April 2005 Archives
A loan from Phil for the TGV/Eurostar home from Avignon, and greatly enjoyed. The book is a collection of Nick Hornby's monthly musings on what he books he buys to read and why, and which books he actually gets round to reading and what he thinks of them. A bit like this really! He doesn't go in too deep on the plot analysis or literary criticism fronts, which suited me fine. It was far more fascinating to read about why of the buying and reading.
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A Christmas gift from TJBR, purchased from my Wishlist, this is John Simpson's earliest-written autobiography, and the last one for me to read to get up-to-date with with what's available in paperback. Just the thing for a holiday 'blockbuster', it makes me what to re-read the subsequent books where he revisits some of the narrative in this one, which covers his childhood and first marriage, both of which provide interesting backdrop to his the early days of his career.
In the later chapters, John Simpson moves on to talk about his various roles at the BBC, and the world events on which he reported - ranging from the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first Gulf War and the massacres of Tiananmen Square, as well as some private travels, including the fascinating trip to the lapis lazuli mines in Afghanistan and an expedition up the Amazon to stay with the remote Ashaninica tribe.
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I tried, I really did. I even dipped in and out of some of the later chapters to try and find some narrative hook. But I failed. The book just came across as self-indulgent, pub punditry fuelled by far too many pints.
I'll leave it to Phil to read, it's his holiday reading after all!
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The first Tim Winton novel I've read that hasn't been set in Australia, and I'm still trying to work out whether the European setting for this novel affected my reading of it, or his writing of it. Full marks to the Barbican library for stocking it in any event, and luck that I spotted it in my pre-holiday library book selection spree.
It is very different from his other novels - I enjoyed it, but I don't think I fully appreciate the signficance of the title, or the scene in the novel it refers to, and within the book there were lots of unknowns and questions that remain unanswered when you reach the end.
One thing that has stayed with even after finishing the book is the way in which Tim Winton conveys the changing feelings and reactions the main character, Scully, as events unfold and his life unravels. From the excitement and apprehension of taking on a run down old cottage in a remote part of Ireland, to the frantic return to and flight from Greece and the increasingly surreal and unreal times in Paris and Amsterdam where the atmosphere becomes more claustrophobic and chaotic.
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Another easy read from Joanne Harris, and the first one I've read whilst in France where the novel is set. Timewise, the setting is the renassiance (although the feel is more middle ages) with the murder of King Henri IV throwing the tranquil world of the Abbey of Ste Marie de la Mer into chaos, and in particular that of the lead character Juliette, a former actress and rope dancer who had taken refuge in the convent to protect herself and her baby daughter after the betrayal of the troupe of travelling players she'd grown up in.
I have to agree with the Amazon reviewer who describes Joanne Harris's leading ladies as being as predictable as the Model-T [Ford].... and whatever else the reviews say, Joanne Harris is no Dorothy Dunnett.
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Another Kinsey Millhone whodunnit, hot on the heels of E is for Evidence (both picked up from the Barbican library), and the continuity holds up nicely. This time, Kinsey is out of town, staying in a seaside motel, working for its owners, a dysfunctional family whose son stands accused of a long ago murder, and who has been on the run ever since. Just the ticket for chilling out in chilly - nay wintry! - Avignon.
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Kinsey gets set up as the crim in this the fifth Kinsey Millhone mystery..... being set up with an unexpected deposit of $5000 into her usually threadbare account. And winds up having a couple of close shaves with homemade bombs and a psychotic killer.
Actually, this is more of a Thirties whodunnit than a Patricia Cornwell thriller-type mystery. I enjoy both, but Sue Grafton's style is nice and easy, and quick, to read. Especially when waiting for the Eurostar to Avignon!
Next stop, F is for Fugitive....
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A superior sort of 21st London-set chicklit, dealing with bereavement as well as boyfriends and bosses, and domestic violence and depression. The book doesn't patronise, pity or preach, and it doesn't try to pretend that Getting Over It is a quick business or something that affects everyone in similar ways. But it's not all deep and meaningful, and there are some great scenes..... I particularly enjoyed the one where Jasper's wicker furniture took its final flight.
Buy it: Amazon link
Ah, a lovely bit of frivolity after my recent spate of more worthy works.... and a delightful bit of light-hearted chicklit about two families who escape the rat race for the rural idyll.... and the tale of the friendship and business (ad)venture of the two wives/mothers that form the core of both.
Buy it: Amazon link