The life and Times of Emile Zola

by F.W. Hemmings
A great introduction to Emile Zola and the France of his time. Has some excellent photographs.
9/10

Trace

by Patricia Cornwell
Good crime novel in the Scarpetta series. By chapter 2 you know who the killer is but it still holds the suspense until the end of the book. Excellent. 8/10

Tumbleweed

by Janwillem van de Wetering

The second in the Amsterdam detective series and probably better than the first as the characters of the detectives develop alongside the plot. These books maybe 30 years old but I still think they are a great train read. 8/10

Abbé Mouret's Transgression

The fifth book in Zola's Rougon-Macquart series.
I found this book different from the previous four. It was not so peopled and had a very dream-like feel to the key central part of the book. The garden descriptions were fantastic and when I get around to putting this book on the website I will try and include a page on the flowers of the paradou.
Am I alone in hating the hero by the end? 7/10

Link: www.emilezola.info

Three books

Body Double by Tess Gerritsen
Very easy read and a good thriller that I read in a short space of time. 7/10

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
A classic American novel I guess. I read this right around the time I visited New York (it has definitely changed) which made it more interesting. These characters are all pretty horrible and you will certainly not believe a word you read in the press after this. I did not rate the ending that highly but the rest was great. 7/10

Outsider in Amsterdam by Jan willem van de Wetering
A crime thriller based in Amsterdam and the first in a series. This was off the wall and amusing in parts as well as a conventional who dunnit. I really enjoyed it and will read more in the series. 8/10

Goat Song

A crime novel set in present day Montmartre. I loved the main character but found the text a bit laboured in places. The overall plot was good and had a really good solution. Definitely worth a read 7/10

We need to talk about Kevin

By Lionel Shriver.
Wow! I don't know if we needed to but we did. This was a disturbing book that was very well written with twists along the way right up to the end.
The book was a challenging look at school shootings and was a demanding read. Having said that I did not want to put it down. However, this is one book I would not contemplate reading again-too sad. 8/10

Lock 14

A Maigret novel by George Simenon.
An easy short read which kept me occupied on a train journey. I enjoy Maigret and I enjoyed this. A staightforward crime mystery which if you like crime novels you will like. 7/10

Arthur and George

A novel by Julian Barnes and after a very slow(dare I say boring) start it picked up pace and grabbed me as it went on.
He has a great style and I was left with a number of unanswered questions at the end which in a book of this sort should be the case. 7/10

A Priest in the House

Another novel by Emile Zola in the Rougon Macquart series.
I enjoyed this even though it was a little bit predictable-although the end was a shock. The characters were well drawn by and large and I love his descriptions of town life in Plassans. Does not rate as highly as Savage Paris in my view but still good 6/10

The Last Great Frenchman

Subtitled a biography of Charles de Gaulle.
This was a very readable book that analyses a complex man with a great deal of clarity and shows how myth (in the good sense) is created.
The key point he makes is the difference that de Gaulle seemed to draw between the "I" and "The General", with the latter standing for and representing the soul of France.
He must have been absolutely terrible to negotiate with but no-one reading this book can doubt his love for his homeland. Highly recommended 9/10

Savage Paris

Known as le ventre de Paris in the original, this is the third novel in Zola's Rougon Macquart series. I found this the best so far with absolutely gorgeous descriptions of the food markets of Paris and the life that goes on there.
There is one vivid piece on the making of black pudding which you definitely do not want to read after eating!
The story revolves around a young man who returns to Paris after escaping from Devil's Island. He is very naive and the adventures that unwind are perhaps predictable but do not take away from the enjoyment of the feast Zola dishes up. 8/10

A Good Year

Read very quickly while in Paris at the end of August.
This is a very light and very comical book which I greatly enjoyed.
It made a welcome break from La Curee.
If you want a good curl up in front of the fire with a glass of wine book, this would be good.
7/10

The kill(Le Curee)

Zola's second novel in a series.

This is bleak stuff about corruption and incest.
None of the characters endear themselves and are almost too evil to believe at times.

It paints a great picture of the rebuilding of Paris and of Parisian society and in Mme Sidonie is close to comedy.

I need a break before I start on Le ventre de Paris-some light relief. I need a nice character! 5/10

The fortune of the Rougons

The first novel in Zola's Rougon Macquart series.
This sets the scene and when he is not getting in to his social theories is a good story.
As ever with Zola the good guys get shot but at least there were some good guys.At least the major characters have been introduced 7/10

A Short history of Tractors in Ukranian

This was sometimes funny, sometimes sad with characters I felt affection for and annoyance at and everything that adds up to a good story. I even learnt a little bit about tractors but not much Ukranian. Definitely worth reading 8/10

Leo the African

A fast moving book by Amin Maalouf which was a good read. I found the final chapters were a little too fast moving as they became a rapid summary of European history at the time of the Medicis. However, apart from this I loved the personal adventures and storytelling and felt exhausted by what he achieved by his 40th birthday! 9/10

Sideways

A very funny book. I loathed the central character but could not help laughing at some of the antics these 2 got up to. Much better than the film and very different.
The only problem with this book is that it upped my wine consumption considerably! 8/10

The Elephant Vanishes

This collection of short stories by Haruki Murukami was a mixed bag. As with anything I have read it kept me wanting to read it but I found some of the stories a little iffy and as with all short stories I get really frustrated by all the loose ends. Still a good read though. 7/10

The Plot Against America

This book has taken me a long time to read. It was recommended as one of the best books of 2004.
While it cannot be doubted this is a very clever book in concept and, being Roth, very well written, it never captured my soul.
To me a good book will not let me put it down. This book I could put down at any stage and not be upset by the interruption. The characters were well drawn but I just left it with the impression that the story never raised itself beyond the great idea of what would have happened if...
All in all 4/10