This weekend I am doing some major work behind the scenes on my blog. Many of the features/links won’t be working, so please bear with me while I tinker with things.
Hopefully I’ll have a lovely new, fully functioning site by Monday.
Wish me luck!
Can you guess the classic from it’s cover? The answers.
Last Saturday I challenged you to guess the classic from the pictures below. All are classics that we know and love, but did you guess which was which?
Here are the answers:
A – Wuthering Heights
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B – The Moonstone
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C – Bleak House
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D War and Peace
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E -Pride and Prejudice
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F – Frankenstein
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G – Treasure Island
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Congratulations to everyone who guessed a cover correctly – especially Claire who managed to guess Treasure Island!
Six Suspects – Vikas Swarup
I loved Q&A (the book the film Slumdog Millionaire is based on) and so was excited to find Vikas Swarup’s latest book in the library. Unfortunately Six Suspects isn’t quite as good as Q&A.
The title refers to the six people who are all discovered carrying a gun at a party in which Vicky Rai, the son of a high-profile Indian Minister, is shot. Through a series of short stories we see into the lives of these people, and their motives for killing Vicky Rai are revealed.
Some sections were really good, especially the story of the mobile phone thief who found a briefcase full of money, but this seemed too similar to the central character in Q&A, who also suddenly comes into a lot of money. It felt like the best sections from Q&A had been condensed and then repeated here.
There were many sections of the book which seemed unlikely, and it didn’t have to charm be able to pull it off. One of the characters gets kidnapped and this section in particular seemed very unrealistic. The book touches on some very difficult subjects, including suicide bombings and poverty, but I felt these were rushed over and so I failed to get an insight into the minds of these people. The fact that there were six central characters also meant that I didn’t really bond with them that well, as by the time I was getting to know them they were replaced with the next suspect. The sights and sounds of India were also not as present in this book as they should have been.
It is a light, easy read, and it’s 560 pages fly by, but I was disappointed by the ending, as although it is quite clever, it isn’t possible to work out who the murderer is, and that is what I love most about thrillers.
Overall, it was OK, but I recommend you read Q&A instead.
Did you enjoy reading Q&A?
I haven’t seen the film Q&A yet? Which did you prefer – the book or the film?
The best books of 2009…so far!
I would like to ensure I’ve read all the best books published in 2009 before the year ends, so I thought this half way point would be a great point to compare notes and make sure all the best books are in my sights.
Here is the list of my favourite books from 2009 so far:
The Wilderness – Samantha Harvey
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
The Ghosts of Eden – Andrew Sharp
The Thing Around Your Neck – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I’d also like to remind you that my favourite book of 2008 was published for the first time in America this year. If you haven’t read it yet then you really should – it is one of the few books ever to make me cry.
Random Acts of Heroic Love – Danny Scheinmann
I’ve also had the following books recommended to me, and plan to read them before the end of the year:
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Which has been your favourite book published in 2009?
Have you heard of any other ones which you are looking forward to reading?
Will any of my selections make it onto your list of 2009 favourites?
Fathers and Sons – Richard Madeley
I love Richard and Judy, as you’ve probably already guessed from the number of Richard and Judy books I’ve read! For those of you who don’t know, Richard and Judy are the UK equivalent of Oprah and have been on our screens for over 20 years now. I have been a fan ever since I was a child, and since the launch of their book club in 2006 I have read the majority of the books they’ve suggested.
Fathers and Sons is the true story of Richard’s family. Richard’s entertaining, chatty interview style transfers well to paper, and I connected well with all the people in the book. The book begins with the fascinating story of Richard’s Grandfather, who as a child woke one morning to discover that his parents had emigrated to Canada without him. The anecdotes were touching, at times almost unbelievable, and written with great skill and passion.
I found the more modern section of the book much less interesting, although this may be because I already knew most of it’s contents from being an avid viewer of their shows and from reading Richard and Judy: The Autobiography
Fathers and Sons is essential reading for all fans of Richard and Judy, but even if you aren’t a fan the first section about Richard’s Grandfather is fascinating.
I have read very few memoirs, but am beginning to think that this needs to change.
Can you recommend some good ones for me to start with?
June Summary and July Reading Plans
I completed 10 books in June, 2 short stories and I made it a little further through my ongoing projects, 2666 and The Tale of Genji. My favourite books this month were Out and The Ghosts of Eden.
I highly recommend them to you. I’m sure they will both be in my top 10 for the year.
A Secret Alchemy – Emma Darwin 
The Ghosts of Eden – Andrew Sharp 
The Fifth Child – Doris Lessing
The Master and Margarita – Mikhail Bulgakov
The Children’s Book – A. S. Byatt 
Bleeding Heart Square – Andrew Taylor
Short Stories
The Beautifull Cassandra – Jane Austen 
I’m still reading….
Plans for July
I don’t really have any plans for July! I’m just going to pick up whatever takes my fancy before I knuckle down to read the Booker list in August!
Have you read any of these books?
Do you agree with my ratings?
Do you have more exciting plans for July than me?
2666 – Roberto Bolaño. Part 2: The Part About Amalfitano
Steph and Claire are hosting a read-along for the highly acclaimed book, 2666, by Chilean author Roberto Bolaño. The novel is 900 pages long, and divided into 5 parts. We are reading one part a month, for the next five months.
Here are my thoughts on Part 2: The Part About Amalfitano
WARNING: SPOILERS
As the title suggests this section is all about Amalfitano, and other than the fact it is set in the town the critics visited searching for the German writer, it has little relation to Part 1.
Amalfitano is raising his daughter, Rosa, after Rosa’s mother, Lola has walked out on them. Amalfitano receives letters from Lola occasionally in which she tells him of her travels round Europe and her obsession with a Spanish poet. Lola eventually returns and confesses that she is dying of AIDS.
This part was much easier to read than Part 1, but it made me feel incredibly stupid. There were so many references to poets/philosophers/other people I’d never heard of that much of it went over my head. About half way through this section Amalfitano discovers a geometry book in his house that he has never seen before. He studies it for a while and then decides to hang it on the washing line:
…to see how it survives the assault of nature, to see how it survives this desert climate,
Why? I really didn’t understand. He then goes on to draw geometric shapes, with various people listed at the apexes. I have no idea why! Amalfitano’s attempts to explain it just confused me even more:
The B that appeared at the apex of the triangle superimposed on the rectangle could be God or the existence of God as derived from his essence.
By the time he lists the three columns of names I have decided that it is all beyond me, and so I’ll just ignore that until someone more knowledgeable than me explains it all.
As with part 1, this section contains numerous sexual and homophobic references and at one point Lola has sex in a cemetery. Again I found this all a bit weird. I find myself just shaking my head at this book. I just don’t seem to understand where it is coming from.
I really hope that it comes together soon, as it is all a bit weird for me.
Do you think you understand what the author is trying to achieve with this book?
Is it mystifying you, or are you really enjoying it?
Bleeding Heart Square – Andrew Taylor
I really enjoyed The American Boy
Bleeding Heart Square is set in London, just before the WWII. The central character is Lydia Langstone - she flees her abusive husband to live with her elderly father in Bleeding Heart Square. Soon the landlord starts to receive foul smelling hearts in the post, and Lydia sets out to investigate whether there is a link between the horrible parcels and the landlord’s missing lover, Miss Penhow.
Period atmosphere is present throughout, and the book is very well researched, but I found it slow in several sections. The begining and end were perfectly written, but there were many points in the middle sections where my mind started wondering. I loved Lydia, but found many of the side characters blended in to one another, as they weren’t vivid enough to picture as individuals.
The mystery was cleverly written, but I did guess the twist in the end, which is perhaps why I am scoring this book a bit lower than I otherwise would.
It is a nice, light thriller though, so may be worth picking up if you’re looking for something with a bit of Gothic atmosphere.
Andrew Taylor is highly thought of in the crime writing world, and has won the CWA John Creasey Award, an Edgar Scroll and two CWA Ellis Peters Historical Daggers. I was surprised to learn that he has written more than 25 books.
Have you read any of his books? Which one is your favourite?
The Tale of Genji: Chapters 10 – 13
Matthew is hosting a read along for The Tale of Genji. This week I have read chapters 10 – 13. I am finally getting used to reading The Tale of Genji. I have established a pattern for reading, which first involves reading a summary of each chapter, so I have a rough idea of what is going on. I then read the chapter, going back to read the footnotes at the end.
I have also found this summary of The Tale of Genji, where each chapter is represented in the form of a painting. I can almost say that I am enjoying reading the book now!
Genji is still sleeping with every woman in sight, but we are also beginning to get a bigger picture of what life was like for them, and a feeling that not everyone is happy he is sleeping around!
Chapter 10
Genji’s father dies and everyone is stricken with grief.
It goes without saying that everyone was profoundly moved to see Genji, the most brilliant presence among all his father’s Princes, so devotedly perform the memorial rites. His beauty was perfect even in drab mourning.
Kokiden’s son becomes the Suzaku Emperor. Genji is then caught sleeping with Oborozukiyo again and so Kokiden decides to plot his downfall.
She could not have Genji pointedly mocking and belittling her by brazenly invading her house while she herself was at home, so nearby, and this gave her a fine reason to set in train the measures to accomplish his downfall.
Chapter 11
Genji has an affair with Reikeiden and her sister Hanachirusato.
Chapter 12
Genji feels the “mounting unpleasantness” after being caught sleeping with Oborozukiyo and so decides to travel to Suma. On the way he visits his father-in-law and he spends some time with his young son, Yugiri, who makes him cry. While he is away he write love letters to all the women but Murasaki is the one he misses most.
Chapter 13
A storm brews and Genji is miserable in Suma. He dreams of his father, who instructs him to leave Suma. Genji impregnates the Akashi lady. The Emperor summons Genji and he is reunited with Murasaki.
Can you guess the classic from it’s cover?
The pictures below are all covers of classics that we know and love, but can you guess which is which?
You should know all of the books, but the covers get more obscure as you go down the list.
I’ll give you the answers next Friday, and a few clues along the way if no-one can is getting close.
Answers now available here.
It’s just for fun, but GOOD LUCK!
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
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This week all the Weekly Geeks are creating quizzes, so if you’d like to challenge your brain visit the other Weekly Geeks.
