Ivy's reading log

IvyTheTerrible

I decided to start one of these threads to keep a record of what I'm reading.

I just finished (31 May 2009) Mort by Terry Pratchett. It's the 4th book in the Discworld series, and while I found it funny I didn't enjoy it as much as the last three (I have come late to this series and am reading it for the first time).

I am now reading A prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Good so far, and not a mention of wrestling or Austria. Yay!

IvyTheTerrible

I eventually finished "A prayer for Owen Meany". I must say it was a disappointment, seeing as it got such good reviews everywhere. I found Owen Meany to be an obnoxious little creep that I just couldn't like, and I couldn't understand how everyone was so taken in by him; AND MUST ALL THE DIALOGUE BE IN CAPS??? I know it's not so we forget that Owen has a strange voice, as Irving mentions every other sentence (in between interminable lectures on Reagan's foreign policy, which I couldn't see the poin of). 300 pages shorter would have been much better. I couldn't recommend this book.

Now I am reading Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith. The 30 pages so far have been intriguing.

IvyTheTerrible

Strangers on a Train turned out to be an excellent psychological thriller. A study of the nature of guilt as well. Can't wait to watch the dvd too!

Then i read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet which is an epic story set in the middle ages in England about the building of a cathedral. I really enjoyed it and flew through the 1100 or so pages.

Now I am reading We need to talk about Ross by Paul Howard, the latest Ross O'Carroll-Kelly book. It's a bit of a departure from the previous novels, all the people in Ross's life talk about their relationships. Hilarious.

IvyTheTerrible

"Millenium" by Tom Holland. I loved "Rubicon" (his account of the fall of the Roman republic) and while this one isn't quite as gripping (it's a bit "all over the place" as he is covering European history around the first millenium, so goes from Byzantium, Holy Roman Empire, England, Vikings etc) but it is still impressive.
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IvyTheTerrible

Finished Millenium eventually, I really lost interest towards the end.

Finished "Sourcery" by Terry Pratchett. I liked it a lot, very funny.

Now reading "The Dead Souls" by Nikolai Gogol. Liking it a lot so far, very funny.

IvyTheTerrible

Just finished "The Drunkard's Walk: How randomness rules our lives" by Leonard Mlodonow. Great easy to read explanation of probability.

Now reading "Courageous Women" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the true story of a Somali woman who is forced into an arranged marriage, but manages to escape to Europe where she becomes a MP in the Dutch parliament and fights for the rights of Muslim women.

IvyTheTerrible

Ooh I haven't updated here in a long while.

Bad Science - Ben Goldacre: A great exposé of crappy science and how to recognise it in the media and elsewhere. I particularly enjoyed the entire chapter dedicated to "Dr" Gillian McKeith.

Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett: Sixth in the discworld series, this time focussing on the witches. I found it very clever.

Currently reading The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters: This is part of my attempt to read the Booker prize short list. Love the style so far and I think I will fly through it.

IvyTheTerrible

Just finished "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Steig Larsson.

Really excellent thriller and I liked the Lisbeth Salander character.

IvyTheTerrible

Pyramids - Terry Pratchett

While this was funny, I didn't find it AS funny as the other Discworld books I've read. I also found some of the story a bit confusing.

IvyTheTerrible

Decoding the heavens - Solving the mystery of the world's first computer: Jo Marchant

Excellent recounting of the true story of the Antikythera mechanism. It was found in 1900 in the wreck of a 2000 year old greek ship. Marchant describes in really lively detail the discovery of the mechanism, and the century it took to discover what it actually did. Very interesting; and I love the way Marchant tells the story.

IvyTheTerrible

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Schaefer and Annie Barrows

A lovely little novel, based in 1946. A collection of letters to Juliet Ashton from people living on Guernsey and about the occupation of the island by the Germans. Sad and happy in turn, it didn't take long to read and was very enjoyable.

If I had one quibble it was with the research, and this is something I've noticed recently. For example, a French nurse mentions that someone weighed 60 pounds. Now, French people hardly know what a pound is, and would always use kilos. But even if she was using pounds, with Guernsey being British, she would have said stones. I know it's not a big deal but these little things really take away from the "believeability" of books, and wouldn't be so difficult to find out with good editing.

IvyTheTerrible

The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett:
A novella about the Queen discovering a mobile library on the grounds of Buckingham palace, and her finding a love of reading. I read this in about 2 hours, but I thought it was quite deep, even being so short.

Rhino, what you did last summer - Paul Howard/Ross OCaroll Kelly:
I know a lot of people have said this formula is getting old, but I found this latest ROCK installment hilarious. I liked that he was taken out of his normal environment, and I particularly likedthe pastiche of The Hills/reality tv shows. (I really don't like the Ronan character though).

Guards! Guards! - Terry Pratchet:
Eigth book in the discworld series, this introduces Captain Vimes and the night watch. A dragon is summoned to Ankh Morpork and causes havok. Longer than the other discworld books I've read, this had me hooked from the start. Hilarious.

IvyTheTerrible

The Gates - John Connolly:

A book about an intelligent but maybe strange boy, who discovers that his neighbours have summoned a demon and opened a portal into hell (faciliated by the LHC at CERN - a nice touch). I really enjoyed this book, there was lots of suspense and great humour. The only jarring note was that the style was very very reminiscent of Terry Pratchett (footnotes and all), but maye that bothered me because I have just finished a Pratchett book.

IvyTheTerrible

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

I ordered this because it was on the Booker Prize shortlist and has since won the prize. It is the fictional retelling of a part of the life of Thomas Cromwell, who became very powerful during the reign of Henry VIII. I must say I was very disappointed with this book. I think that Mantel found a way to make a fascinating story very mundane and hard work to get through. I thought her style of writing was very awkward as well. If you want to read a good book about the era, I would recommend instead "The Six Wives of Henry VIII", non fiction, and moves at a faster pace!

IvyTheTerrible

Essays of Elia - Charles Lamb

I heard about this book as it was one of the books discussed in the book club in "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society", it sounded interesting and funny so I had to get my hands on it! This is a collection of essays written by Charles Lamb under the pseudonym Elia around 1820. I had never heard of Charles Lamb before but he had a sad and interesting life. He seemed to be heading for a normal life but his sister, who had severe mental illness, murdered their mother when Lamb was in his early 20's. Instead of letting her rot in a "lunatic asylum", he paid for her to be released, under the condition that he garuntee her safety and that of those around her. He ended up living with her for the rest of his life and having an active social life together. This collection is both poignant (an assay about his relationship with his "cousin" - actually about his sister - is very touching, and particalarly the essay about "dream children, where he imagines the children he might have had) and funny (I found the essay "On the treatment of bachelors by their married friends" hilarious). I'm absolutely delighted with this find and would recommend it.

IvyTheTerrible

The Girl who Played with Fire - Stieg Larson: The second book in the Millenium trilogy, this is another cracker. Really fast past, intelligent thriller and I love the Lisbeth Salander character, so feisty!

Strumpet City - James Plunkett: A classic of Irish literature, this is the story of the 1913 lockout in Dublin. I thought this was very thought provoking and quite a sad story. For anyone interested in socialism in Ireland, it's fascinating.

IvyTheTerrible

Eric/Faust - Terry Pratchett: A demonology hacker summons Rincewind from the dungeon dimensions. Quite a short Discworld book and to be quite honest I was disappointed. Not as funny as the other Discworld books I have read.

Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts: I could only get 300 pages in before abandoning this. It's the story of an Australian heroin addict and armed robber who escapes an Australian jail and ends up in India. There was the makings of a great adventure story in this but the adolescent philosophy, over-egged descriptions and the immense ego of the author just put me off. If you want a laugh, don't read this, read the 1 star reviews on Amazon. An example of a pseudo philosophical sentence: "The hole in my life that a father should've filled was a prairie of longing. In the loneliest hours of those hunted years, I wandered there, as hungry for a father's love as a cellblock full of sentenced men in the last hour of New Year's Eve". Like this crap? Then read Shantaram. Otherwise stay away.

Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution -Simon Schama. Quite an interesting history of the French revolution, I learned a lot, and I particularly enjoyed the anecdotes about different people's experiences during the revolution and Terror. However, I do have several gripes: the slowness of most of ...the writing. It took me a month to read. Schama also assumes you already have a fair bit of background knowledge. It seems biased towards the aristocrats. Also, the translation of some of the french phrases and not of others irritated me. I would recommend it though.

IvyTheTerrible

Moving Pictures - Terry Pratchett

A pastiche of Hollywood and all the craziness and greed surrounding it. I loved this, it was hilarious.

IvyTheTerrible

The girl who kicked the hornet's nest - Steig Larsson: Great finale to the Millenium trilogy, a real page turner, lots of suspense and all the loose ends are tied up. I would recommend it wholeheartedly (but only after you read the other two books!)

Tom Bedlam - George Hagen: A sort of modern Dickensian story spanning the Victorian era, about a boy who overcomes his poor upbringing and the desertion of his father. A fast-moving story, I enjoyed this.

IvyTheTerrible

Guns, Germs and Steel, by Jared Diamond: A very interesting non-fiction book, that addresses why it was that Europeans were the ones to conquer other parts of the world and not the other way around, looking at plant and animal domestication, disease, writing and technology to find answers. I liked his different way of looking at world history but I found it got repetitive towards the end.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke: A collection of short stories from the author of Jonathon Strange and Mr Norell. I LOVED these stories. Written in the style of Jane Austen but with more fantasy and "faeries", I flew through this. Great stuff.


Blacklands by Belinda Bauer: A chilling novel about a young boy who starts to write to an imprisoned serial killer in an attempt to find out where his uncle (abducted at the age of 12 but never found) is buried. I really enjoyed this book, I liked the way the author was able to change seamlessly between the perspect...ive of the boy to that of the killer. I was gripped by the suspense too. Not your run-of-the-mill crime novel. Recommended.

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The Partisan's Daughter - Louis deBernieres: Very disappointing. After really enjoying deBerniere's earlier novels, this was a letdown. Set in the seventies, the story of a bored 40 year old married man (married to what he terms repearedly and tiresomely as the "great white loaf") who strikes up a friendship with ...a beautiful Yugoslavian woman who he initially mistakes for a streetwalker. Neither of the characters were likeable, or particualarly realistic, they seemed to be cardboard cut-out cliches with which de Bernieres slaps his readers: the forty year old in a loveless marriage (aren't men who desire a younger woman always?) who knows nothing about modern music (deBernieres repeatedly has the main character listening to a song and saying things like "Oh I wouldn't have heard of the rolling what? Stones. Oh I must ask my cool daughter"), the beautiful and mysterious foreigner. I could go on but I'll spare you. Not recommended.

The Outcast – Sadie Jones: This is the story of a boy whose mother dies in tragic circumstances and how that changes his life and his relationship. At times this is a bit too “emo” for me but in general it is a nice portrait of how a bereavement affects a family.

IvyTheTerrible

If this is a man/The Truce: Primo Levi. If this is a man is the story of the author's year spent in Auschwitz. While horrifying and sad in many ways, what is beautiful about this book is that Levi never loses himself to hysterical judgments. He tells the story as it is, and we can find amazing humanity in the... most pitiful of incidents. The Truce is the story of his eventful return from Auschwitz to Italy, via Russia, Rumania, Hungary Austria and Germany. It is wonderful to see how Levi begins to see himself as a human being again, and to see the beauty of the world again. I would heartily recommend this to anyone.

IvyTheTerrible

Reaper Man - Terry Pratchett. Really liked this installment of the discworld series. Great satire on death, zombies and supermarkets.

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The Children's Book: AS Byatt: A booker prize shortlisted novel, this is the story of a bohemian family and their friends, relatives and liaisons during the Art Nouveau period. While Byatt's research is impressive, it sometimes feels like she is lecturing. Also it breaks the story. Also the not-very-interesting fairy stories that are interspersed throughout are tedious. I found the characters a bit one-dimensional, and characters that seem important in the first half of the book disappear without a good reason towards the end. On a positive note, the cover design is truly beautiful, so even if it bores you, this book will look very pretty on your shelf.

IvyTheTerrible

The Innocent Traitor:Alison Weir: I have already read The Six Wives of Henry VIII so I was interested to read some more of Weir's work, and decided to pick up this story of Jane Grey and how she got to the throne of England (albeit briefly). Unforunately I didn't realise it was a novel! While the story itself was fascinating, I felt that the dialogue was stilted, and the switching between characters in the first person was unconvincing. I will read more Weir but not her fiction.

IvyTheTerrible

Let the Great World Spin: Colm McCarthy: The story of many different people living in New York in 1974 linked together by a man who tight-rope-walked between the World Trade Centre towers. I think this is the best book I have read so far this year. I loved how the stories were linked, and McCarthy's imagery is just beautiful, particularly in the second half of the novel. Recommended.

IvyTheTerrible

The Stepford Wives - Ira Levin: A horror story about women's liberation in the 70's. Read it in 3 hours, this was very funny. Recommended.

IvyTheTerrible

The Periodic Table - Primo Levi: This is a collection of reminiscences and stories, each one based around a different element of the periodic table (Levi was a chemist). I just love the way Levi wrote, a mixture of moving humanity and humour. I learned a lot about life and about chemistry reading this. For me, Vanadium really stood out, as Levi encounters by chance a German he knew in Auschwitz. Beautiful.

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One Day - David Nicholls: After enjoying Starter for Ten by Nicholls, I decided to give this a go. It's the story of Emma and Dexter, who both graduated from college on July 14th 1988. We meet them on the same day every year for 20 years. It's light enough in places but i likes how Nicholls developed the main characters, how we see them mature and change over the years.

Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll: I read this as a young child but I was inspired to re-read it, with all the talk of the film etc. Just as good as I remembered it, a classic!

IvyTheTerrible

Witches Abroad -Terry Pratchett: Another cracker of a discworld novel. Great pastiche of foreign holidays and fairy tales. Very funny.

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The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield: A very so-so novel, it's the story of a disfunctional aristo family (centred around the strange twins). I think this is trying to be a sort of Wuthering Heights/Jane Eyre gothic mash-up but it really doesn't match up. It's hard to care about the characters, the writing is heavy and the plot twists are very stilted. This would be alright for a couple of hours beside the pool but not much more.