by Kate Atkinson
A crime novel that is normally positioned with literary fiction in the bookshops. This is the first novel to feature Jackson Brodie-a northerner living uncomfortably in Cambridge where he works as a private detective following his time as a policeman and soldier. He is a great character and the cases he works are knitted together perfectly but not necessarily solved. There is comedy and almost Dickensian caricature in places. Loved it 8/10
Saturday, March 14, 2020
German Requiem
by Phillip Kerr
The third novel in the Bernie Gunther series. A private detective in post war Berlin who travels to Vienna on a case that brings him into contact with ex SS officers and other unsavoury characters. Did not enjoy as much as the previous two. 6/10
The third novel in the Bernie Gunther series. A private detective in post war Berlin who travels to Vienna on a case that brings him into contact with ex SS officers and other unsavoury characters. Did not enjoy as much as the previous two. 6/10
The Frozen Dead
by Bernard Minier
A French crime thriller set in a village in South West france close to the Spanish border.
A high profile horse killing leads to the investigation of a cold case. There are lots of twists and turns on the way. Look forward to the next in the series 9/10
A French crime thriller set in a village in South West france close to the Spanish border.
A high profile horse killing leads to the investigation of a cold case. There are lots of twists and turns on the way. Look forward to the next in the series 9/10
The Picture of Dorian Grey
by Oscar Wilde
A spooky tale about a man who retains his youth while his portrait grows old. A vehicle for Wilde to include an overload of witticisms that became boring very quickly. Did not enjoy 4/10
A spooky tale about a man who retains his youth while his portrait grows old. A vehicle for Wilde to include an overload of witticisms that became boring very quickly. Did not enjoy 4/10
Saturday, February 08, 2020
The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau
by Graeme Macrae Burnet
This is supposedly a translation of a book by a forgotten French author called Brunet who wrote the book. The fact that this may be a tall tale is only revealed(or hinted at) by a lengthy translator's note at the end of the book in which we learn the author's life bears a remarkable resemblance to the main character.
The book is a crime novel where a waitress goes missing and suspicion falls on a non-descript bank manager who lives a very mundane life in a town close to Strasbourg. However, his life becomes by successive surprises more and more interesting. The book grew on me the longer it went on and I liked the ending. 8/10
This is supposedly a translation of a book by a forgotten French author called Brunet who wrote the book. The fact that this may be a tall tale is only revealed(or hinted at) by a lengthy translator's note at the end of the book in which we learn the author's life bears a remarkable resemblance to the main character.
The book is a crime novel where a waitress goes missing and suspicion falls on a non-descript bank manager who lives a very mundane life in a town close to Strasbourg. However, his life becomes by successive surprises more and more interesting. The book grew on me the longer it went on and I liked the ending. 8/10
American Dirt
by Jeanine Cummins
The story of a mother and son as they try to escape Mexico following the slaughter of 16 members of their family by a drug cartel. The story tells the tale of migrants heading North. It is harrowing in places and relentless in terms of pressure of the plot progression. I felt this was a well told story and would class is at one of the best reads so far this year.
The author has been castigated for writing this story because she is not Mexican and not a migrant. I have never heard such horseshit in my life. (Well actually I have, but to make a point etc lalala). This is a novel. The author spent 4 years researching and is married to somebody who was undocumented until their marriage. Yes, it may not be 100% reality and flaws can be found I am sure, but it is a novel. By definition, not real. If authors have to have lived a situation to write about it the novel will be reduced to memoir and the creativity of some of our great authors is lost. I say well done Jeanine for shining a light on a dreadful mam-made suffering and if it causes us to think about these issues then it has been a force for good. 9/10
The story of a mother and son as they try to escape Mexico following the slaughter of 16 members of their family by a drug cartel. The story tells the tale of migrants heading North. It is harrowing in places and relentless in terms of pressure of the plot progression. I felt this was a well told story and would class is at one of the best reads so far this year.
The author has been castigated for writing this story because she is not Mexican and not a migrant. I have never heard such horseshit in my life. (Well actually I have, but to make a point etc lalala). This is a novel. The author spent 4 years researching and is married to somebody who was undocumented until their marriage. Yes, it may not be 100% reality and flaws can be found I am sure, but it is a novel. By definition, not real. If authors have to have lived a situation to write about it the novel will be reduced to memoir and the creativity of some of our great authors is lost. I say well done Jeanine for shining a light on a dreadful mam-made suffering and if it causes us to think about these issues then it has been a force for good. 9/10
Friday, January 31, 2020
A World to Win
by Sven-Eric Liedman
Finally, a year after starting this book I have finished this interesting and informative biography of Karl Marx. I found it heavy going in places but really absorbing in others. It is told chronologically and provides a great introduction to Marx's major thought and writings.
It had a useful but far too short summary of where Marxism has gone since Marx's death. It had the effect of sending me off to check things out elsewhere to try and understand alienation or commodity fetishism etc. Could influence my reading list for a while! 8/10
Finally, a year after starting this book I have finished this interesting and informative biography of Karl Marx. I found it heavy going in places but really absorbing in others. It is told chronologically and provides a great introduction to Marx's major thought and writings.
It had a useful but far too short summary of where Marxism has gone since Marx's death. It had the effect of sending me off to check things out elsewhere to try and understand alienation or commodity fetishism etc. Could influence my reading list for a while! 8/10
The Girl who fell from the sky
By Simon Mawer
I loved the Glass room but this book kept threatening to sweep me along in the tension of the plot but then left me feeling that it was running out of steam. The main character, Marion is a genuine complex character who I liked but the characters around her never quite fleshed out. It was a good page turner but the ending was sort of inevitable if not totally believable. 5/10
I loved the Glass room but this book kept threatening to sweep me along in the tension of the plot but then left me feeling that it was running out of steam. The main character, Marion is a genuine complex character who I liked but the characters around her never quite fleshed out. It was a good page turner but the ending was sort of inevitable if not totally believable. 5/10
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
The Division Bell Mystery
By Ellen Wilkinson
A murder mystery written by one of the first women mp's in the nineteen thirties. Fascinating! 8/10
A murder mystery written by one of the first women mp's in the nineteen thirties. Fascinating! 8/10
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Confession with Blue Horses
by Sophie Hardach
The story of Ella and her family related to us by Ella herself.
The story moves between 1980's East Berlin and London in 2010 and relates the vents that led to and followed an escape attempt. Great story 8/10
The story of Ella and her family related to us by Ella herself.
The story moves between 1980's East Berlin and London in 2010 and relates the vents that led to and followed an escape attempt. Great story 8/10
Braised Pork
by An Yu
Set in modern day Beijing this is the story of Jia Jia and what happens to her after she finds her husband dead in the bath(suicide). He has left her a drawing of a fish man and it is this which drives the story along. It was very readable but has a good but somewhat open ending. 8/10
Set in modern day Beijing this is the story of Jia Jia and what happens to her after she finds her husband dead in the bath(suicide). He has left her a drawing of a fish man and it is this which drives the story along. It was very readable but has a good but somewhat open ending. 8/10
Barnaby Rudge
by Charles Dickens
Set around the historical fact of the Gordon riots of 1780 this is an enjoyable novel.
It tells the story of The Maypole Inn and those living in or around this village pub to the South of London. Barnaby is one of these characters and he gets caught up in the riots and their aftermath. It is witty and sad and as ever great story telling 9/10
Set around the historical fact of the Gordon riots of 1780 this is an enjoyable novel.
It tells the story of The Maypole Inn and those living in or around this village pub to the South of London. Barnaby is one of these characters and he gets caught up in the riots and their aftermath. It is witty and sad and as ever great story telling 9/10
Friday, January 10, 2020
Snow, Dog, Foot
by Claudio Morandini
A funny, sad, short book about a mans sinking into loneliness, madness or some indeterminate state high in the mountains of Italy. It can be read at one sitting and made me laugh but also made me think about loneliness and what drives it and what effect it can have on an individual and how it is perceived by others. 8/10
A funny, sad, short book about a mans sinking into loneliness, madness or some indeterminate state high in the mountains of Italy. It can be read at one sitting and made me laugh but also made me think about loneliness and what drives it and what effect it can have on an individual and how it is perceived by others. 8/10
Germinal
by Emile Zola
I last read this book in 2007 and was reading in a relatively new translation,
It is the thirteenth book in the Rougon Macquart series charting second empire France.
This is the story of Etienne Lantier, the son of Gervaise from L'assommoir. It is a heartbreaking story of a family's and community's struggle through a mine strike. As ever the key characters are fleshed out wonderfully and Zola uses the contrast between the Bourgeoisie and the working class to great effect, It was a great read still and ties in very well with my reading around Marx. 9/10
I last read this book in 2007 and was reading in a relatively new translation,
It is the thirteenth book in the Rougon Macquart series charting second empire France.
This is the story of Etienne Lantier, the son of Gervaise from L'assommoir. It is a heartbreaking story of a family's and community's struggle through a mine strike. As ever the key characters are fleshed out wonderfully and Zola uses the contrast between the Bourgeoisie and the working class to great effect, It was a great read still and ties in very well with my reading around Marx. 9/10
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Review of 2019
Have read more non-fiction this year.
Enjoyed Left Bank a lot-a book about the Paris Left bank during and immediately after the second world war. Revolution Francaise was an interesting look at Macrons rise to power.
On the fiction side I have read and really enjoyed the tin drum. Also reread the first two books of Remembrance of things past and Anna Karenina.
The Booker had an interesting list this year. I particularly enjoyed the Elif Shafak and the winner was ok, the Bernardino and not The Testaments, which I was disappointed by. However, my two favourites were Lanny by Max Porter and The man who saw everything by Deborah Levy, neither of which made the shortlist. A mention to for Salman Rushdie's Quichotte a crazy enjoyable retelling of the Cervantes original.
In keeping with the Booker Prize this year I refuse to pick an absolute favourite!
Enjoyed Left Bank a lot-a book about the Paris Left bank during and immediately after the second world war. Revolution Francaise was an interesting look at Macrons rise to power.
On the fiction side I have read and really enjoyed the tin drum. Also reread the first two books of Remembrance of things past and Anna Karenina.
The Booker had an interesting list this year. I particularly enjoyed the Elif Shafak and the winner was ok, the Bernardino and not The Testaments, which I was disappointed by. However, my two favourites were Lanny by Max Porter and The man who saw everything by Deborah Levy, neither of which made the shortlist. A mention to for Salman Rushdie's Quichotte a crazy enjoyable retelling of the Cervantes original.
In keeping with the Booker Prize this year I refuse to pick an absolute favourite!
Poor Economics
by Abhijit Bannerjee and Esther Duflo
Interesting and thought provoking look at how macro policies work out at the micro level in trying to fix some of the world's fundamental problems. Found the writing style a bit tedious. 6/10
Interesting and thought provoking look at how macro policies work out at the micro level in trying to fix some of the world's fundamental problems. Found the writing style a bit tedious. 6/10
Sunday, November 24, 2019
The Man in the Red Coat
by Julian Barnes
Ok so first off, this is a beautifully produced book. The paper is the right thickness, the illustrations are interesting and help draw you in.
The writing is great and you can feel on every page the novelist wanting to get out of this biographers cage that he has placed himself in. Humour spilling over the edges is the result.
The biography of Dr Pozzi-and although I have seen the painting, I confess I did not know who he was-is a wonderful telling of society in the Belle Epoque. Pozzi is one character among many who shines out from the pages. I was amazed at the advances in medicine that took place at the end of the nineteenth century but fear not. This book is not about medicine, it is about characters rich in stories to tell and told in an unusual and brilliant way. 9/10
Ok so first off, this is a beautifully produced book. The paper is the right thickness, the illustrations are interesting and help draw you in.
The writing is great and you can feel on every page the novelist wanting to get out of this biographers cage that he has placed himself in. Humour spilling over the edges is the result.
The biography of Dr Pozzi-and although I have seen the painting, I confess I did not know who he was-is a wonderful telling of society in the Belle Epoque. Pozzi is one character among many who shines out from the pages. I was amazed at the advances in medicine that took place at the end of the nineteenth century but fear not. This book is not about medicine, it is about characters rich in stories to tell and told in an unusual and brilliant way. 9/10
The Bastard of Istanbul
by Elif Shafak
Set in Istanbul and America this is a look at the Armenian genocide of 2015 from the standpoint of today through the eyes of Turks, Armenian Turks and Armenians in the diaspora.
It is told through the story of one family over the course of 20 years and with a big secret stuck in the centre of the story throughout. In truth, by half way through we know what the secret is but the tale is well told. I was disappointed with the contrived device of using a medium to inform the current generation of what happened to grandparents but that aside it was an interesting read with engaging characters. 6/10
Set in Istanbul and America this is a look at the Armenian genocide of 2015 from the standpoint of today through the eyes of Turks, Armenian Turks and Armenians in the diaspora.
It is told through the story of one family over the course of 20 years and with a big secret stuck in the centre of the story throughout. In truth, by half way through we know what the secret is but the tale is well told. I was disappointed with the contrived device of using a medium to inform the current generation of what happened to grandparents but that aside it was an interesting read with engaging characters. 6/10
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Faces on the tip of my tongue
by Emmanuelle Pagano
A really interesting book translated from the French in the Peirene press series. It tells the story of a French village from small anecdotal stories that seem unconnected apart from the odd cross reference that gradually makes the whole hang together. No names are used to add to the confusion but the stories are those of any rural setting and beautifully evocative writing 8/10
A really interesting book translated from the French in the Peirene press series. It tells the story of a French village from small anecdotal stories that seem unconnected apart from the odd cross reference that gradually makes the whole hang together. No names are used to add to the confusion but the stories are those of any rural setting and beautifully evocative writing 8/10
Steel Boat, Iron Hearts
by Hans Goebeler
This is life aboard a U-boat in the second world war as seen through the eyes of a crewman aboard U-505. It is a candid tale of life on board and ashore in Lorient and Brest in Brittany. Taken as a tale told with hindsight and the removal of time it is a fascinating history told by the losing side and adds some balance to the standard histories of the period. It was a miserable existence in my view but won that Herr Goebeler had immense pride in and his insistence that he was motivated by love of his homeland like most sailors the world over has a ring of truth to it. The relentless bombing of the allies on French civilian towns is as equally abhorrent as the german bombing of London and Plymouth and other cities. It was an interesting read 8/10
This is life aboard a U-boat in the second world war as seen through the eyes of a crewman aboard U-505. It is a candid tale of life on board and ashore in Lorient and Brest in Brittany. Taken as a tale told with hindsight and the removal of time it is a fascinating history told by the losing side and adds some balance to the standard histories of the period. It was a miserable existence in my view but won that Herr Goebeler had immense pride in and his insistence that he was motivated by love of his homeland like most sailors the world over has a ring of truth to it. The relentless bombing of the allies on French civilian towns is as equally abhorrent as the german bombing of London and Plymouth and other cities. It was an interesting read 8/10
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