Heather P's 50 for 2010 (p.s. There are far too many "Heather"s on here!)

[Heather]

He does SUCH a great job of reading it! His coughing Mr Poe is excellent, and his Count Olaf is spot-on! You should definitely get your hands on it. This is the first of the series I've read/heard, but I think I'll chase down the rest and give them a go. I really like the way he writes and I quite enjoy children's books (takes me back to my childhood reading days!), so I'd be willing to have a read.

[Heather]

23. Possession- A.S. Byatt (5 stars)

This book is one of the most beautiful things I have ever, ever read. It did take me almost 200 of the 500 pages to get into it, but once the romance and mystery picked up, I was hooked! On top of the beautiful (and I mean truly beautiful) love story at the heart of this, the writing blew me away. The ability to seamlessly combine two completely different poetry styles (both of which she, herself, constructed) as well as a number of varied written formats within the book- Victorian letters, modern-day biographies, diaries by both elderly and young women- gives such a strong impression of her astounding literary ability. Beautiful, just beautiful.

[Heather]

Urgh, marking Uni assignments and struggling through the first half of Possession has really thrown me off the pace! Need to lift my game :)

[Heather]

24. The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins (3.5 stars)

I found this to be a quick, easy, enjoyable read, which was just what I needed after Possession. The story of 16-yr old Katniss and her efforts to stay alive in the Hunger Games, an annual fight-to-the-death TV event involving 23 other children, was quite unique (though it's disturbing familar to the WWE film The Condemned, starring Stone Cold Steve Austin!) and the pacing was excellent; I found myself eager to learn what happens next in the story, so finished the book in a few hours.
All that aside, I had a bit of a problem with the writing style. Yes, I realise this is YA and thus can't expect flowery, complicated prose in the novel, but whatever happened to authors like Roald Dahl or Lewis Carroll, who wrote for children but refused to insult the child by dumbing down the language?! I thought this was unnecessarily basic, and am still unsure as to whether it's due to intentional writing on the author's part, or maybe just a lack of skill....

[Heather]

25. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer-Patrick Süskind (4 stars)

Yay, I'm finally up to 25! I really enjoyed this peculiar little book. I'm not the most olfactory person and hate that my sense of smell seems to be so poor, so I loved reading about Grenouille and his amazing nose. The unique ending was a brilliant finish to a really unique story.

[P.]

I love 'Perfume'. It is a strange book but it stays with you for a while.

I'd been wondering about the Byatt for a while now. The bulk of it puts me off but I think I'll give it a go after I reach 50 books! (If ever!)

[Heather]

oh, you definitely should! I didn't like it all all for the first half, but it's so beautifully written that when the story kicks in it just absorbs you! It ended so wonderfully, too. Definitely read it!

[Heather]

26. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Stieg Larsson (3.5 stars)

This book had the potential to be really, really good, were it not for two glaring issues. Firstly, I think it needed a really heavy editorial hand to cut down on the MOUNTAINS of unncessary detail (which detracted SO much from the story, and which, if removed, could have literally cut out 100-odd pages of this tome of a book); and secondly, it could have done without the shameless product placement/plugging of various computers, websites, authors, books etc. Authors always take a while to find their feet and I'm sure that everyone's first attempts would have many amateur problems, so I think the finished product would have been quite different had Larsson not passed away so suddenly.
All that aside, this is a real page-turner and quite an easy read, so I'd definitely recommend it to others.

[P.]

I hate it when that happens. Did larsson pass away? Never knew that.

[Donna]

I so agree about the product placement. Reading the second book I felt an overwhelming urge to dig out my IKEA catalog to see what she'd bought. And while my Ukranian coworker assures me that Lipton Tea is available in Europe, why wasn't it just she made a cup of tea? I wonder if there was something in the transalation contract?

[Heather]

Yeah, maybe, Donna. My husband thinks it might have just been the author mentioning his favourite products, but even then, you'd think the editor would cut that out! Even if it's not product placement, it makes it harder to relate it to International readers if the products are specific to that particular country/region.
Yeah, Zee, he passed away shortly after handing the manuscripts for the three books to his publisher. It's such a shame that he never got to see the success of his books (though one could argue that they might not have succeeded so well had he NOT passed away!).

[Donna]

And fittingly there were rumors about his perhaps being done in by the neo-Nazis or other groups that he'd worked against.

[Heather]

27. Chocolat- Joanne Harris (3.5 stars)

A quick, easy, enjoyable read. I found that it didn't quite live up to the hype, and I'm not sure if it's because of her writing style or because I loved the movie SO much and the way that it was made that this felt a little bland in comparison. Either way, I found myself really caring for Vianne and her fight-or-flight battle, so would recommend this to others.

That said, if you're after a book that evokes beautiful imagery about food, I'm much more highly recommend Like Water for Chocolate!

[Heather]

28. My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands- Chelsea Handler (3 stars)

This was both better, and worse, than I expected it to be. I'm normally not one for brash American comedians/comediennes, so was surprised by the number of times this book made me actually laugh out loud. The chapters on Chelsea's one-night stands are all very funny, but reveal a lot more than just her past conquests; each tale provides us with an interesting and insightful look at the friends and family who populate her life, and I think these individuals were the highlight of the story.
All that said, I did find that this got a bit much after a while, and I felt I got the gist of the book about half-way through (so didn't really need the additional 100 or so pages of it). Thus, while definitely entertaining, this hasn't made me want to beat down doors for her follow-ups; I might just wait until I find them on sale before I re-enter Chelsea's world.

[Heather]

29. The Day of the Triffids- John Wyndham (4 stars)

I was actually a little disappointed with this book. It started SO well, and I absolutely devoured it for the first 150 or so pages, but then I felt it kind of lost it. It had so much more potential than the final finished product, and there were a number of places I thought he could have pushed himself and really sucked the reader in, but it never quite got there. Still, it was an excellent read and reinforced my love of dystopian fiction, so I'd definitely recommend it to others.

[Heather]

30. Catching Fire- Suzanne Collins (4 and a bit stars)

I found this to be a much better read than the first book. It was still as easy and engrossing to read as Hunger Games, but I thought it had a better storyline, better and more developed characters, and a great cliffhanger ending! Looking forward to reading the third in the series when it is released later this month.

[Heather]

31. To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee (5 stars)

This book is a masterpiece, and it took a second reading (as an adult, as opposed to an unappreciative teenager) to truly realise this. No wonder Harper Lee never published another novel-- how do you compete with perfection?

[Heather]

32. In the Woods-Tana French (3 stars)

This book infuriated me to no end! I hated the ending, I hated the reflective writing style, I hated the unsatisfying conclusion to many of the major story archs, and I hated the predictable crime (which seemed taken directly from an episode Law and Order!). Given, it had some redeeming qualities, like its pacing, ease, and the way the story unfolded, but overall I was left really unsatisfied and wanting so much more. I know this was her first novel, but it didn't at all reach its potential, and doesn't AT ALL live up to the hype! If you're after an excellent "whodunit", I'm sure there are plenty out there that are much better.

[Connie]

Heather wrote: "32. In the Woods-Tana French (3 stars)

This book infuriated me to no end! I hated the ending, I hated the reflective writing style, I hated the unsatisfying conclus..."

I agree with the ending; kind of like ending a story with the person waking up and it was all a dream. I did like the book though, I think because I liked her writing style. However, I did find it interesting how much American culture has permeated other countries like Ireland. I thought that aspect was quite interesting.

[Heather]

33. Mockingjay- Suzanne Collins (3.5 stars)

A quick, enjoyable read (about on a par with the first book in the series but not as good as the second) and a decent end to the series. It took a while to build momentum, but I found it got quite exciting in the final 1/3rd of the book, which I devoured. That said, I didn't really like the final few pages (especially the conclusion of the love triangle) and though the epilogue was unnecessary. Overall, a pretty good series, and definitely a page-turner (though I still don't think it's anywhere near as good as most people seem to think it is!).

[Heather]

34. The Forgotten Garden- Kate Morton (5 stars)

This book/audiobook was absolutely magical! It started a little slow, but once the mystery kicked in I found I couldn't put it down (well, stop listening to it!). I'm not sure whether it's due to the excellent narration by Caroline Lee or the writing itself, but I felt the characters absolutely leapt off the page and came to life so vividly, particularly Eliza. They were all SO real, flawed, and wonderful. A beautiful book, which I'd highly recommend to all.

[Heather]

35. I Am Legend- Richard Matheson (3.5 stars)

I quite liked Matheson's depiction of Neville's plight, who is now the last (to his knowledge) non-infected human in a world infected with a form of vampirism. Matheson presented a bleak, morose, and likely accurate depiction of what it would actually be like if one were to be thrust into this situation, and I truly felt Neville's insatiable hunger for both romantic and non-romantic companionship and the onset of cabin fever. I do find a lot of these older books can be quite slow and uneventful, which is probably more of a reflection of the fast-paced, "instant" world we now live in than the books themselves, and I was extremely irritated with the narrator of this audiobook. Overall, though, it was a quick, enjoyable read and I would recommend it to others interested in Dystopian fiction.
Please note that the storyline is VERY different to the movie, so bear that in mind if you embark upon this!

[Heather]

36. Coraline- Neil Gaiman (4 stars)

I absolutely love well-written children's books! They take me back to a place and time in my life that I look upon with great affection, when I devoured library books, drew pictures of Roald Dahl (sadly, the man himself, not Quentin Blake's illustrations!), and sat reading for hours. This book is no exception. Coraline's funny, eerie and plain magical encounters (particularly those on the other side of the door) with the individuals who punctuate the story were SO well constructed by Gaiman that you find yourself transported right into her crazy little world. Once the story kicked in, I found that I couldn't put this down and absolutely devoured it. Definitely a great book to read to children, though it is quite scary so I wouldn't recommend it for kids under 8 or so.

[Heather]

37. The Girl Who Played with Fire- Stieg Larsson (4 stars)

This was a LOT better than the first book, I found. While it took a while to get into the story (and is filled with the completely unnecessary mounds of detail that seem to be characteristic of his writing!), once the murders took place and the various investigations started I couldn't put it down. The ending was great and the book finished on a really nice cliff-hanger, so overall I was much more impress than I originally was with this series. I still don't think the books truly deserve all the hype they're getting and would take a vintage Dean Koontz or Wilbur Smith over these any day, but I am looking forward to seeing what the next book has in store for Lisbeth and Blomkvist.

[Jennifer]

Heather I am right there with you. I kind of struggled with boredom through Girl With A Dragon Tattoo and since my MIL gave me all three started Girl Who Played With Fire and thought it was SO much better. I have started the last book and am finding it to be a little more like the first, getting bogged down in all the descriptions and details that really don't need to be there to make the story good.
Are you going to read the last book? I'd love to know what you think.

[Heather]

Hi Jennifer! Yep, I read the last book, and will post my review after this :)

[Heather]

38. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest- Stieg Larsson (3.5-4 stars)

These books are SO strange! The first book is essentially a murder-mystery, the second is crime fiction, and then this one is more a spy-courtroom thriller! They were all pretty good, though (but again, not as good as most people seem to find them), and, while not as engrossing as the second book, I felt this was a decent end to the series. I'm a little saddened by the fact that we'll have no more of Lisbeth, but you never know what will come of those last manuscripts!


Argh, I'm SO off the pace! I really need to pick it up if I'm going to finish another 12 in the next 7 weeks. I REFUSE to be beaten so close to the end!

[Amanda]

You can SO do it. Don't you give up now!

[Leah]

i'm off the pace too, but i know both of us can do it!!! young adult books are always good to read when you need to go quickly - they read really fast. if you want recommendations let me know!

[Heather]

haha yeah, my husband reckons I'll be whipping out Fantastic Mr Fox in the next few weeks :P
I think I need to focus on some thrillers, as they take no time at all to get through. Maybe Misery, or some Dean Koontz?

[Leah]

totally, thrillers are a good idea too! also lighter mysteries - maybe a little carl hiaasen, laura lippman, janet evanovich???

[Heather]

Ooh, recommendations would be much appreciated! I've never read any of those authors you mentioned, Leah.
One of my friends told me to read Water for Elephants, and another mentioned The Pearl, by John Steinbeck (though that's so short that it'd be essentially cheating!). I've got a few David Maloufs on my list, as well as Boy and Going Solo by Road Dahl (I love the way he writes and devour his books), but that's about as much thought as I've given it.

[Heather]

39. Hell's Angels- Hunter S. Thompson (3 stars)

This book was just ok, for me. There were moments of brilliance within, and I think Thompson is an incredibly talented author, but at the end of the day it's essentially an extended article/expose on the Hell's Angels bikie gang. There isn't really a lot of info on the clubs themselves, and I felt that he didn't delve enough into the individual lives of the members or what they gain (materially or metaphorically) from being in the group, focussing instead on a few different "runs" and the impact of fame on group dynamics. Being from Australia and having a minimal understanding/knowledge of the impact of such groups in the US probably didn't do me any favours, either!
To appreciate it at all I found I had to keep reminding myself of the time and context of the novel, and the fact that this was his first book and pioneered "Gonzo journalism". As I said, it IS very well written, and thus, while I found this to be pretty blah, I'll definitely read his other work.

[Heather]

40. Mr. Shivers- Robert Jackson Bennett (3.5 stars)

I'm a little unsure about my feelings on this book. On the one hand, it was a quick, easy read, with decent characters, nice writing, and a fairly original plot (ableit very HBO Carnivale-eque). On the other hand, the pacing wasn't the best and I felt it could have been a lot more suspenseful and engaging, especially seeing as how it's touted as a horror/thriller. Moreover, while it did shed some interesting insight into both the daily trials ofthe Great Depression and hobo culture, I found its similarity to Carnivale, one of my favourite shows, to be quite distracting, and couldn't absorb myself in the story as much as I would have liked. Still, a decent read and a great debut effort from the author.

[Leah]

I loved Carnivale!! I'll have to check out this book.

Have you read the Hunger Games trilogy yet? If not then that would be a good way to rack up some numbers quick - they read really fast and are very absorbing.

[Heather]

yep, read them! Any other ideas :)

[Amanda]

Perhaps you can try some of the smaller scale classics, like A Christmas Carol, Kafka's Metamorphosis, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sherlock Holmes, The Little Prince, Animal Farm and if you don't think it is cheating, maybe Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde!

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series of books are a quick and lightheartedly entertaining read too.

[Leah]

Amanda makes some good suggestions. Also check out the authors I mentioned earlier, any of those would be quick and enjoyable reads. If you're in the mood for Victorian era paranormal romance-ish stuff, Soulless/Changeless/Reckless are part of a new series by Gail Carriger and they are super fun (and speedy reads) - and I don't usually read that kind of thing! Agatha Christie always goes fast. Ditto JD Salinger & Kurt Vonnegut.

[Heather]

Thanks for those, guys! I was actually thinking of picking up the No 1 Ladies series, Amanda, as well as Dr Jekyll & Agatha Christie. I have three books that I'm 2/3rds of the way through at the moment, and two more to read for my (separate) bookclub meetings next week, so that should jump me up a little bit! Still sucks that I need to resort to tiny books and thrillers, though!

[Heather]

I've never read Vonnegut or Salinger, Leah, but I'll definitely give them a go too. I have Catcher in the Rye and Slaughterhouse Five at home; would you recommend those two?

[Leah]

those are great picks to get started with, heather! definitely!

looking forward to hearing what you think - always interesting to see what kind of a reaction people have to classics, especially modern classics. i hope you enjoy them!

[Heather]

41. The Elegance of the Hedgehog- Muriel Barbery (5 stars)

I loved, loved, LOVED this gem of a book! Beautiful, playful, engrossing prose, combined with magnificent characters and a truly moving story. I'm unsure whether kudos should go to the author or the translator, but I found myself absolutely enamoured with the way this magical book was written, and could happily immerse myself in writing like this for the rest of my life. The only (small) complaint I have is that I felt the relationship between Rene and Paloma wasn't sufficiently built throughout the book to convincingly convey the profound relationship they purport to have at the end of the novel. It is, however, a small complaint, and does little to detract from my love of the novel. Read this beautiful, beautiful book now!

[Michelle]

Your post about The Elegance of the Hedgehog flashed on the 50 books group page, and I was thrilled to see someone love the book as much as I do. It is beautifully written, and I became very emotionally involved with these characters. I typed up the passage where Paloma complains about how we don't pay attention to the niceties of grammar and gave it to my students--not sure I convinced them, but I gave it a try. Glad you enjoyed the book.

[Julie]

Elegance is definitely one of the best I've read this year. Completely agree with your review.

[P.]

Heather wrote: "25. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer-Patrick Süskind (4 stars)

Yay, I'm finally up to 25! I really enjoyed this peculiar little book. I'm not the most olfactory person ..."

I liked 'perfume' too. Grenouille was quite a strange antagonist.

[Heather]

I'm happy about all the wonderful comments on Elegance! It was such a beautiful book.

Perfume was like nothing I've ever read, Zee!

[Heather]

42. Trainspotting- Irvine Welsh (4.5 stars)

I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, and how unassumingly talented a writer Welsh really is. It's easy to be put off at first by the profusion of curse words and the difficulty of the phonetic Scottish brogue, but once you look past those elements you're presented with a fascinating, confronting, and tragic look into the everyday lives of drug addicts. The book is comprised of a number of short-stories documenting the trials and tribulations of a group of Irish friends, presented from the points of view of various group members. Welsh so effectively alters the tone and language/style of the chapters to represent the thought patterns and character traits of each narrator, that the reader is left with an extremely comprehensive understanding of each character and the motivations behind their actions. The resulting picture is so vivid (and likely, accurate) that one wonders just how much of a glimpse into this world he has.

This book was deservingly longlisted for the Booker prize, and apparently didn't make it to the shortlist due to "offending the sensibilities" of two female judges. I personally think this is a travesty, and am extremely happy that Welsh has received the subsequent praise and popularity that this book so thoroughly deserved.

[Heather]

43. The Turn of the Screw- Henry James (4 stars)

This was my first taste of Henry James, and I'll definitely be going back for more. Yes, yes, he's verbose, but don't you just love how he plays with language? I devoured each and every one of his sentences, and have moved A Portrait of a Lady to the top of my (HUGE!) to-read pile.

The story itself was excellent, and I was surprised by just how fast-paced it was (especially for a "classic"). It reminded me a lot of The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters, in both its tone and the ghosts-vs-insanity ambiguity, and the fact that Waters's novel was published only a few years back is testament to just how well James's story stands the test of time. I do agree with comments that the ending was quite obscure, but I thought it was a fitting end to quite an obscure book. Anyone after a short page-turner should definitely give this one a look!

Four weeks to read seven books! Time for the novellas to get their day in the sun :P

[Heather]

44. Utopian Man- Lisa Lang (3 stars)

I wanted to love this book, I really did. It had all the makings of a great novel- an interesting setting, a quirky protagonist, a beautiful dream, and many substantial hurdles, but it didn't at all deliver on its promise. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't AWFUL, but nothing infuriates me more than books which seem to be leading in particular directions but never quite get there, and this book does it like none other I've ever read. Without fail, EVERY SINGLE story arc that is introduced falls flat- the sultry widow & her effect on the protagonist's marriage, the impact of the Depression, the protagonist's work in the Gold fields, the effect of a character's drug addiction. Not one of the plot points (or characters) is given enough attention so as to leave the reader with a strong sense of who these people are and of the impact of the story arcs on their "lives", and thus we're left with wooden, 2-dimensional characters and seemingly irrelevant events. The end result is an overall feeling of dissatisfaction and frustration with the book, and the sense that you were a little ripped off by the author. I'm unsure whether this writing style is intentional or due to a lack of experience on the author's part, but as this is her first book I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. And it wasn't all bad- it's well-written, magical in places, and extremely easy to read. That said, I can't promise that I'll be rushing out to read any of her future works any time soon.

[Amanda]

I was stood outside Henry James' house in Rye earlier today :)