Month: September 2010

Categories
Book Prizes Other

The Guardian First Book Award 2010 Long List

Every year the Guardian award £10,000 to the best book written by a debut novelist. Past winners include Zadie Smith and Jonathan Safran Foer, so it is always interesting to see who will scoop the prize.

The 2010 long list has recently been announced. The five books in the running for best debut fiction are:

Mr Chartwell – Rebecca Hunt

Advances for literary debuts are quite rare, so the fact this book was bought at an auction as part of a two book deal for £100,000 makes it very intriguing to me. I’m not sure a book about Winston Churchill appeals, but the mysterious Mr Chartwell might well make up for that!

Boxer, Beetle – Ned Beauman

The literary genes are clearly strong in the Beauman family as this book is written by the son of Nicola Beauman, founder of Persephone Books. It is described as a dark, intelligent book and it’s packed with beetles. I’m really looking forward to reading it.


Things We Didn’t See Coming – Steven Amsterdam

Remember the millennium bug? Imagine if the world had collapsed with that clock change and you get the idea behind this book. Sounds like scary stuff!

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Your Presence is Requested at Suvanto – Maile Chapman

Set in a Finnish mental hospital this book is said to have parallels to The Bacchae, a Greek play. The comparison of civilisation versus savagery makes this sound like my sort of book.

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 Black Mamba Boy – Nadifa Mohamed

Based on the true story of the author’s father’s escape from Somalia in the 1930s, this book gives a fascinating insight into a period of history that isn’t very well known in the Western world. It was long listed for 2010 Orange Prize.

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I wasn’t a fan of Black Mamba Boy, but have heard wonderful things about Boxer, Beetle. The rest of the list are all new to me.

Having researched the books they all appeal to me, but I’m going to resist working my way through another long list. I’m hoping that others will let me know which ones I’m most likely to enjoy.

Have you read any of these books?

Which appeals to you most?

The short list will be announced at the end of October and the winner will be revealed at the beginning of December.

Categories
2010 Historical Fiction Non Fiction Recommended books

Young Hitler – Claus Hant

I have recently developed an interest in the psychology behind people who commit acts of evil and so I jumped at the chance to read this book.

Young Hitler is a non-fiction novel showing Hitler’s life as a teenager and young man through the eyes of his best friend.  This was a fantastic device as it allowed us to see his actions and hear his words, but never know exactly what was going through his mind. This meant that many of his actions were open to interpretation, allowing to reader to come to their own conclusions about Hilter’s motivations.

‘No, sir! I live in a world of ideas!’ retorted Dolferl.

‘A mask is an idea,’ countered Herr Maurer. ‘Think of it as an idea that allows you to say and do anything you want amongst strangers who are also posing as ideas. Therefore, everyone and everything is on an equal footing. I find masks allow for a greater exchange of ideas and … everything.’

‘I don’t need any mask to hide behind,’ declared Dorlferl.

‘Then find a mask instead that allows you to become more of who you are,’ replied Herr Maurer.

‘I have that already,’ said Dolferl, pointing to his face. ‘I say whatever I want to whomever I want. And I allow that person the privilege of looking me directly in the eye. And sometimes that, my gracious host, is the most effective mask of all.’

The book was very easy to read and became increasingly gripping as it progressed. I knew very little about Hitler’s early life and so found the details fascinating. It also taught me a bit more about the history of Germany leading up to WWII.

My only problem with this book was that it was a non-fiction novel and there were times, especially in the beginning, when it was more non-fiction than novel. The book was meticulously researched, even including 150 pages of appendices to validate the facts, but there were times when I felt that every tiny detail known about Hitler had to be included. These random details sometimes got in the way of the story and I felt that a few more of these facts should have been left in the appendices.

Overall this was a fascinating book. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Hitler or the causes of WWII, but I think that this insight into Hitler’s life will be of interest to a far wider audience.

Highly recommended.

Categories
2009 Richard and Judy Book Club

Waiting for Columbus – Thomas Trofimuk

 Richard and Judy 2010 Winter Reads

I had seen several people raving about this book and so when I saw Richard and Judy’s new book club selection it was the title that appealed to me most. Unfortunately I seem to be one of the few people who didn’t fall in love with Waiting for Columbus – it irritated me so much that I failed to finish it.

Waiting for Columbus is set in a mental asylum in Seville. It focuses on a man who was found floating on a plank of wood in the Straits of Gibraltar; claiming to be Christopher Columbus this man has an amazing knowledge of Columbus’s life, but also an awareness of modern day technology. Through an increasingly romantic relationship with his nurse, Consuela, the truth about this confused man is slowly revealed.

I’m afraid that this book irritated me from the very beginning. This passage from page 9 illustrates several of my problems:

“Get me a phone,” he snaps. “I want to make a call.”

“Pardon?”

“A phone damnit. Look, I am Columbus. Christopher Columbus. I know the queen, the queen and the king. They can vouch for me. I am to lead three ships across the Western Sea. We’ve got a deal, damnit! Just get them on the phone.”

I hated the way in which new technologies were combined with historical information. It just didn’t feel right to me. The book frequently described events in Columbus’s life, but constant references to the future meant that I never became immersed in the past. We learned snippets about life 500 years ago, but these were so brief and vague that they failed to hold my attention.

Columbus was a rude, unlikable character. There were many points in the book that I wanted to slap him, but as his relationship with Consuela developed I found it increasingly hard to read his words without throwing the book across the room.

“I have feelings for you, Mr. Columbus. Very strong feelings. Feelings so strong that if I let them out you would perhaps be frightened.”

“Nothing much scares me,” he says.

There was nothing romantic or subtle about this relationship and it drove me nuts. I just couldn’t bear to read any more and so I gave up at about the 100 page mark.

Thanks to the wonder of Twitter, @bookladysblog (who LOVED the book) explained the ending to me and while it made sense, I’m quite pleased that I gave up when I did as it isn’t the type of ending that excites me.

I seem to be in the minority in not enjoying this book, so please read all the other reviews before deciding whether or not this book is for you.

  (DNF)

Everyone else seems to love this book:

…. a read that will keep you breathless and leave you gasping for more. The Book Ladys Blog

…..a unique book that was enjoyable to read. S. Krishna’s Books

I did not want to stop reading. Sophisticated Dorkiness

 A unconventional, multi tiered tale of love, loss and redemption that will grab you and not let you go until the final pages…… A Bookworm’s World

Did you enjoy Waiting for Columbus?

Categories
Nobel Prize

The Elephant’s Journey – José Saramago

  Translated from the Portugese by Margaret Jull Costa

José Saramago won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1998

Blindness is one of my favourite books and so I was looking forward to reading José Saramago’s latest novel – especially as he sadly died in June this year and so this will have been the last book that he wrote.

The Elephant’s Journey is based upon the true story of an elephant who travelled from Lisbon to Vienna in 1551, after being given by the King of Portugal to the Hapsburg archduke as a wedding present. The book details the journey, showing the problems the convey faced and frequently meandering off into bizarre, brief asides.

As usual Saramago showed his sharp insight into the human condition and I found many snippets of wisdom within the pages.

The absence of curious onlookers and other witnesses could be explained by the extremely early hour and the secrecy that had shrouded the departure, although there was one exception, a royal carriage that set off in the direction of Lisbon as soon as elephant and company had disappeared around the first bend in the road. Inside were the king of portugal, dom joão the third, and his secretary of state, pêro de alcáçova carneiro, whom we may not see again, although perhaps we will, because life laughs at predictions and introduces words where we imagined silences, and sudden returns when we thought we would never see each other again.

The plot is almost non-existent, but as usual I loved Saramago’s writing style. The absence of punctuation took a few pages to get used to, but then I started to wonder why anyone bothers with it! I was a bit confused by the capitalisation of various words throughout the book. For example, Lisbon has a capital letter in the passage above, but doesn’t on other occasions. I’d love to know if there is any significance to this or if Saramago was just being random.

This book wasn’t as unique or thought provoking as many of his others and for this reason I recommend that you avoid The Elephant’s Journey until you have fallen in love with some of Saramago’s other books. But if you are already a massive fan then then I think you will find a lot to like in this simple fable.

Recommended.

Categories
2010

Forgetting Zoë – Ray Robinson

I accepted a copy of Forgetting Zoë for review because I’d seen Scott Pack rave about it on numerous occasions. I didn’t love it as much as he did, but am pleased that I read it.

Forgetting Zoë revolved around the abduction of Zoë, a ten-year-old girl. The first few chapters introduced us to Thurman, her captor, and went some way to explaining the mindset of a man about to imprison a girl. We were then introduced to Zoë as she was abducted and imprisoned in a converted nuclear bunker beneath a remote farm house in Arizona.

The book was told from the point-of view of Thurman, Zoë and Zoë’s family. It was fast paced and very well written, but the pace of the book meant that it lacked the emotional depth I’d expect from a book with this subject matter. The short chapters and continuing switch of view point meant that I never had long enough to really engage with any of the characters. This could be seen as a positive attribute as it meant that I never became distressed while reading it, but I found it strange to read such a dark subject without getting tears in my eyes.

The fear never subsided. Often mistaking the trickle of tears in her ears for insects Zoë would bat them away and then lick her fingers, half comforted by the taste of herself. These never-ending days below. Her memories were being eaten away by the silence and so she hummed to herself to remind her whose skin she was in.

It was interesting to read Zoë’s thoughts about her abduction and to see her reliance on her captor grow, but I’m afraid that I can’t say any more without spoiling the ending for you.

It is almost impossible to review this book without comparing it to Room, my favourite book of the year so far. The two books had very similar plots, the only real difference being that Room was narrated by the five-year-old child of the abducted woman. The main reason that I found Room so special was the innocence of the child, the way his mother protected him from the true horror of their situation and the fact he could actually find happiness with so little. Many people that read Room wished some of the book had been narrated by his mother. I never felt that, but if you did then I suspect that you’ll enjoy Forgetting Zoë.

Recommended to anyone looking for a fast paced, intelligent book about the lives of those affected by the abduction of a child, especially those who thought Room was overly sentimental.

Categories
Blogging Other

My Favourite New Book Blogs

Book Blogger Appreciation Week starts today!

The idea is to celebrate all the wonderful book blogs that are out there through a series of posts.

Today book bloggers are highlighting their favourite new blogs – so if you are interested in seeing which blogs others highlighted, take a look at Mr. Linky on the BBAW site.

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The Reading Ape

When I first discovered this blog I was convinced it was attached to a newspaper or some other professional publication. I was so impressed by the well researched articles and the intelligent reviews that I remained a lurker for a while, convinced that it would already be receiving hundreds of comments. I was therefore shocked to discover that this blog was brand new, run by a lone blogger and had a relatively small following. A blog of this quality deserves a far greater audience and so I urge you to take a look. I’m sure you’ll love it!

The Pink Sheep Cafe

There are so many blogs out there that I often confuse them, so it is quite unusual for me to discover a blog and instantly remember it. The Pink Sheep Cafe is an example of a very well branded blog. I love those pink sheep, but more importantly I love the humor in the thoughtful reviews. Robbie currently lives in Croatia and claims to like isolation, but I’d prefer it if his blog wasn’t so isolated. Go and take a look!

Park Benches & Bookends

Park Benches & Bookends is run by husband and wife, Jess and Chris. Both have a different taste in books and so the blog is a rich mixture of genres. They also include fantastic summaries of their visits to literary places of interest. I’m sure you’ll love it.

Lovely Treez Reads

Teresa has a very similar taste in books to me and always seems to be reading the books that I want to read; so if you like my blog you’re probably better off reading hers as she’ll get to the books months before I will!

Leeswammes’s Blog 

Judith’s blog has only been running for six months, but she has already made a name for herself by starting the wonderful Book Bloggers Abroad feature. She uses this to show how different blogging/book buying is in countries around the world by highlighting a different blogger each week. She lives in the Netherlands and reads a wide variety of fiction. I hope that you’ll decide to add her to your blog roll.

I could go on recommending blogs for a long time, but I wanted to limit it to five. There are lots of blogs that I love, but I felt that these most deserved a wider audience.

Happy BBAW!!!