2011 reading log

Caros

1. Triptych by Karin Slaughter

2. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

Caros

1. Triptych by Karin Slaughter

2. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

3. Full dark No stars by Stephen King

4. Dead Like you by Peter James

the west wing

I've read 'The Slap'. What did you think of it?

Caros

the west wing wrote: »

I've read 'The Slap'. What did you think of it?

Hi Westwing, having persevered to finish the book, I can say I enjoyed the start of it but kinda struggled to the end. I liked the way the author was able to give the perspective from all characters and whilst one may have had sympathy for a character at the start, by the time the book was finished that sympathy was diminishing.
I'd definitely read something else by Tsiolkas and see how I fared out with it.
What was you opinion on the Slap or maybe it's in your reading log? Will check it out

Caros

1. Triptych by Karin Slaughter (The last of Karin Slaughter's I've read, started last october with her latest release then genesis and loved it so much I tracked down all her books which unfortunately were read out of sequence! :rolleyes:)

2. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

3. Full dark No stars by Stephen King

4. Dead Like you by Peter James

5. Buried Alive by Jack A Kerley (Think I'll try more of this author!)

and trying to finish Freedom by Jonathan Frantzen - started before Xmas!)

the west wing

Caros wrote: »

Hi Westwing, having persevered to finish the book, I can say I enjoyed the start of it but kinda struggled to the end. I liked the way the author was able to give the perspective from all characters and whilst one may have had sympathy for a character at the start, by the time the book was finished that sympathy was diminishing.
I'd definitely read something else by Tsiolkas and see how I fared out with it.
What was you opinion on the Slap or maybe it's in your reading log? Will check it out

Hi

I had a similar experience with the book. There were many times I wanted to give up on the book, but I persevered. I felt the book should have actually been called '8 crazy people go to a bbq and witness a child being disciplined, but you are actually going to read about their desperate lives'. Not as catchy is it??;)

Maybe this is harsh but I had really high hopes for the book as I thought it was going to examine peoples feelings to physical discipline and it was going to feature each person wrestling with their beliefs. But that didn't happen and I felt I couldn't really relate to any of the characters.

I don't think I would read another book by Tsiolkas as I think his style is too sensationalist and trying a bit too hard to push boundaries and therefore making the characters too unrealistic.

Caros

6. Edge by Jeffrey Deaver -

When Washington D.C. police detective Ryan Kessler is targeted by Henry Loving, he and his family are immediately put under government protection. Loving is a ruthless "lifter", hired to extract information from his victims, and he will use whatever means necessary including kidnapping, torturing or killing their family.

Good thriller.


7. One Day by David Nicholls

This novel spans a couple of decades but takes place on a single date - 15 July, St Swithin's Day, destined to be the anniversary of several key events in the lives of the two principals. They are Emma Morley - spiky, non-U, from Yorkshire; and Dexter Mayhew, very confident, very handsome, large parental home in the Cotswolds.

Vague resonances of the Time Traveller's Wife here - quite enjoyed it as a holiday from my beloved thrillers.

8. Deeper than the Dead by Tami Hoag

California, 1985. Three children, running in the woods behind their school, stumble upon a partially buried female body, eyes and mouth glued shut. Close behind the children is their teacher, Anne Navarre, shocked by this discovery and heartbroken as she witnesses the end of their innocence.

Set in 1985 - no mobiles, no computers, criminal profiling is considered a kind of hocus pocus by most of the police force, quite enjoyed it but could have lived without the unlikely romance.

Caros

9, Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist

It was a beautiful winter's day. Anders, his wife and their feisty six-year-old, Maja, set out across the ice of the Swedish archipelago to visit the lighthouse on Gavasten. There was no one around, so they let her go on ahead. And she disappeared, seemingly into thin air, and was never found.

Two years later, Anders is a broken alcoholic, his life ruined. He returns to the archipelago, the home of his childhood and his family. But all he finds are Maja's toys and through the haze of memory, loss and alcohol, he realizes that someone - or something - is trying to communicate with him.

Soon enough, his return sets in motion a series of horrifying events which exposes a mysterious and troubling relationship between the inhabitants of the remote island and the sea.

Quite enjoyed thisso much so I bought another of his books today.

Caros

Ooops a while since I updated this!

10. Mistaken by Neil Jordan.

Mistake more like!!! 2/5

11. Faithful Place by Tana French

How many Irish colloqui-isms can be thrown in one page! Didn't like it! reminded me in parts of an episode of Mrs Brown's Boys! 2.5 out of 5. And that's just because it was marginally better than Mistaken above!

12. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Great book! 4.5/5

13. These Hidden Things by Heather Gudenkauf
Quite a good read 3.75/5

Caros

14. Hide by Lisa Gardner

3.75/5!

15. The Executioner by Chris Carter

wow!! 5/5!

donaghs

the west wing wrote: »

I don't think I would read another book by Tsiolkas as I think his style is too sensationalist and trying a bit too hard to push boundaries and therefore making the characters too unrealistic.

I'd have to agree with many reviewers of this. i don't read as much fiction as I used too, and my tolerance is much lower of books with early chapters that I struggle through. I just couldn't get into this book. I found the characters annoying, and hard to care about. Sorry to anyone who enjoyed it!:o

Out of interest, would anyone be able to do a quick "spoiler" synopsis of how things panned out in the end?

Caros

donaghs wrote: »

I'd have to agree with many reviewers of this. i don't read as much fiction as I used too, and my tolerance is much lower of books with early chapters that I struggle through. I just couldn't get into this book. I found the characters annoying, and hard to care about. Sorry to anyone who enjoyed it!:o

Out of interest, would anyone be able to do a quick "spoiler" synopsis of how things panned out in the end?

lmao!! You lazy git! What you need is a personal reader! The end is they all lived happily ever after!!! :D:D

Caros

16. The Thief of Time by John Boyne

Having only ever read his "Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" I think I was expecting something similar, not a bit though, but funnily enough I really enjoyed it. 4/5

Caros

17. Midnight by Stephen Leather

I thought this sounded promising and indeed it's first couple of chapters were ok but my final verdict is USELESS ENTIRELY!!!!

Caros

18. The Passage by Justin Cronin

What a book! Loved it, fantastic! One of those books you wanted to finish as soon as possible but didn't want to end! Definitely my "read of the year!" 5/5

Can't wait for the rest of this trilogy, next one due May 2012 by all accounts.

Caros

19. The Crucifix Killer by Chris Carter - gave his second book 5/5 , dunno about this his first book, maybe a 3.75/5

Caros

19. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.

Real page turner. 4.75/5

Caros

20. The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal.

Dunno what I can say about this - not one of my usual styles of reading material but I'll always try something different once anyway, a bit long winded but I did enjoy the part that covered WW2.

Now I can move onto George RR Martin's books which have been waiting patiently on my pile for a while now.

I must make a list of the cookery books I read too as they do take up some of my reading time!

Caros

21. A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

Fab, fab, fab!!!

Caros

22. A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin

-still loving it!

Was going to take a break and read something else from the ever growing pile of to reads but curiosity got the better of me last night after finishing the above and I've started A Storm of Swords - Steel & Snow.