BABBLING BOOKS

Kilgore Trout · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:01 am Post subject:

I'm assuming audio books count on here?? I spend a lot of time driving, so consequently I listen to a lot of audio books too!

I have just finished Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. I really enjoyed it! I had no idea what it was about when I got it (it was recommended). It is narrated by Lenny Henry, which at first I thought was an odd choice, but everything soon became clear.
The book contains lots of fantastic and very funny West Indian characters with thick accents, which Lenny Henry does particularly well! I think if anyone else had done this accent may have raised a few eyebrows. The story itself was very entertaining, another Neil Gaiman "grown-up fairytale", but for me it was Lenny Henry's brilliant narration that made it so enjoyable.

_________________
2008 '1001 Challenge' Books: 9

jobar · Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:58 am Post subject:

My March reads:

Second Glance ~ Jodi Picoult ...disappointed with this one, and didn't finish it...

Pies and Prejudice : In Search of the North ~ Stuart Maconie..10/10.. a little taste of home..

The Girl in the Green Glass Mirror ~ Elizabeth McGregor 9/10..this was a great read combined a wonderful art story with a love story..

Over ~ Margaret Forster...8/10..Sparsely written and quite a sad tale of bereavement and loss..

Notes from an Exhibition ~Patrick Gale..10/10..an enthralling family saga, enjoyed it..

The Point of Rescue ~Sophie Hannah...8/10 ..an ok read but not as good as her previous books

Lord John and the hand of Devils ~Diana Gabaldon..10/10..love this author,a set of three short stories

Dissolution ~CJ Sansom...10/10 ..I loved this and can't wait to read the next book

Sarah's Key ~ Tatiana de Rosnay..10/10..my book of the month

Born to Run ~ Michale Morpurgo...10/10...wonderful story about love, loss and friendship

The Notebook ~ Nicholas Sparks..9/10..a quick but enjoyable read

Garden Spells ~ Sarah Addison Allen..10/10...enjoyed this magical tale

Madame Serpent ~ Jean Plaidy.. 8/10 ..This starts the Medici trilogy,intigue and poison at the French court.

heathera · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:33 am Post subject:

I only read three books this month

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - 3.5/5 I wasn't overly impressed with this one. I liked the story outline, but it didn't live up to expectation for me.

Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay - 5/5 I loved this, can't wait for the author's chat.

A Quiet Belief in Angel - R.J Ellory - 3/5. I found this to be ok but not great, too slow in pace for me and I got bored at times.

I've just started 1984 - George Orwell. I wanted this to be March's 1001 book challenge read for me, but I guess it's slipped into April....

_________________
Currently Reading:

The Moonlit Cage - Linda Holeman

1001 Book Challenge:
2009 - 4
2008 - 14
Books Available for Swapping on RISI

willie96 · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:05 pm Post subject:

My March reads were:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time – Mark Haddon (7/10)
Flashman - George MacDonald Fraser (7/10)
The Thirteenth Tale – Dianne Setterfield (6/10)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – Jules Verne (7/10).
_________________
Currently reading: Adept
Please have a look at my swap list here or here.

annecater · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:46 pm Post subject:

My March reads were:

Bold As Love by Gwyneth Jones - this was recommended to me by a friend, it's her favourite book of all time. I quite enjoyed the story, but it really is not my kind of book

The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing - My first Lessing book. I wonder why I've never read any of her work before, it was excellently written. A short, but quite disturbing story. I have a few more of hers on my TBR now.

Death of a Murderer by Robert Thompson - An easy enough read, but really not what I was expecting. I think the publishers have played on the Myra Hindley link when marketing this book. The main character was not very likeable and by the end I wasnt really bothered about what happened to him.

Silk by Alessandro Baricco - For my 1001 Books To Read Before You Die challenge. A very short but excellent story. Quite erotic in places.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana deRosney - What a fantastic book! Dual narrative set in present time and during the war in Paris. Haunting and so emotional. It made me feel very guilty at times that I was unaware of some of the events during the war. At times it left me almost breathless, anticipating what would happen next. Would recommend this to all.

Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde - I really enjoyed this read, far preferred it to Love In The Present Tense. Typically American in places but a lovely read. I want to re-watch the film now, as I am sure that loads of the book was changed.

Rebuilding Coventry by Sue Townsend - Another short novel. I much prefer Sue Townsends 'other' books, rather than the Adrian Mole series. A strange and quirky little tale about a woman who kills her neighbour with an Action Man doll and then goes on the run. Very funny in places but also some very sad parts.

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult - Jodi's latest release, which I had been looking forward to so much. I've reviewed this one in 'Book Review' section. I really enjoyed it, I didnt think it was her best, but it's a good read which throws up alot of questions - would make a great Book Group read as their is loads to discuss.

Puppet Master by Joanne Owen - An advance readers copy of a young adult's novel due to be released in May this year. I usually enjoy young adult books, but this one was not really for me. I did enjoy the parts about Prague but the puppet master/circus parts just left me cold.

The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carsan McCullers - A collection of short stories set in the American South. The title story is excellently written - quite dark and mysterious, but with humour too.

The Devil In The Kitchen: The Autobiography by Marco Pierre White - This was a really good read, he is honest about his failings and his shortfalls. Very interesting look at what goes on in Michelen starred kitchens.

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters - The Leeds Book Group choice. This has been on my shelf for ages, in fact I took it to Crete last year, read the first couple of pages and brought it back again. I loved it and gave it 5 stars. I really enjoyed the descriptions of war time Britain and the unusual back to front way the story is told. I will definitely be trying more of her books.

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan - I keep trying this author, I dont know why because I really dont enjoy his books. Spotted this one in a charity shop so thought I'd give it a go. I'm pleased it is only a short novel! It is well written but I just found the whole story quite boring and didnt get the point!

A Quiet Belief in Angels by RJ Ellory - Babbling Books book of the month read. I admit I struggled with the first couple of chapters but I was soon swept away by this book. I really wouldnt class it as a thriller though, although there are murders in the story. I think it is more a coming-of-age story and describes how events in early life affect adult-hood. Another one that I gave 5 stars to, I'm looking forward to reading his other book on my TBR.

Take A Look At Me Now by Anita Notaro - I really loved this. Anita Notaro is another of those really talented Irish female authors - along the lines of Marian Keyes and Patricia Scanlan. Not chick lit at all, a great story with likeable and believeable characters.

Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen - I wasnt that impressed by this book. I dont know whether it's because I spent 10 years working in a high security mental hospital, maybe I've become numb to this sort of story as I've actually witnessed it first hand. I'd like to see the film though, to see what they did with the book.
_________________
Currently reading: The Tent The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy and Granny The Pag by Nina Bawden

1001 Challenge Books read in 2009 - 3
1001 Challenge Books read in 2008 - 8
1001 Challenge Books read in 2007 - 13

eightlegs · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:17 pm Post subject:

Done quite well again this month (for me!), I've read 5 and nearly all of them great:

Random acts of heroic love – Danny Scheinmann - enjoyed this, comments in current choices 8/10

The Highest Tide – Jim Lynch - some lovely descriptions of sea life in this but the story didn't grab me 6/10

The Observations – Jane Harris - loved this book, reminded me of The Fingersmith in some ways 9/10

Wide Sargasso Sea – Jean Rhys - a good book, lots of bits left open to your own interpretation 8/10

The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini - really liked this one too, 9/10

Sarah’s Key – Tatania de Rosnay - another great read, harrowing in parts because it's about a tradgedy caused by the Holocaust but a great read 9/10

blueflower · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:30 pm Post subject:

The Handmaids Tale – Margaret Atwood. 10/10

This is my 10001 read for March. Excellent book and a bit scary. In a ages were most women have there own bank account it quite frightening that ‘they’ could start to control us by freezing all bank accounts held by females and making it illegal to employ women in one fell swoop. (I knew the best place for money was in the mattress).

Company of

s – Karen Maitland 10/10

1348 and England is in the midst of a period of what we would now call global warming – a fifty year period when the climate changes so drastically that the Pope ordered special prayers to be said daily in the churches. From midsummer to Christmas Day it rained everyday. Three types of plaque was rampaging through Europe and now England and it wasn’t only humans who died but animals too and as many people died from starvation as the plague. And we think its bad in 2008!

It is in this historical background that Camelot and a band of travellers from the South try to outrun the plague by heading North. But each of the travellers has a secret and a rather unpleasant child who is travelling with them forces them to reveal the secrets, whatever the cost

Excellent book both for the history and the story, although you can usual guess what the secrets are before they are revealed to the other travellers it doesn’t harm the story.

The Sea Lady - Margaret Drabble 2/10 (for first chapters)

I quite like the first few chapters but it went down hill and I didn’t finish it. It does have quite good reviews on Amazon so I was expecting better even though BB readers weren’t too kind about it!

Daniela-26 · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:57 am Post subject:

It's been a bit of a slow month for me but here's what I read in March:

Hallam Foe by Peter Jinks 4/5
I Corriander by Sally Gardner 3/5
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse 3/5
Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Shiennman(sp?!) 5/5
The Eyre Affair by Jasper FForde 5/5

Random Acts was my favourite though!
_________________
Reading: The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho
2009 '1001 Challenge':

seanat · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:09 am Post subject:

The Gallows Girl by Melanie Gifford .......6/10

E-Luv; An Internet Romance by Dave Roberts ....7/10

Fried Green Tomatoes at the whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg..... 8/10

Sister Of My Heart by Chitra Ban Divakaruni ......6/10

The Shakespeare Secret by J.L.Carrell .....6/10

Me & the Fat Man by Julie Myerson .....8/10

Astrid & Veronica by Linda Olsson .....6/10

Sleep of Death by Philip Gooden .....4/10

Lottery by Patricia Wood ...8/10

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin .....7/10

Incendiary by Chris Cleave ....7/10

Naked In Death by JD Robb .....gave up, didn't really care.

A Matter of Life and Death by Andrey Kurkov .....6/10

Cage of Stars by Jacqueline Mitchard ....7/10

Silk by Alessandro Baricco ....7/10

The Mermaid's Child by Jo Baker ....7/10

Sugar Rush by Julie Birchill .....5/10

Life of Pi by Yann Martel .......9/10 - excellent unusual book,.

Where There's Smoke by Simon Beckett .....6/10

The Attack by Yasmina Khadra ......10/10!!! - recommend this.

The Delivery Room by Sylvia Brownrigg .....8/10

The Cypriot by Andreas Koumi ....710

My Swaps

Tigerlily · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:22 am Post subject:

Books I read in March:

Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann - 4/5

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - 4/5

A Quiet Belief in Angels by R. J. Ellory - 5/5

My favourite is A Quiet Belief in Angels - will comment further in main forum.
_________________
Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10

lovely treez · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:06 pm Post subject:

Unintentionally I had a very balanced reading month, beginning and ending with a Bronte theme with some real gems in between.

The Bronte Project - Jennifer Vandever - 7/10 - not a bad read with some snippets of brilliance. I felt very conscious of the author's desire to attract more literary readers by peppering a chick lit story with Bronte references.

The Fiction Class - Susan Breen (proof copy for review) 7.5/10 - Arabella Hicks, a creative writing lecturer embarks on a new term of teaching and alongside her interaction with her new students we witness her difficult relationship with her mother, Vera, who is nearing the end of her days in a nursing home. A very readable, entertaining story although the writing class structure irritated me at times.

The Eight - Katherine Neville - 8/10 - I think preceded the Da Vinci Code although perhaps the chess theme didn't have the same glamorous appeal as Da Vinci? It's a great romp of a tale taking us through 1790's and the French Revolution, Moorish times as well as the more modern 1970s setting. The inclusion of so many real life characters who just happen to cross the paths of our leading characters does seem a bit far fetched but Mme de Stael, Robespierre, Bonaparte, Danton, Wordsworth, Blake and Catherine the Great do add colour to this tale.

I Coriander - Sally Gardner - 9/10 - YA/Children's novel which follows the story of Coriander and her life in London during the reign of Oliver Cromwell. Her mother is suspected of being a sorceress and Coriander doesn't have an easy time of it with Cromwell in power. I loved this magical, historical tale and must look out for more by this author.

Lottery - Patricia Wood - 8/10 - charming tale of Perry who's won the lottery and is suddenly very popular indeed having previously been neglected by his grasping family.

The Shakespeare Secret - J L Carrell - 7/10 - I was disappointed with this novel, it had the potential to be so good but it scored very poorly for me on the thrillometer. I much preferred the Da Vinci Code.

The Monsters of Templeton - Lauren Groff 9.5/10 - I loved this quirky first novel full to the brim with memorable charcters from both past and present. A great coming home story. I look forward to reading more by this author.

A Dark Dividing - Sarah Rayne - 9/10 An excellent thriller, extremely written. I am in awe of how skillfully the author juggled four different time frames. There's a hint of the supernatural, a gothic feel to this with the telepathy between twins - in this case conjoined twins. For once I was impressed with both the historical and contemporary storylines and how they intertwined. I'm on the look-out for more by Sarah Rayne.

The Welsh Girl - Peter Ho Davies - 7.5/10 - a well written story but perhaps a bit over laboured in parts and there seemed to be an overall sense of lack of focus or meandering between 3 different tales. The author has written some beautiful passages but it all seems structurally fragmented.

Dark Quartet - the Story of the Brontes - Lynne Reid Banks 9.5/10 - written in the 70s (I think) this is a biographical account of the four Bronte siblings. It is a gripping, well written story which manages to paint a convincing picture of each sibling which I found refreshing as I probably knew more about Charlotte at the expense of the others. I gather that the author has probably filled in a lot of blanks in our knowledge of the Brontes, a la Philippa Gregory, but I'm keen to read some other biographies on this subject.

<- smiley at special request of my daughter who is sitting on my knee and wants to go on Cbeebies site...
__________________
_________________
Currently reading - The Italian Boy - Murder and Grave Robbery in 1830s London - Sarah Wise

Amie · Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:44 pm Post subject:

I've had a good month, 20 books:

As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner 3/5 A family take their dead mother back to her hometown to be buried. Nothing was explained and it was very confusing, the story jumped around chronologically and from different perspectives. Nothing much happened. I loved The Sound and the Fury, but this didn't really grab me.

The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory 4/5 I enjoyed it, although the history was very sloppy, I think that basic facts such as Mary being the eldest should have been got right. It was a good story though.

The Hours - Michael Cunningham 4/5 A day in the lives of three women, all influenced by Virginia Woolf. It was surprisingly packed for such a short book, although the twists and turns were quite predictable.

To The Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf About a family on holiday at the seaside. I found it quite whimsical and hard to follow, I think there were some deep truths hidden in it that I wasn't really in the mood to search for. I can see why it's considered a classic but it's not really for me, I'm not inspired to read more by her.

Random Acts of Heroic Love - Danny Scheinman 4/5 I enjoyed it, it was a nice quick easy read and I loved the maps - I'm sick of books assuming I know the local geography. I preferred the Moritz story though.

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell 4/5 I loved this. I really liked the style, with the six short stories split in half. I found his ideas of a dystopian then post apocalyptic world interesting, and I loved the way the stories all interlaced. I've now got another of his on my tbr.

Embers - Sandor Marai 1/5 A couple of old friends get together after 40 years to talk about something that happened. Why it happened is never really discussed, even though the questions are asked. It was a concept driven book rather than one with a storyline and I didn't really like it, nothing happened and it was slow and ponderous.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou 5/5 A black girl growing up in the deep south, she deals with abandonment and abuse. I found it riveting and really interesting, and now I want to read the rest of them (there are five volumes and they're autobiographical). Can't recommend this enough.

The Fight - Norman Mailer 4/5 The lead up to the 'Rumble in the Jungle'. I wasn't sure if I'd like this, it's about as far from what I like to read as you can get, but I really enjoyed it. It was interesting and touched on ideas of racial tension and history. It was annoying that Mailer referred to himself in the third person throughout.

Midwives - Chris Bohjalian 4/5 A lay midwife is accused of murder. It was told from the perspective of her teenage daughter looking back. It was really interesting and enjoyable, and you didn't know the outcome of the trial till right at the end. It was also quite subtle, it wasn't about feminism or anti medicine or anything like that, it was just telling a good story without moral judgements.

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote 4/5 A family are murdered and the police are looking for the killers. It was very well rounded, the killers are well portrayed and you even have some sympathy for one of them. The outcome of the trial is inevitable, but there are some surprises along the way. I can see why this is such a classic.

The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks 3.5/5 It was about a teenage boy with a fixation with death and destruction. As the first line says, he's killed three people already. It was a book that set out to shock, but there was a lot of black humour too. It's the kind of book that you read when you're 15 to appear grown up and daring, in fact I recognised one scene from my GCSE year, it's a horrible scene that's stayed with me since then and I've often wondered where it came from, so I was glad to find out! I quite enjoyed it although it seemed a bit repetitive after a while. Doubt I'll read more by him though.

Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy 4/5 About an unmarried couple. I'd seen the film so I knew the story, I was bracing myself through the whole book. I thought it was very slow for the first half, then a lot happened in a short space of time. I really liked it though and now I've got a couple more of his to read.

A Quiet Belief In Angels - R J Ellory 2/5 A pale imitation of In Cold Blood, about a series of murders and someone's reaction to them. My comments are up in the book club section.

Mister Pip - Lloyd Jones 3/5 An island is caught up in a war. The only white man becomes teacher, the only book being Great Expectations. The story was a bit slow and took a while to get going. It was a nice little story, although there were a lot of deep musings on life which I don't really go in for.

Two Caravans - Marina Lewycka 4/5 A group of illegal immigrants start as fruit pickers then get exploited and used. It lacked Tractors' humour, but was a more interesting storyline. I really liked it and found it interesting, informative and enjoyable.

The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton 2/5 Should be called the Age of Boredom, because nothing happens. It's all about socialites in 1870s New York, their marriages and outings. Really didn't like it, I found it boring and uninteresting, if it wasn't on the 1001 list I'd have given up on it.

The Medici Secret 3/5 A team of paleoarchaeologists are investigating the Medici tomb and stumble across a clue to a big secret, which someone will pay a lot and kill a lot to get at. It was a poor man's Labyrinth, not as complex or interesting, but it was a nice easy little read.

The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison 4/5 About beauty and friendship and childhood. It was interesting and enjoyable, I liked some of the misconceptions of childhood, the way kids hear things they don't understand and put things together wrong, like being told a woman is 'ruined' but not really grasping what it means (their idea is hilarious). I really like Morrison, this is the third I've read by her and now I really want to read Jazz and Sula.

The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly 4/5 A man with Locked-in syndrome talks about his life before and since the stroke which caused it. It was dictated by him using his left eyelid. It was interesting and often humourous, although I think it's a classic more for how it was written than for literary reasons.

I also gave up on Black Mischief by Evelyn Waugh, I got to page 70 and just wasn't enjoying it.[/b]
_________________
Kill the tbr - currently 124
Currently reading:
War and Peace - Leo Tolsty
Wild Swans by Jung Chan
The Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing

eightlegs · Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:16 pm Post subject:

Amie, I totally agree about Virginia Woolf, I bought a set of 3, including To the Lighthouse and think I read 2 and found them far too slow.

And I also love Thomas Hardy but have not read Jude so perhaps I should put that on my list.

On your recommedation I shall look out for the Maya Angelou ones too, sounds like my kind of thing. I have read and enjoyed a couple of Alice Walkers and love biography.

Thanks for your interesting comments!

nicnic · Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 8:47 pm Post subject:

My march reads were:

The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Stiff by Mary Roach
_________________
Currently reading: Man in the Dark by Paul Auster

Tigerlily · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:05 pm Post subject:

I love reading which books you've read, Amie, and your summary for each.

_________________
Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10

mags51 · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:43 pm Post subject: Books I read in March

Three Stories by Alan Bennett - 7/10 - not his best work but still very good
The Ghost at the Table by Suzanne Berne - 7/10 - entertaining
Some Glad Morning by Faye Gibbons - 8/10 - I bought this book for 10 cents because I was desperate for something to read and realy enjoyed it.
The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber - 5/10
Bright Lights and Promises by Pauline McLynn - 5/10 - mildly amusing
Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann - 9/10 - very good
The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller - 10/10 - I loved this book. Cant wait to read the sequel.

_________________
Life's too short to do housework

Lauzc · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:30 pm Post subject:

Minus Nine to One by Jools Oliver *** 1/2

The History Of Love by Nicole Krauss *** 1/2

_________________
handmade by Laura Croxson

Welcome to Babbling Books, Guest. We Hope You Enjoy Your Stay and Wish You a Merry Christmas!