weather gear on and head for Iceland with Sayings of VikingsThe Havamal is an epic poem ascribed to Odin, the title meaning 'Words of the High One'. It gave both spiritual and practical guidance to the Vikings on their long journeys.
This book isn't the full Havamal, but is an extract/summary in the form of a collection of poetic proverbs, such as:
"Better weight
than wisdom
a traveller cannot carry.
A clear head
is good company.
Drink is a dangerous friend."
It's only small, but makes a good coffee table book or one for the loo (if, like us, you have a shelf of 'convenience').
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Finland. Copper Heart. Set in an old mining town Maria is temp police chief for the summer. Relatively little violence other than a couple of murders but I found the attidudes portrayed towards the russians interesting. Not sure whether product placement is intentional but it does get a bit irratating. I do like the series - easy reading with lots of local atmosphere.
From India to Toronto, Canada via Dartmoor in the UK. I read Hound of the Baskervilles with our book club and have just finished Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood. I have written a lengthy, rather personal review of cat's Eye on goodreads. To me, it is a story of a child being bullied for being different and how this affects her all through her life. We are in past and present in this tale of a woman who needs to be loved, but has a rather dislikable manner as a result of the bullying. However, she becomes a famous artist who is able to express her childhood through art.
I looked forward to reading this every day and in spite of the present tense and first person being used throughout thoroughly enjoyed the author's writing style.
I will definitely read more by Margaret Atwood.
Ellen...Karen Wolff I am very interested in reading the Bone People, having lived in NZ. Thanks for th review. Will try to get hold of this book.
This is a great challenge Ian. Just looking at the list of books is so enticing. I love reading books from around the world and now have lots to choose from. Thanks
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Added to the map but had to choose a place as I think Arpikylä must be a made up town
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Great - it does seem to have captured the imagination. have you looked at the map - really interesting to see. I note nothing from Africa or South America yet - but I am sure it will come
I've left Iceland, but I'm still in a cold region on board Martin Cruz Smith's Polar Star on the freezing waters of the northern Bering Sea.
About to read The Hundred -Year-Old Man who climbed out of the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson. It's a translation and is clearly Scandinavian, but not sure yet which country. There's evidently a film been made of it, which I had not heard of.
For Germany, The Spring of Kasper Meier, is set in the aftermath of ww2 Berlin. Kasper is an unattractive man involved in the black market and more importantly has a secret. Open any page of this book and there are descriptions of destruction and people living in dire straits. Read for the book festival next month so will be interested to learn more. Now in Italy - Puglia to be exact and it is ........bleak!
B J wrote: "I've left Iceland, but I'm still in a cold region on board Martin Cruz Smith's Polar Star on the freezing waters of the northern Bering Sea."Ah, the excellent Arkady Renko, my favourite detective!
Yes, mine too. The series is brilliant, with all the elements of excellent crime writing authentically set in the complex world of Russian political intrigue.
I have often wondered how Cruz Smith does his research - I believe he's an American and he certainly doesn't sound as tho' he has Russian relatives.
I read The Hundred Year Old Man ...... about a year or so ago Carol and really enjoyed it. I have Jonasson's latest 'The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden' downloaded on my Kindle ready for some holiday reading. I'll let you know what I think if you enjoy the one you're reading.
I've not read any of Martin Cruz Smith's books before, but sound just like my cup of tea BJ. What's the first book in the series please?
I've not read any of Martin Cruz Smith's books before, but sound just like my cup of tea BJ. What's the first book in the series please?
Hi Alison, Hope you & BJ don't mind me stepping in to answer as I happen to be online - it's Gorky Park.
Alison wrote: "I read The Hundred Year Old Man ...... about a year or so ago Carol and really enjoyed it. I have Jonasson's latest 'The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden' downloaded on my Kindle ready for some h..."Thanks Alison. I'm looking forward to reading The Hundred Year Old Man...
The Polished Hoe is set in Bimshire, now known as the Bahamas in 1952. It is the confession of a woman, a mistress taken first by a constable and then a sergeant. A story unfolds gently as secrets of the island emerge.
The language used is really interesting, using dialect and the story is slow moving with details emerging as the confession progresses.
However, I am on page 162 and have had page and page of the sergeants sexual fantasies, as he is in love with the woman confessing to a crime, and I no longer want to read the book.
I have tried to continue, as I looked at reviews from people who had given up and didn't want to be a giver-upper, but I am not interested in this sergeant story enough to want to continue.
As I am giving up, would anybody else like to take up the challenge this book provides? Does it count in our round the world challenge if I give up halfway through?
I would be interested to know it anybody else has read it. I do find some male authors get hung up on sex in novels and I find this puts me off. I am not a prude, but I don't want to read about grunts and groans etc.
I might skip a few pages and see how it goes....
I'm not very good at understsnding satire so before starting Death and the Penguinread some reviews. Glad I did because although the book can be enjoyed as a rather weird story it is much better read with a little understanding of what the author had in mind. Set in the Ukraine the narrator writes obits and lives with a penguin he acquired when the zoo was getting rid of them. There is a sequel! With Ukraine in the news it was quite thought provoking. Having just watched about the shortage of drugs, the penguin needing a transplant ,.........
I thought I might take up the challenge Karen but my library only has it available on cd - 18 hours worth and given your thoughts decided not to!
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You are travelling in cold territory - hae vplotted you in hte middle of the Bering Sea - hope you make landfall soon
Carol wrote: "Alison wrote: "I read The Hundred Year Old Man ...... about a year or so ago Carol and really enjoyed it. I have Jonasson's latest 'The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden' downloaded on my Kindle r..."I also read The Hundred Year Old Man, and thought it was a quick, quirky and enjoyable read. Not yet read Jonasson's latest novel - keen to know what other people think of it.
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woman, a mistress taken first by a constable and then a sergeant. A story unfolds gently as se..."
I think we'll let you count it Karen - sounds like you desreve it for the effort involved. Don't think you've sold it though! Actually, I liek hearing about what people dont like - just as interesting. Writing well about sex is really difficult I think. I wonder wheterh anyone has a good example? Perhaps we shoudl do our own bad sex award.
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I really loved this book. Andrei Kurkov is an interesting writer and I thought it revealed both something about life in Ukraine, a country I know little about, but also had great characterisation, plot and a twist of dark humour. I am saving the sequel, Penguin Lost for a bit later in the year but looking forward to it.
my review of the book I didn't finish: The Polished Hoe by Astin Clarke, set in the Bahamas.Unfortunately I didn't finish this book. After I started I checked reviews on goodreads to see what others thought as I was a little perplexed as to how it was progressing. I read that many people had given up and I don't know how much this influenced me, but I gave it a good go and read nearly 200 pages, before thinking that I would rather be reading something else.
Having said that I think it is beautifully written and I loved the nuance of dialect used. For example, '...approaching the age of marrieding', 'Amurca' and
When a man didn't go to prison for his crime: 'Scotch-free. Simply because the Plantation-people and the Solicitor-General, and them-so, had wanted Englund to make one o' their own, Governor -as promise by the Colonial Office'
There is discussion about the meaning of 'tisket' and 'tasket' by Ella Fitzgerald.
The novel is beautifully written and holds a wealth of small detail revealing a bigger picture of discrimination, hardship, and sacrifice.
I wanted to finish the book, but did not look forward to reading it. It felt like a task. I had picked it up from our community centre and was reading it for the books around the world challenge I am contributing to.
The story is of a confession, which starts with the constable and progresses when the sergeant arrives. I got fed up with the sergeant's sexual fantasies which emerge as Mary Mathilda confesses to a crime we can only guess at. I find as I get older that I do not have the patience to read about men's sexual fantasies in novels; I find they get in the way of a good read. So I gave up. I think sex has to feature in this book as women were raped in the cane fields, but I found the sergeant's sexual fantasies detracted from the book rather than added to it. They annoyed me and I put the book down feeling frustrated that I couldn't hear more about Mary Mathilda, her life, her opinions and her experience.
Other reviews on goodreads say you need to give the novel time, and I agree, so one day I may come back to this to get past the sergeant's fantasies and move on with the book. However, I picked up two more books at the community centre which seem more interesting and I will put this back for somebody else to give it a go.
If I come across another novel many Austin Clarke I may give it a go, but I am unsure.
Really like your review Karen. Can see that, like you, I would appreciate the detail in this novel, but male sexual fantasies would definitely not be to my taste, so will definitely give it a miss.
I am continuing to work my way through south-east asia: I have recently read Journey to the End of the Whaleby John David Morley which is set in the Lesser Sundra Islands of Indonesia. It starts in Geneva where the main character spends his early life after being orphaned when his parents die in Indonesia. The book ends up mostly in a traditional whaling community on a tiny Island called Lefo (which I could not find on any map so not sure if its real but a lot of the tiny islands are un-named on maps!) and the story revolves around whaling and the death of traditional whaling in Indonesia. Its a fascinating story and very touching in places. I particularly like the author's idea of the "song of the bereft" which is how he describes the deep-sea songs that the solitary whales use to communicate underwater over thousands of miles, and how he suggests that perhaps there is something similar that connects and attracts similar solitary humans to each other (it is how the author questions how the main character and his wife manage to meet when they are both orphans, strangers in their adoptive lands and rootless). Well worth a read!The second book I have read is set in Penang island, Malaysia: The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng. This a fabulous. I enjoyed his previous book, The Garden of Evening Mists but this is one is even better. However, it is brutally honest and horrific in parts. I've had to leave it a few days before I can write about it because it left me feeling a bit emotionally numb and has woken me up with flashbacks in the middle of the night a couple of times this week (I get to involved in what I read obviously!). I love books that are so good that they physically affect me! I'm not good at writing reviews without giving away the story but here's my attempt. the story is set in pre- and wartime Malaysia under the Japanese occupation. A british-chinese boy from a wealthy family is befriended by a Japanese man (who is obviously a spy) and he starts to train the boy in Aikido martial arts and becomes his "Sensei" (teacher). they obviously develop a very close, intense relationship that is apparently very typical of the master-pupil relationship in martial arts. Once the war starts this relationship is obviously tested and strained and the boy, Philip, volunteers to work for the invading Japanese as an interpreter in the hope of being able to protect and save his family. He tries to save all those he can by passing on information to the Chinese triads and trying to save people from the Japanese death squads, whilst being considered a traitor by most of the Malaysians and including his own family. The Aikido martial arts is supposed to be non-violent and based around love but throughout the book we see how it inevitably is turned to evil and ends up as a destructive force- its almost like the author admires it as an ideal but cannot resolve the conflict of how it actually is used in practice as a force for evil and destruction. It's so sad that war and destruction has coloured so much of humankind's existence. It is in the end a tragic read but none the less valuable for that.
Sorry I've gone on a bit but hope you caught on to my enthusiasm!
Ellen wrote: "I am continuing to work my way through south-east asia: I have recently read Journey to the End of the Whaleby John David Morley which is set in the Lesser Sundra Islands of Indonesia..."The Gift of Rain sounds both sad and very interesting historically.
Alison wrote: "I've not read any of Martin Cruz Smith's books before, but sound just like my cup of tea BJ. What's the first book in the series please?"Gorky Park
Thanks BJ. It's added to my to read list!
Thanks BJ. It's added to my to read list!
Add it close to the top Alison - you won't regret it. The book will introduce you to a stunning series of tense crime thrillers that also capture the changing political and social structure in Russia.
Puglia, Italy - The Night Falling. Set in 1921 describing the effects on landowners and peasants of the war and the climate. A love story. A right good read as they say.
Carol wrote: "Is Gorky Park also a film?"Yes, with William Hurt - made quite a long time ago.
Just read another one to add to the map in SE Asia: The Quiet American by Graham Greene. Set in Vietnam it tells the story of a British Journalist who ends up intervening to stop an idealistic and naïve young American man who is trying to promote democracy through a "Third Force" in the war. The main character's motives are muddied by the issue that the American is also his love rival, and so even the character himself is not sure whether his motives really were as pure as he pretends. An interesting classic from the middle of last century.
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Really interesting choices Ellen. Thanks for such full reviews. Both are on my list now. And both are plotted on the map. As is the Graham Green - are you a chain reader? Thailand or China next?
Ha ha- good guess Ian! Yes, it's Thailand for me next with The Beach by Alex Garland. And yes, guilty as charged- I admit I'm a chain-reader (but in my defence we don't own a TV so I don't waste time in other ways!!)
Ellen wrote: "I am continuing to work my way through south-east asia: I have recently read Journey to the End of the Whaleby John David Morley which is set in the Lesser Sundra Islands of Indonesia..."Interesting to read about the solitary whales and their song. Did you see in the paper yesterday about a whale, (which I think has been called 52) and has been singing out in the ocean all by himself for several decades. Evidently his song is unique in its frequency range and consequently he is the only whale with this song and no other whale can understand him. They think he's therefore very lonely.
Sue wrote: "I thought I might take up the challenge Karen but my library only has it available on cd - 18 hours worth and given your thoughts decided not to!"Oh no! Sue! It won a commonwealth award and some people love it. I thought the style was good. The lovely thing about reading is we can read the same book and have such different responses to it. This sort of novel is right up my street. I wish I would just give it another go, but I have two reading groups at work and know that I haven't got the time this novel needs at the moment. It is one for when I retire
Carol wrote: "Ellen wrote: "I am continuing to work my way through south-east asia: I have recently read Journey to the End of the Whaleby John David Morley which is set in the Lesser Sundra Island..."That is so sad, Carol. I'm hopeless with stories like this! But isn't whale song the most amazing thing, so haunting and beautiful?
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It really is sad if it is true - whales live such long lives. Dont like to think of it being on its own - and on Valentines day too... sob
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I had a similar experience with 'The Outsider' Ian, in fact this has made me want to reread it. [I seem to be doing lots of re-reading right now, started on 'Wolf Hall' again after the first TV episode]. I read the Camus as part of an Eng Lit degree, and the thing we noticed in the group was that the 3 'mature' students there (out of 8 ??) also found it incredibly funny in places. Oh dear, there is so much I want to read ... more Camus ...