Month: November 2010

Categories
2010 Orange Prize Richard and Judy Book Club

The Wilding – Maria McCann

 Long listed for 2010 Orange Prize

Richard and Judy 2010 Winter Read

The Wilding is an atmospheric piece of historical fiction set in 17th century England. The book follows Jonathan Dymond, a young man who makes a living from helping neighbouring villagers to make cider. He leads a simple, happy life until one day his world is shattered by a mysterious note from his dying uncle. It suggests that secrets are hidden within the family and so Jonathan decides to investigate. Everyone is keen to guard their own secrets, but the truth is slowly revealed as the characters battle to claim the inheritance.

The Wilding was quick and easy to read, but the writing gave the book a period atmosphere that you don’t normally find in books this readable.

The book was well researched and I especially loved the details of the cider pressing. 

I loved the heady stink of fermentation – ‘apples and a little rot’, as the cottagers said – and the bright brown sweat that dripped from the murk  even before the screw was turned, the generous spirit of the apple that made the best cider of all. The villagers said ‘Good cider cures anything,’ and I agreed.

The mystery compelled me to read on, but when I finally discovered the twist I was quite disappointed. It wasn’t that I had already guessed the outcome, more that I found I didn’t really care about it. It wasn’t particularly clever and it gave an unfulfilling ending.

It also made me realise that I didn’t care about the characters. The more I analysed the book the more disappointed I became. I had been so distracted by the fast-paced plot that I hadn’t noticed that all the characters lacked depth.

Despite my criticisms I think this book will have wide appeal. Fans of The Thirteenth Tale or The Little Stranger will probably love it. It was an entertaining read, but I don’t think I’ll remember much about it in 6 months time.

Opinion is divided on this one:

It’s an utter mystery to me why this book has been longlisted for the Orange Prize. Vulpes Libres

 This isn’t a book for learning about the period so much as a book for those who want to live it themselves. The Worm Hole

…a plot that is made rather dull by the flat main character who delivers the story. Book Gazing

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Other

Why I prefer to read damaged books

Last night the Giller Prize winner was revealed as The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud. I love the Giller Prize, but unfortunately it normally takes a while for these Canadian books to make it across to the UK (Annabel will be the first from the short list to reach UK shores – in March 2011). I am used to waiting to read the Giller winner, but it seems that many people in Canada are upset about having to wait. The publisher, Gaspereau Press, is very small and initially only printed 800 copies of the book. Once it was short listed then Book Printing NYC started printing 1000 copies a week, but were unable to keep up with demand.  Gaspereau Press hand-make each copy to a high standard and are refusing to outsource production as this would lower the quality of the book. Publisher Andrew Steeves is ignoring demands to mass produce the book claiming:

The reader who is here today will be here in three weeks.

I admire his desire to make each of his books beautiful, but I think I’m one of the few book lovers who prefers scruffy books. For me the beauty is in the words and I don’t care if the copy I am reading is damaged. In fact I prefer it.

I love to look at well designed books, but I’m scared to read them. I hate damaging immaculate books and carefully reading a beautiful book is a little bit stressful for me. I far prefer to have a well-read paperback that I can throw in my bag, read in the bath and otherwise abuse. Guilt free.

Guilt Free Paperback

I am a bit odd in that I can never damage a book, but sometimes buy the roughest copy available as I know I’ll then be able to fully enjoy the words without worrying about opening the book too far and creasing the spine.

Am I the only one with this weird habit?

Would you prefer to wait for a beautiful book or just read the words now?

Categories
Other

Could a “Books by Mail” Service Save UK Libraries?

Photo: Peter Dreisiger, Flickr

A few weeks ago I posted about problems within the UK library system and how US libraries seemed to be coping well, despite similar budget problems.

One of the US initiatives I was particularly intrigued by was the “books by mail” service in which books are posted directly to your door. I initially thought that this was a luxury service only to be afforded by wealthy libraries, but after doing a bit of research I firmly believe that all libraries could achieve this service and it could be the key to boosting UK library usage.

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How does it work?

  1. The library user requests a book via the online library catalogue.
  2. The library posts the book directly to the home address of the user.
  3. When they have finished reading the book they can either return it through the post at their own expense or take it back to the library.

Why is it beneficial to the public?

Library opening hours are being reduced all the time and so it is increasingly hard for the public to get to the library, especially if they have a full time job during normal office hours.  Anything that makes life easier for busy people is good. It would be especially useful to those with mobility problems, but I think that everyone would love this service.

Why is it beneficial to libraries?

It would encourage more people to use the library.

The positive press would be fantastic. It would show that libraries are willing move with the times, listen to the needs of their customers and provide a fast, convenient service that is suitable for everyone.

It would mean that more people would love their library, creating a larger network of people willing to support it.

It allows libraries to direct-mail their customers, letting people know about future events or initiatives. Happy customers are more likely to respond to these mailings and so library events can grow.

Isn’t this service really expensive?

No!

With Royal Mail Packet post it costs £1.38 to send parcels with an average weight of under 500g. From my book-selling experience I would estimate that it would cost less than £1.50 an item – much less if people requested several books at the same time. I’m sure that a large number of people would be willing to pay a small fee for the convenience of having a book delivered to their door, but I’d like to see this service provided free to all.

This could be achieved by enabling advertisers to pay for fliers within the packages.

Another option would be to reduce the library opening times. If all books can be mailed straight to your door then there is less need for the library to be open all day. I’m sure most people would accept a small reduction in library opening hours to help to pay for this improved service.

Case Study

Burlington County Library introduced a “books by mail” service in June 2008. It has been so successful that the scheme has since been rolled out to several other neighbouring library systems.

How many packages do you send each day?

Since the project begain in 2008 the average is 38 packages per day, but over the last eight months this has increased to 48.

The largest per day total, in February 2010 was 60.

How much did you spend on supplies and postage last year?

$4081 on supplies (nylon bags, padded envelopes and labels)

$42,387.23 on postage 

That is $2.56 per package, or $1.09 per item.

How much time is devoted each day to the process?

An average of four staff hours per day is spent checking out and packaging.

I found these numbers very encouraging. It makes the system sound feasible and I’m going to see if my local library is receptive to starting up this scheme.

Do you think a “books by mail” service would work in the UK?

Would you be willing to pay for the convenience?

Would it encourage you to use the library more frequently?

A special thank you to Peter Bromberg from Princeton Public Library’s mail service  for persuading me that the Books by Mail service is a wonderful thing!

Categories
2009 2010 Books in Translation Chunkster Historical Fiction Other Prizes Recommended books

The Dark Side of Love – Rafik Schami

 Shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2010

Translated from the German by Anthea Bell

The Dark Side of Love is epic in every sense of the word.

  • The 850 pages are imposing.
  • The writing quality surpasses the ordinary.
  • The narrative encompasses an impressive period of time, following three generations as political change forces their lives in different directions.
  • There is a hero who battles against adversity, capturing your heart.

The Dark Side of Love is set in Syria and follows two feuding families from 1907 through to 1970. The central characters are Rana and Farid, a couple who fall in love, but are unable to be together due to the generations of hatred between their rival clans.

The gulf between the Mushtak and Shanin families was deep. Later, no one could say just how their hostility had begun, but even the children of both families were convinced that they would sooner make friends with the devil than one of the enemy clan.

The first 300 pages of this book were slow going. New characters seemed to be introduced on each page and I found it almost impossible to keep track of who everyone was. In the end I gave up trying to work it out and approached each chapter as if it were a short story. This worked really well and I found myself treated to numerous Syrian myths and legends. I found the details of their lives fascinating and so although I couldn’t tell you who half the people were I never lost interest in the book. It took me over two months to read the first 400 pages, but I’m pleased that I took the time to absorb their world as I think it made the second half of the book even better.

At the centre of the book the narrative became more conventional and the focus shifted to Farid. This increased the pace of the book and I managed to complete the second half in just two weeks. Farid finds himself in many terrible situations, both political and personal, but the lengths that he goes to to try to be with Rana are heartbreaking. Their love was so strong and realistic that this has become one of my favourite romances.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a happy book though – there is a lot of violence and suffering. I’d describe it as a cross between A Fine Balance and Palace Walk. The complex political and religious situations in Syria are woven with more personal stories of families trying to arrange favourable marriages for their children or find appropriate jobs. I learnt so much from reading this book, but I’m going to re-read it as I’m sure that would reveal many more layers.

This isn’t an easy read, but it is well worth the effort. I think it is a literary masterpiece and that everyone interested in Middle Eastern literature should ensure they read it.

Highly recommended. 

Categories
2010 Crime Richard and Judy Book Club

Sister – Rosamund Lupton

 Richard and Judy 2010 Winter Read

Sister is a fast paced mystery in which Beatrice tries to discover why her younger sister Tess has disappeared. The police think they’ve discovered what happened to Tess, but Beatrice knows her sister too well to believe their solution and sets out on her own dangerous hunt for the truth.

The majority of the book is written in the form of a letter from Beatrice to Tess. I found this writing style to be quite annoying – it didn’t flow very well in places and the continual ‘you’ and ‘your’ references felt odd, distancing me from the story.

I got into your bed. The polythene was flapping in the icy wind, the irregular inhuman noise as disturbing as the cold. Under your pillow were your pyjamas. They had the same smell as your dress. I hugged them, too cold and anxious to sleep. Somehow I must have done.

The pacing was very good and I was compelled to read on, but as the book progressed the plot became increasingly unrealistic. I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone, but the scientist in me didn’t like it.

I think that the book tried to combine too many elements (court case, police procedures, sibling psychology, scientific research, hospital procedures and a complex structure) and it didn’t quite work. As so many elements didn’t ring true the book as a whole was unsatisfying to read.

The structure of the book and the numerous talking points make this great for a book club discussion, but I think more people will be talking about the bits that irritated them than the parts they love.

Others seem to have enjoyed it more than I did:

The story is emotional, clever and extremely absorbing.  Bookstove

I really loved this book, and would urge anyone to read it. Petrona
 
Lupton hooks you by creating a creepy and unsettling atmosphere. Katie’s Book Blog
Categories
2010 Other Recommended books

The Best Books of 2010

This time last year I produced a list of my favourite books of 2009 . I found the comments really useful for highlighting some fantastic books that has passed me by and so I thought I’d repeat the process this year. I’ll produce a post with my favourite reads of 2010 at the end of the year, but here is a list of my favourite books published in 2010.

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…asks important questions about what makes us happy and the way we look after our children.

Room – Emma Donoghue

I will remember this book for the rest of my life.

Beside the Sea – Veronique Olmi

I loved the way my initial opinions were slowly changed, leading me to question the way I look at crime and how often the perpetrator is a victim too.

Rupture – Simon Lelic stars51

The astonishing twists were reminiscent of Fingersmith and I am sure I will remember this book for a very long time.

Stone’s Fall – Iain Pears stars51 (2010 paperback)

It captured my heart from the very first sentence.

The Wilderness – Samantha Harvey stars51 (2010 paperback)

The writing was impressive, managing to make me laugh out loud as often as I found myself thinking deeply about our society.

Generation A – Douglas Coupland stars51 (2010 paperback)

I felt as though I was part of the story.

The Book of Negroes – Lawrence Hill (2010 Paperback)

I could spend hours discussing it.

The Cuckoo Boy – Grant Gillespie

…it added a whole new dimension to the typical crime novel.

The City & The City – China Miéville (2010 paperback)

This book works on so many levels…

Skippy Dies – Paul Murray

…it is rich in period detail and the plot is gripping throughout.

The Harlot’s Progress: Yorkshire Molly – Peter Mottley

….an amusing, insightful and ultimately uplifting tale.

I Do Not Come To You By Chance – Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

If you have any interest in child birth then this is the book for you.

The Birth of Love – Joanna Kavenna

…one of the most original books I’ve ever read.

Bad Karma – David Safier

….a must-read for anyone interested in Hitler or the causes of WWII.

Young Hitler – Claus Hant

Note: Several of the books were published in hardback in 2009, but in paperback in 2010. I was torn about what to do about these books as I read half of them in 2009 and half in 2010. In the end I decided to include them all and have made a note beside the title.

Other books that I have heard wonderful things about, but haven’t managed to read yet:

Which is your favourite book published in 2010?

Are there any 2010 releases that you think I should squeeze in before the end of the year?