What Sho read in 2008
Created | Updated Dec 31, 2010
Updated on: 28th December 2008
Since it will make my PS too cluttered, and if I do it in a journal it will be broken up by bits of chat, I thought I'd keep a record here.
2007, 2008, 2009 and
2010 - here's what I'm currently reading.
I am currently reading:
Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv Sein Tod - Bastian Sick.
Started: 26th December 2007
Yes. It's a book about German grammar. It's fun.
Krabat - Ottfried Preußler.
Started: 10th November 2008
Just seen the film which was great, now reading the book, which is much better.
Flashman - George MacDonald Frasier.
Started: 27th December 2008
I read Tom Brown's schooldays again so I could make a start on these. They were recommended to me due to my penchant for things like Sharpe and Hornblower.
So far this year I have read:
- Stardust - Neil Gaiman.
Started: 15th December 2008
Finished: 27th December 2008
~I love the film. I think this is going to be even better.
~Turned out to be very different to the film, better in some ways, but much darker. I will now examine other books by him.
- The Lonley Men - Louis L'Amour.
Started: 15th December 2008
Finished: 23rd December 2008
~Another of the Sackett books - featuring William Tell Sackett, my favourite. - On Writing - Stephen King.
Started: 8th December 2008
Finished: 15th December 2008
~Good writing tips, apparently, and some autobiographical comments. I'm never going to be a writer, that makes me sad.
~One thing he does say: if you want to write you have to read. About 70~80 books a year. Hehehehe.
- Second Wind - Dick Francis.
Started: 29th November 2008
Finished: 15th December 2008
~Only the 2nd time I've read this one - I can't remember anything about it. Not one of his better efforts.
- An Infamous Army - Georgette Heyer.
Started: 18th November 2008
Finished: 8th December 2008
~About the battle of Waterloo mostly from the ladies' point of view.
~Most excellent - even given my passion for novels about those wars.
- The Sea for Breakfast - Lilian Beckwith.
Started: 22nd October 2008
Finished: 1st December 2008
I think this is the 2nd in a series about life in a croft but it's beautifully done. Puts me in mind of Monica Dickens.
- For Kicks - Dick Francis
Started: 19th November 2008
Finished: 28th November 2008
~Sid Halley in his second advanture. Always a winner.
- Bonecrack - Dick Francis
Started: 14th November 2008
Finished: 18th November 2008
~Brain candy. Not my favourite of his novels, but actually better than I remembered.
- Enquiry - Dick Francis
Started: 13th November 2008
Finished: 14th November 2008
~One of my favourites of his. Never disappoints.
- Seven Up - Janet Evanovich.
Started: 4th November 2008
Finished: 7th November 2008
~Guess what? Number 7 in the Stephanie Plum saga... hilarious in parts. Really, laugh out loud funny. So I'll be ordering the next one (2nd hand) soon.
- Redcoat - Bernard Cornwell.
Started: 25th October 2008
Finished: 31st October 2008
~Not part of a series (so far). It's about a British soldier during the American War of Independence.
~Actually I didn't find this one as good as a lot of his others, but that could be because it's not a subject I find particularly gripping. The Starbuck Chronicles are better.
- We've Got to Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver.
Started: 12th October 2008
Finished: 24th October 2008
~Picked up in a charity shop, I've heard a lot about this one, and I used to enjoy her Guardian column so I'll give it a go.
~Blimey, it's shocking! I worked out what had happened about 2/3 of the way through. But even so, it was still shocking when I got to the end.
- Snow - Orhan Pamuk.
Started: 18th September 2008
Finished: 23rd October 2008
~I've had this on my Wishlist since December 2007 - but when one of my colleagues told me he was reading it, and that it was most excellent, I thought I'd give it a go. The writing (even though I'm reading it in translation) is most excellent - however it was quite difficult to plough through some of it.
- The Poison Throne - Celine Kiernan.
Started: 18th October 2008
Finished: 20th October 2008
~It's the first of a trilogy but this has only just come out. The author sent me this one with a message to me written in the front in her own hand. Very proud to say she's a good friend of mine.
~I was totally petrified I wouldn't like this and not know what to say to Celine. As it happens I absolutely love it, and have written gushing fanmails. I'm expecting her to get a restraining order any day now!
- Galloway - Louis L'Amour.
Started: 2nd October 2008
Finished: 19th October 2008
~It's number 14 or so, but it was paired up with The Skyliners in one volume so I'm slapping down the OCD which makes me want to read them in order, so I can do this sensibly.
- Brrm! Brrm! - Clive James.
Started: 10th October 2008
Finished: 12th October 2008
~I hadn't realised Clive James had turned his hand to fiction. Thanks to h2g2 I knew about the Japanese author so frequently referenced in this. And how cheeky of Mr. James was it to reference himself? Highly amusing and good writing.
- Sword Song - Bernard Cornwell.
Started: 7th October 2008
Finished: 10th October 2008
~The middle of a trilogy, but not confusing. Typically solid writing from Cornwell.
- Dead Heat - Dick Francis
Started: 4th October 2008
Finished: 6th October 2008
~Written with his son, Felix, this one concerns a Michelin-starred chef. And mentions The Rammster a few times. Not bad, but not his best.
- The Skyliners - Louis L'Amour.
Started: 29th September 2008
Finished: 1st October 2008
~Galloway and Flagan Sackett this time. I think it's number 11 or 12.
- Hot Six - Janet Evanovich.
Started: 19th September 2008
Finished: 21st September 2008
~Guess which number this is in the series...
- The Sackett Brand - Louis L'amour.
Started: 14th September 2008
Finished: 18th September 2008
~Number 10 in the Sackett saga - my favourite character: William Tell Sackett. I love it especially because there are a whole bunch of Sacketts in this one.
- Monsieur Pamplemousse Hits The Headlines - Michael Bond.
Started: 14 September 2008
Finished: 17 September 2008
~Yes, he of Paddington Bear fame. An ex-policeman who writes for a restaurant guide, along with his bloodhound sidekick Pommes Frites.
- High Five - Janet Evanovitch.
Started: 10th September 2008
Finished: 14th September 2008
~Number 5 in the Stephanie Plum series.
- I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith.
Started: 8th September 2008
Finished: 13th September 2008
~A friendly hootooer sent this to me. I liked it right up to the end where I thought it rushed a bit. But it's most excellent, very reminiscent of Cold Comfort Farm in places and now I'm passing it on to my mum.
- Mojave Crossing - Louis L'amour.
Started: 1st September 2008
Finished: 9th September 2008
~Number 9 in the Sackett saga - my favourite character: William Tell Sackett.
- Four to Score - Janet Evanovitch.
Started: 5th September 2008
Finished: 7th September 2008
~umber 4 in the Stephanie Plum series.
- Three to Get Deadly - Janet Evanovitch.
Started: 30th August 2008
Finished: 5th September 2008
~Number 3 in the Stephanie Plum series - what the heck. I'm going to do them all as well.
- Tintenherz (Inkheart) - Cornelia Funke.
Started: 11th August 2008
Finished: 3rd September 2008
~totally Brilliant! I have to read the next two now...
~The first of a trilogy for young adults (or early teenagers I think) so far it's fascinating, and there's a film out in 2009. If it's as good as the film they made of Herr der Diebe (The Thief Lord) it will be most excellent.
- Sackett - Louis L'amour.
Started: 25th August 2008
Finished: 31st August 2008
~Number 8 in the Sackett saga. - Two for the Dough - Janet Evanovitch.
Started: 23rd August 2008
Finished: 29th August 2008
~Number 2 in the Stephanie Plum series. She's always a lot of fun.
- Lando - Louis L'Amour.
Started: 15th August 2008
Finished: 24th August 2008
The 7th of the Sackett Saga.
- Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Train - Michael Bond.
Started: 22nd August 2008
Finished: 22nd August 2008
~Yes, I read half on the way to the meet in Köln and I read the other half, bar 3 pages on the way back. The last 3 pages I read in bed. Hilarious stuff, and again I've decided that I have to read the whole series. Now I have to track them all down.
- The Daybreakers - Louis L'Amour.
Started: 6th August 2008
Finished: 14th August 2008
~The 6th of the 17 Sackett Books - the first time we meet Orin and Tyrel Sackett. Two of my favourites.
- The Tree Wakers - Keith Claire.
Started: 6th August 2008
Finished: 15th August 2008
~No idea what it's about but I've had it hanging around for more than a decade so it's about time I read it. (it's one of those I bought in the Great Post Gulf War Book Sale)
~hmmmm well it was strange. The plot was confusing, presumably with intent because the children who were to wake the trees were also confused. But I won't rule out reading another of his at some point.
- Breaking Dawn - Stefanie Meyer.
Started: 5th August 2008
Finished: 6th August 2008
~Well, I'm glad that foray into Teenage Vampire Lurve stories is over. I loved the vampires, adored the warewolves but Bella Swan makes me want to hurl!
- The Children of Hurin - JRR Tolkien.
Started: 3rd August 2008
Finished: 3rd August 2008
~Much easier to read as a novel than the Silmarillion, but not as all-encompasing. Excellent though, now I want to read the Unfinished Tales.
- Ride The River - Louis L'Amour.
Started: 31st July 2008
Finished: 4th August 2008
~There are 17 books about the Sackett Family. This is the Fifth one - it's set quite a lot later than the others, and is a bridge between the Elizabethan Sacketts and the Cowboy Sacketts. But it's a rollicking tale.
~It's about a girl!
- Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer.
Started: 31st July 2008
Finished: 2nd August 2008
~Ready for the next installment...
- The Last of the Mohicans - James Fenimore Cooper.
Started: 24th July 2008
Finished: 30th July 2008
~Brilliant. One of my favourite novels with two of my favourite heros.
- Jubal - Louis L'Amour.
Started: 15th July 2008
Finished: 30th July 2008
~There are 17 books about the Sackett Family. This is the fourth one.
- The Line of Beauty - Allan Hollinghurst.
Started: 18th July 2008
Finished: 23rd July 2008
~The writing seems excellent so far. It's about politicians and their crowd in the early 80s. There is plenty of mention of Mrs Thatcher and tories so far so I'm probably not going to read it at the blood donor session tomorrow.
~The excellence of the writing soon wore thin. And I wanted to slap just about all of the characters just about all of the time. I really don't know what the fuss is about. The Great Gay Novel? Not for me.
- Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert.
Started: 10th July 2008
Finished: 17th July 2008
~I read this (in French) yonks ago at school. Didn't understand a word. But after my recent foray into more modern French literature, I thought i'd give this a go. So far so good. If this isn't too pretentious - it reminds me a lot of Turgenev. But then, they were friends. Blimey, does that woman need a good slap!
~And again I'm relieved at the ending. Man oh man is it depressing what happens to the husband and daughter though.
- New Moon - Stephenie Meyer.
Yes, the 2nd Vampire book. Again. It has to be done.
Started: 2nd July 2008
Finished: 9th July 2008
~Bella is even more annoying than ever. Still love Edward, and definitely have inappropriate "feelings" for Jacob.
- The Warrior's Path - Louis L'Amour.
Started: 2nd July 2008
Finished: 14th July 2008
~There are 17 books about the Sackett Family. This is the third one.
- To The Far Blue Mountains - Louis L'Amour.
Started: 17th June 2008
Finished: 1st July 2008
There are 17 books about the Sackett Family. This is the second one.
- Suite Francaise - Irène Némirovsky.
Started: 22nd June 2008
Finished: 1st July 2008
~I read a review in the papers yonks ago and finally got around to buying this when I saw it mentioned on a blog I occasionally comment on.
~Totally beautiful, I wish I could have read it in the original. Made more tragic when you read her notes for the 3 stories she didn't finish.
- The Gunseller - Hugh Laurie.
Started: 17th June 2008
Finished: 21st June 2008
~I read the first page (in German) when one of the ladies I work with got a copy. It seemed very jolly so I got one too. But in English.
~It is laugh out loud funny in places, and (I'm aware that this is tantamount to treason on this website) much better writing than Douglas Adams without seeming to try hard at it. I'm still not entirely sure about the ending though.
- Sackett's Land - Louis L'Amour.
Started: 9th June 2008
Finished: 17th June 2008
~There are 17 books about the Sackett Family. This is about how the first one went to America and started it all off.
- Spring Snow - Yukio Mishima.
Started: 28th May 2008
Finished: 17th June 2008
~Recommended by a chimp. It's the first in a series about Japan in 1912. Well, it starts in 1912. The translation seems pretty good. I always worry about reading translations in case they're as rubbish as the old translations of things like War and Peace. (pfui - apparently use of ampersands is illegal!
~Very beautifully written - too much Bhuddist stuff in places for me, but very beautifully done. Although my request was for "unrequited love" and this was sort of requited. Even so, it was a beautifully written tragedy and I may try more.
- Twilight - Stephenie Meyer.
Started: 3rd June 2008
Finished: 8th June 2008
~Yes. Again. So sue me!
~It doesn't get better the more you read it. But I do like the idea of cold as marble, beautiful, brilliant, chuckling-Ed.
- Star of Danger - Marion Zimmer Bradley
Started: 27th May 2008
Finished: 4th June 2008
~well, her writing is patchy but I love the Darkover concept. And the way she wrote the novels willy nilly, sometimes filling in gaps, sometimes expanding on past or future.
- Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer.
Started: 26th May 2008
Finished: 27th May 2008
~The last of the Twilight series, so far (the next one is due in August). They are getting increasingly silly, the "heroine" is driving me mental and I want to know just how satisfied a flesh and blood bundle of female teenage hormones could be with the occasional tongueless snog. I know I wouldn't have been. Mind you, I wouldn't have put up with my boyfriend telling me what to do, where I could go and who I could see. Even so - I'm sure these books have a way of injecting crack into your eyeballs. I'm totally addicted!!
~Oh dear. Terrible. But... I'm sure I can write better than this, which was the object of the exercise in reading the first one. Now I just have to get back writing.
- The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger.
Started: 22nd May 2008
Finished: 24th May 2008
~Nothing to say. It is totally brilliant.
~The end made me a little sad.
- Hawkmistress! - Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Started: 18th May 2008
Finished: 22nd May 2008
~I wanted something a bit angst ridden after the beautiful teenage vampires. This was the best I could come up with.
~Not one of her best but it filled a gap.
- New Moon - Stephenie Meyer.
Started: 20th May 2008
Finished: 21st May 2008
~Well, the 2nd vampire book. All other books are laid aside until this is done. And then I'll pine until I get the 3rd one. Then I'll huff and puff until August and the 4th one is out...
~Beginning to regret whipping through this and the other so quickly becuse the next one will take a while to arrive. Quite clichéd I suppose, but I loved it. Very full of teen angst (a lot like the 5th Harry Potter). And I am definitely in love with Edward Cullen, although not as much in this as in the last. Jacob Black is another character I'd really like to get to know better. Roll on book 3...
- Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Started: 16th May 2008
Finished: 18th May 2008
~The first of a series about teenage vampires. Apparently they're going to be the new Harry Potter-type publishing phenomenon. The 4th is due out this summer and bookshops are planning to have midnight openings. We'll see.
~Cripes! I'm in lurve with a 17 year old vampire! (to be fair, he was born a hundred years ago, but even so!) I've ordered the next two, preorderd the 4th - out in August - and now can't wait for the film. Totally suckered! And another "I'm in love with a fictional character" to add to my list.
- Slam - Nick Hornby
Started: 13th May 2008
Finished: 16th May 2008
~Main character is a teenage skater. That's a skateboarder rather than an ice-skater. So far that's all I know.
~Having finished: the writing is brilliant, but it's 1st person which I'm not overly keen on. But I really think Hornby has captured the teenage boy's voice brilliantly
- Tom Brown's Schooldays - Thomas Hughes
Started: 6th May 2008
Finished: 13th May 2008
~I want to read the Flashman novels - recommended to me because of my attachment to Sharpe and Hornblower. So I thought I'd read the original. It's an ancient hardback, belonged to my grandad, so it has a sense of age.
~A lot more boring than I expected, and a lot less Flashman. But it jogged along nicely, and I've ticked off another "classic".
- Beggars Banquet - Ian Rankin
Started: 1st May 2008
Finished: 6th May 2008
~A collection of short stories. I'm still putting off the Tolkien for some reason I can't fathom.
~Not bad. But the early ones are a bit samey - once you anticipate there is going to be a twist, you spend the time working it out rather than enjoying the writing. But some good stuff in there, especially the Rebus ones
- The Visitor - Lee Child
Started: 28th April 2008
Finished: 1st May 2008
~I read his first "Jack Reacher" novel last year, recommended by my dad.
bought this with a book voucher he got for his birthday. I quite liked the character so I thought I'd give it a go.
~After finishing: I guessed early on 'whodunnit' and how they did it (although I didn't get the actual way the women were murdered but that doesn't normally bother me). Part of the novel is written from the POV of the killer and because I've used a similar technique in one of my NaNo novels it stood out a mile. Or maybe I'm just brilliant. The lead character, Reacher, is just too perfect, but... well it's a quick, entertaining read. And as it turned out, not too taxing on my pea brain. liked it so I may get some more of the series for him.
- Sourcery - Terry Pratchett.
Started: 25th April 2008
Finished: 28th April 2008
~Last one...
- Mort - Terry Pratchett.
Started: 20th April 2008
Finished: 24th April 2008
~This is number 4 of the 5 books I have...
- Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett.
Started: 15th April 2008
Finished: 19th April 2008
~I've decided to read all my Pratchett books before I get down and dirty with the elves. (I've only got 5 of them...)
- The Light Fantastic - Terry Pratchett.
Started: 9th April 2008
Finished: 15th April 2008
~It's my bedtime book. I want to concentrate fully on the Tolkien and not fall asleep in the middle of a sentence.
- The Return of the King - JRR Tolkien.
Started: 26th March 2008
Finished: 9th April 2008
~Well, I am expecting The Children of Hurin any day now so I'd better get a shift on with this. My least favourite of the "trilogy". But at least I get to read the Appendices which is fun.
~Having finished: I skipped the Appendices this time. I can't say that I like the last part, but amazingly I didn't think the whole Faramir/Éowyn in the Houses of Healing thing was all mushy and wishy washy, I thought it was quite sweet. Arghh! What's happening to me?
- 31 Songs - Nick Hornby.
Started: 24th March 2008
Finished: 6th April 2008
~Interesting.
~Having read it: hmmm. Not as interesting as I thought. But that could have something to do with the fact that I don't know a lot of the songs. It hasn't put me off him as a writer though. Slam will be next.
- The Crow Road - Iain Banks.
Started: 25th March 2008
Finished: 1st April 2008
~I saw it on TV yonks ago, and everyone is always going on about how the opening line is, like, the best opening line, like, ever, in a novel. So I thought I'd give it a spin.
~After finishing: fantastic! Took me a while to work out what was going on, but once I did (and even while I was confused) I thought it was brilliant. Mostly for the way he uses language.
- The Two Towers - JRR Tolkien.
Started: 27th February 2008
Finished: 25th March 2008
~Yes. I've finished the first book. Now I'm on the second. My favourite.
~There is nothing more to say about this that I haven't said a gazillion times. I think the whole Frodo/Sam thing is quite boring. But in this you not only have Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli but also Éomer too. Fantastic!
- The Bloody Sun - Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Started: 22nd March 2008
Finished: 24th March 2008
~I think her first (or one of the first) about Darkover. And I'm reading it because Die Blechtrommel is hurting my brain.
~Having read it: well I like this one because it's full of stuff I like. Telepathic aliens, dynasties, space-ships... I may have to read some more now.
- The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett.
Started: 16th March 2008
Finished: 18th March 2008
~ I read it yonks ago as part of my Mum's campaign to get everyone in the universe to read the Discworld books. Read it again in anticipation of watching the TV adaptation this Easter.
~ After finishing it: hmmmmmm. I love the cleverness of the writing and the little jokes. ESPECIALLY DEATH. But I'm not sure I could ever be such a huge fan as some other people I know. Definitely looking forward to the TV version though. If only so I can now say: "oh, it's just how I imagined it!" or "oh no, it's not like that in the book!" to annoy my Chef.
- John Peel - A life in music - Michael Heatley.
Started: 6th March 2008
Finished: 16th March 2008
~ I picked up a book about Bono but it bored me after half a page, so I'll try Peel instead. He was way cooler than Bono anyway.
~ After finishing it: what a disappointment! It turned into a book of lists of the John Peel sessions. Although it did take me back to my pre-A-level-disaster of listening to: Peter Powell, David Jensen, Anne Nightingale and John Peel as a background to doing (cough!) my prep every night in the Upper Sixth.
- The Wave - Morton Rhue.
Started: 8th March 2008
Finished: 9th March 2008
~ The film will be out soon so I thought I'd give it a go. Gruesome #1 is reading it too (but in German). It's based on a real high-school experiment to see how National Socialism grabbed hold of so many people. - Reflex - Dick Francis.
Started: 7th March 2008
Finished: 9th March 2008
~ It's about my 10th read - this is comfort reading. I like the way he writes his main characters, but his secondary characters are usually pretty brilliant too.
- The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
Started: 3rd March 2008
Finished: 5th March 2008
~ Fantastic writing, and hilarious. I couldn't put this down, read it in bed, instead of watching TV and at lunchtime at work. The only thing is the mental boss-woman rather reminded me of a previous boss of mine (no names, no pack drill) which was rather horrible!
- Eric Clapton - The autobiography
Started: 24th February 2008
Finished: 2nd March 2008
~ It could have used an editor. The last few chapters are more like his diary entries - as though he was writing a letter to someone he hasn't seen in a while. And he seems like, to be charitable, not the sort of guy I'd like to go to the pub with. I'm almost wishing I'd never bought it now.
- The Fellowship of the Ring - JRR Tolkien.
Started: 9th February 2008
Finished: 26th February 2008
~ I have the Unwin Paperbacks (these were bought in 1974) of Lord of the Rings which is in 3 books. They are nearly falling apart and I think that I'm going to try to fix them with sticky back plastic. Yikes! Anyway... I love this and I don't care that in places the writing is dire. Seen as a whole it's a fantastic, swash-buckling ride! - The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham.
Started: 7th February 2008
Finished: 12th February 2008
~ After finishing: I'd forgotten how gory and gruesome this was. And how depressing! I first read this aged around 13 or 14 and really the only scene I rememberd was the opening scene and the part where the triffid is driving a group of people down the street (a theme he doesn't explore enough, methinks). And of course, in common with a few books I've read Post Gruesomes: it makes me sad to think of what would happen to them.
- The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien.
Started: 3rd February 2008
Finished: 8th February 2008
~ The Children of Hurin is out in paperback in April. I have it pre-ordered. Up to then I will get my dose of elvish and hobbity goodness by reading some of his other works. Starting with this. Because I love it.
~ After finishing I can say: I still love it. Despite some wee inconsistencies with LOTR. And this year I am definitely going to read it to The Gruesome Twosome.
- Master and Commander - Patrick O'Brian.
Started: 30th December 2007
Finished: 5th February 2008
~ I've been warned that these are more "difficult" to read than the Hornblower books, but having read all the Hornblowers and all the Sharpes, I can hardly leave Aubrey out, now, can I?
~ After finishing I can say: nope. I won't be reading any more of these. The story was fine - although the fat Capt Aubrey is nothing like Russel Crowe - and the characters interesting. But there is no need for all that mizzenmast-topsailjib-staysail nonsense, was there?
- Killing Floor - Lee Child.
Started: 25th January 2008
Finished: 2nd February 2008
~ Apparently it's A Jack Reacher Novel - but I've never heard of him or the author. It seems to be quite well written, in the first person (I'm not a big fan of that) but I'm sure it will jog along nicely. Oh, it's a murder/thriller.
~ After finishing I can say: Quite by chance I saw a new one by him (in German) in town yesterday... however, much as this wasn't too bad, there was too much emphasis on how he had various sex with one of the lady characters, and a too blatant attempt to lead us up the garden path with one or two of the characters. So, although this was an OK novel. I won't go out of my way to try any more. Unless my dad gives me another of his to try.
- Don't Hassle the Hoff - the autobiography - David Hasselhoff.
Started: 21st January 2008
Finished: 25th January 2008
~ Don't ask. We bought this for a colleague at work as a sort of joke... well, it is a joke. He is so far up himself, but towards the end I kind of liked the guy. Referring to himself and his wife as "one of Hollywood's beautiful couples" and likening himself to "Lennon and McCartney" when writing a song, and mentioning that Linda McCartney took his wife aside so that they could "have a chat about how to live with a living legend" - all that stuff made my eyes water!
- Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons.
Started: 17th January 2008
Finished: 21st January 2008
~ One of those that everyone else seems to have read. It's very dated, but quite hilarious. Whatever was it that Aunt Ada Doom saw in the woodshed?!
- Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut.
Started: 10th January 2008
Finished: 17th January 2008
~ Well, what can I say? It was very strange. Not at all what I was expecting. But beautifully written. I might try another of his in the future.
- The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini.
Started: 31st December 2007
Finished: 5th January 2008
~ I had it on my wish-list for ages, so when I got a nice big voucher to buy books, it was first on the order form. Ideally I wanted to finish it before I see the film - but I've decided to give the film a miss. I had no idea what this was about, but it's completely tragic although there is the possibility that the end could be happy. Ish. Brilliantly written though, and I'll definitely look out more of his work.
- Humble Pie - Gordon Ramsay.
Started: 26th December 2007
Finished: 2nd January 2008
~ I bought this for my husband for Christmas, and the idea was that I'd wait for him to finish before reading it... but I couldn't. So the only vow I made to myself was that I wouldn't go ahead of him. Thank goodness it was the one thing he really wanted and he finished it earlier this evening. Well, what can I say? Ramsay uses the F-word about a gazillion times, and he's not afraid to blow his own trumpet. But so what? I think he is amazing, truly remarkable. And given his background remarkably sane. And I want to run away with him - that's OK, because my husband said, if I do, he's coming with me. That's alright then.
And I have officially given up on...
- The Doll's House - Evelyn Anthony.
Started: 1st November 2008
Officially gave up on: 3rd November 2008
~ I bought this so I can continue my collection of novels (or plays) with this name. It's a charity shop buy, thank goodness, because it's poop!
- The Water Babies - Charles Kingsley.
Started: 22nd September 2008
Officially gave up on: 22nd October 2008
~This is my bedtime book. I've had it for yonks and never read it. So far it seems a bit... twee.
~Gawdawful. Glad to see the back of it (got a third of the way through) - I suppose it's interesting as a Victorian Morality Tale but... ughhhh!
- Nothing Like the Sun - Anthony Burgess.
Started: 8th June 2008
Officially gave up on: 17th July 2008
~After the teen-lit vampires, I need something a bit more high-brow. Anthony Burgess does Shakespeare. I've read it before but I don't have a clue what I thought about it. Time to re-read, methinks.
- Moll Flanders - Daniel Defoe.
Started: 13th February 2008
Officially gave up on: 7th March 2008
~Just started but so far it seems fine. I can't believe I've never read this, and I've never seen the TV series they made of it.
Having given up: tedious, tedious, tedious. It got very boring very quickly. I didn't get half way through
