2013 ... the close of the year

As 2013 winds its way out, it's a time to reflect on how I have stood up to the challenge I'd set myself over the last year. My self-imposed target was to have read 70 of the BBC Top 100 Best Reads, and, annoyingly, I have missed it by just ONE book. I am still reading what would have been the 70th book (The Grapes of Wrath), but won't have finished it by the end of today! Overly ambitious maybe ... on reflection, I should have actually looked to see how long many of the books on the list actually are. I did get through a few of the monsters, such as War and Peace, The Stand and Gone with the Wind - but brother did they slow me down. Overall, I have enjoyed this particular challenge - reading books I would probably never have chosen to read if they were not on this list. Books that really surprised me were The Stand (have downloaded another Stephen King off the back of that experience, something I never would have done before), Memoirs of a Geisha and The Alchemist (two books of beauty that will stay with me for a long time) and the Harry Potter series ... I really started to enjoy them despite myself! And then there were books that I cannot understand what all the fuss is about - Catcher in the Rye for starters! And, I have to admit, I've been really struggling with The Grapes of Wrath for two months now and I'm not even halfway through it! Although I've just missed my target, I'm not going to beat myself up about it as I came really close, read some great books, and had an excuse to read a few that were written for youngsters that I missed out on during my own childhood. I will definitely be reading more titles from this list as time goes on, but maybe not in such a focused way! I think I'm definitely ready for a bit more fun in my reading list. And so onto 2014 ... 

The Story of Tracy Beaker (31) - will anyone foster this girl?

In this apparently self-penned story of a 10-year-old girl living in care, we find out that Tracy Beaker is an outwardly tough girl, fed up of being in care, and to make herself feel better, constantly brags about her glamorous mother, who lives in Hollywood, and who will soon be swooping back into her life and taking her away from where she is staying, after which they'll go and live happily ever after. Abandoned from an early age, Tracy has gone through two foster homes, neither of which worked out for her, and now she finds herself in a care home. Her best friend is no longer her best friend and Tracy pours all her heartbreak and loneliness out onto the pages of her journal ... describing what she would like to do to the various people who she feels have let her down. The Story of Tracy Beaker, by Jacqueline Wilson, genuinely feels like it is written by the central character herself, which is an achievement in itself. Tracy is imaginative and sensitive (but tries not to show it ... she "never cries" but has "hay fever attacks" when sad or upset!) Feeling increasingly isolated, Tracy's life takes a turn for the better when the home welcomes a new visitor - a writer who has been commissioned to write an article about children in care. "Cam" makes a big impact on Tracy, and they talk about writing and life in general. By the end of the book, Tracy thinks she might have successfully persuaded Cam to adopt her, and life is looking up for our feisty heroine. This is a book where a child tries desperately to hide what she is truly feeling behind her challenging behaviour and vivid imagination. It is sad and touching, but also funny. I can see youngsters really taking to this character and empathising with her feelings, but I fear I am probably too old to appreciate it more fully.  

My STAR rating: TWO.

Length: 158 print pages.
Price I paid: Free, borrowed from local library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Holes (83) - a dark tale in the desert

Holes, by Louis Sachar is the story of Stanley Yelnats, a young boy who is the victim of a miscarriage of justice - just the latest in a long line of bad luck his family have had for hundreds of years. Falsely accused of stealing, he is sent to Camp Green Lake, a boys' juvenile detention centre. In this place, the boys all must dig one hole every day, in the baking heat of a desert sun. Slowly, Stanley realises that the digging is not about "building character" as acclaimed by the warden, but they seem to be searching for something. The incentive to "find something interesting" in their hole is to have the rest of the day off. Stanley becomes friends with a fellow in-mate Zero, who he teaches to read in exchange for help digging his daily hole. When Zero runs off into the desert one day, the assumption of the guards is he will come back when he's thirsty, or become buzzard food - either way, they are not bothered. When he doesn't return, all traces of him are erased at the Camp - well, who's going to notice if this orphan disappears - but Stanley cannot stop worrying about him and heads out to try and find him ... This is a quick read, but an interesting one. We find out about the Yelnats' family curse and how the history of "Green Lake" is intertwined with it. The boys are the stars of this book - how they interact and talk to each other feels very authentic. I enjoyed this tale of friendship which is rich in descriptive text as well as dialogue. You cannot help feeling hot and dusty too as you follow Stanley in his search for his friend, which leads, ultimately, to a discovery that will affect all at camp Green Lake.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 233 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from local library.
Formats available: print; standard audio CD; ebook.

Anne of Green Gables (41) - sweet Canadian childhood tale

With time running out this year on my challenge, I was looking for some shorter books to read of the Top 100 List, and came across an audio version of this book for just 95p, so I went for it. Am really pleased that I did. Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery is the gentle tale of a red-headed, freckle-strewn orphan named Anne Sterling. Anne has not had a good start to life. She has been living in an orphanage for some years, with no sign of anyone wanting to adopt her. Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who have a farm on Prince Edward Island and want to adopt a boy to help them. There's a mix up, and instead of a boy being sent to the Cuthberts, Anne is sent instead. Initially wanting to send this odd girl back, who never seems to stop talking, Matthew persuades Marilla to give her a chance. Slowly but surely, Anne melts the heart of her adoptive mother and worms her way into her affections. We follow Anne as she makes a new life for herself and changes things for those around her in the countryside of Canada. Smart, funny and filled with the endless wonder of the world around her, Anne also has a penchant for getting into trouble. This is a likable, gentle tale that warms the heart without being too cloying. It's an easy read, with lots of things to amuse and a little darkness for good measure. Definitely worth the effort.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 496 print pages.
Price I paid: 95p (a bargain for an audio book!)
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Emma (40) - misunderstandings, matchmaking and snobbery

Good old Jane Austen! Whether it's a nostalgia thing - with remembrances of the Sunday afternoon drama on the BBC of my youth, which would invariably be an adaptation from Dickens or Austen, I cannot help but warm to the style of this author. Emma is not drama on a big scale - no big car chases or things blowing up - instead, the drama is intimate and personal. A misdirected comment or look had ramifications that would impact on the lives of those around you. Emma Woodhouse is our heroine, and she is the centre of society in the village. Devoted to her father who fears danger in everything outside his home, she regularly sparks off Mr Knightly, an old family friend, who tries to keep her in check when he sees her going astray. Emma decides to take the humble Harriet under her wing, and thinks that Mr Elton, the new vicar, would be a suitable match for her - instead of the local farmer who had set his cap at Harriet. Emma persuades Harriet to her way of thinking, but after rejecting the farmer, is appalled to discover that Mr Elton has set his sights on herself, rather than her friend Harriet. Emma rejects him, at which point his true character is revealed and he slinks off to Bath and returns with a catty, self-serving rich wife. Enter Frank Churchill, the son of her best friend's husband. He pays Emma a lot of attention and everything thinks this will end in marriage. Emma is initially flattered, but is determined not to marry, and also thinks that he might be a match for Harriet (she is a determined matchmaker!). Then there is the delicate and mysterious Jane Fairfax, who is staying nearby and who Emma somehow feels is a rival of some kind but can't quite put her finger on it until she starts to worry that her oldest friend, Mr Knightly, might have some feelings for this beautiful creature. Too concerned about sorting other people's love lives out for them, she did not realise that she should have been focusing a bit closer to home... and suddenly realises that no-one can marry Knightly except herself! This is a well written tale of manners and as with all Austen there is humour and a lightness of touch. Lots of characters, all interwoven into this tale where you hope that it comes good in the end.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 358 print pages.
Price I paid: free.
Formats: print; abridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

I Capture the Castle (82) - a journal of delight

Who knew that the diary of a seventeen year old girl could be so thoughtful, funny and deep. I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith (who is probably better known for writing One Hundred and One Dalmatians) tells the tale of the artistic, but down-at-heel Mortmain family. The father wrote an acclaimed book many years ago, but since that time, his wife has died and he remarried the exotic Topaz - an artist's model who plainly adores him - and moved to a dilapidated castle on a forty year lease. He has been suffering writers block ever since and becomes increasingly distant from his children - Rose (pretty, but not very practical), Thomas, the youngest child and Cassandra - the middle daughter. It is Cassandra, an aspiring writer herself, who is the voice of this novel, which is set sometime in the 1930's. Now as poor as church mice, having sold anything of value, the family is struggling to feed themselves. Cassandra starts to write a journal to get all her feelings and thoughts out  - even if they are starting to veer towards despair. Then, the Cotton family arrive from the USA. They are the new landlords, but instead of the long-awaited eviction notice for non-payment of rent, this new family takes the Mortmains under their wing. Rose, fed up of being poor, sets her sights at Simon, the eldest brother - whereas Cassandra forms a friendship with Neil, the younger sibling. When Simon asks Rose to marry him, she says yes, trying to convince herself that she really is in love. All looks good until Cassandra falls for Simon herself, and it becomes increasingly obvious that Rose is only in it for the money! Things come to a head on the romance side at the same time as Cassandra and her brother put into action an extremely risky plan to get their father writing again! This might sound like your average romantic novel, but it is not. There is a lightness of touch to the tale and some beautiful descriptive passages of the countryside, the characters and, bizarre as it may seem, living in poverty. It's a great read, and I thoroughly enjoyed the excellent narration of Jenny Agutter in the audio version I invested my time in. More than happy to recommend this book, though I think it is one more for the female half of the population!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 432 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: Print; abridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Tess of the D'Urbevilles (26) - not many laughs

If you are looking for a book to brighten your day and bring a little ray of sunshine into your life, then DO NOT read Tess of the D'Urbevilles by Thomas Hardy. Blimey it's grim. Set in the late 19th century, it is a tale of poverty and innocence lost. Our eponymous heroine falls victim to the whims of her father who, upon discovering that he is descended from an ancient and well-to-do family (the D'Urbevilles), is convinced that there may be a way to restore the now named Durbeyfields to their former glory. This comes to a head when her father gets drunk one night and Tess has to take his place on a trip to market, which results in the accidental death of their horse. Thinking that if they can successfully "claim kin" with a distant relative they have heard of, their fortunes might turn around, the teenage Tess is shipped off to work at the grand house of an old lady named D'Urbeyville, without realising that her husband had bought the title rather than being born into it. Unfortunately for Tess, this lady has a lecherous son who takes a shine to her and pesters and flatters her continually despite her efforts to dissuade him. The inevitable happens and he takes advantage of the innocent teenager and leaves her bewildered and pregnant. She heads back home and hides away, feeling great shame. Her baby does not survive for long and Tess eventually goes back into the world to work as a dairy maid some distance from her family home. At the dairy, she meets Angel Clare who is soon smitten with her. She feels deeply attracted to him too, but keeps him at arm's length, determined that she is not good enough for anyone. Yes, there is romance, but it is all so fraught and there are scant moments of happiness. Needless to say, this does not end well and Tess struggles through life constantly troubled and fearful. This book is well crafted and the descriptive texts of the countryside at different times of the day are excellent. You feel the pain and the hard work and stress ... but for me, there is just so little relief from this that it's difficult to say that it is an enjoyable read. Great narration from Peter Firth did not save Tess for me, who, with a modern perspective, you can feel sympathy for, but you still want to shake her for such weakness at times.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 384 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (5) - darker and darker

In this, the fourth outing for Harry Potter, the adventures of the young wizard take a decidedly darker turn. JK Rowling recognises that with each passing year, the characters must mature, and this is reflected in the narrative of this book. The book starts with Harry finding himself going to the Quidditch World Cup with his friends Ron and Hermione. The excitement and joy of the match (think of England, 1966, Wembley ... but on broomsticks!) gives way to fear when the hooded Death Eaters go on the march, followed by the display of the Dark Mark in the sky. The Dark Mark is a call to arms for the followers of Lord Voldemort (the wizard who killed Harry's parents), and the wizarding community are thrown into confusion ... is he really back? With this backdrop, Harry returns to school at Hogwarts, but soon becomes the centre of attention when his name is unexpectedly pulled from the Goblet of Fire and he is chosen to take part in the Triwizard Tournament. Nobody believes that he didn't put his name in for this event and his popularity takes a tumble - even his best friend Ron stops speaking to him. The Tournament begins and Harry manages to get through the events, helping out the other contestants along the way. However, on the point of victory in the last event, he and Cedric Diggory, a fellow Hogwarts contestant are transported to a cemetery, where they face Lord Voldemort in bodily form ... yes, HE IS BACK! There are some shocks in this book, and not everyone comes out alive. The action cracks along at a fast pace, and while there is definitely less humour, there are still some lighter moments to relieve the tension. The characters have grown on me and I really do want to find out what happens to them. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is not high art, but as an escape from everyday life into another world that doesn't hugely tax the brain, it's a winner.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 752 print pages.
Price I paid: free - borrowed from local library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Stand (53) - an epic of good vs evil

When I saw that there was a book by Stephen King on the Top 100 Reads list, I was slightly concerned. I associate him with horror, and that's not a genre of book that I would ever choose to read after scaring myself silly reading some James Herbert novels in my youth. However, within a couple of minutes of starting The Stand in audio format, I was hooked. It is an action-packed thriller ( I think dark thriller, rather than full on horror) which has incredibly deep themes - life, death, good, evil and the frailties of humanity. Disaster befalls the world when a deadly man-made super flu is accidentally released into the atmosphere. What follows is a nightmare of cataclysmic proportions - with a 99% infection-rate, with nobody surviving once infected - within a few short weeks, the population of the USA (in which the book is based) is devastated. You cannot get comfortable - victims of the flu are introduced and bumped off in quick succession. Finally, we start to get to know a few people who seem to be immune - Stu Redman, Larry Underwood, Fran Goldsmith and to name a few. They are spread all over the country, and have watched all those around them die a horrible death. Society completely breaks down - there is no-one left to keep the power on or to keep the water supplies clean! Apart from their immunity, the survivors start to experience the same dreams. One features a kindly old lady sitting on her porch playing her guitar, and the other features a shadowy, faceless, threatening figure - variously known as the dark man, or the walking dude. Those who feel the pull of the old woman (Mother Abigail) and her inherent goodness, start to travel to where she lives, pick her up and end up in Boulder where they try to form a new community of survivors. Those who feel the pull of the dark man congregate in Las Vegas and also start to organise themselves into a community. On the surface, the two might look similar, but life in Vegas is full of fear, mistrust and painful deaths. The Boulder community feel that the dark man is gathering his forces on the other side of the Rockies and will bring destruction to them sooner or later - and start to realise that they must make a stand, and try to put a stop to the tide of evil that threates to overwhelm them. This is a book that will keep you guessing and it is hard to know who will ultimately triumph. Relentless and exhausting at times, this is ultimately a very satisfying read ... all 47 hours and 47 minutes if it!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 1344 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (24) - I'm warming to this wizard!

I have surprised myself by warming to the Harry Potter books. I felt that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling had greater depth to it than the previous books ... maybe that's natural and right in books where the characters age by one year each time. There is no getting away from the fact that this is a good story - with this third installment, the characters are familiar and there isn't too much time required anymore to set the scene. This means that the book starts at a run and maintains its pace pretty much the whole way through. Harry, once again, gets into trouble at his aunts and uncle's home and flees after he inflates his aunt like a balloon. He is surprised to find that instead of being banned from his beloved Hogwarts for practising magic out of the school boundaries, he is welcomed back and those in charge are being very protective towards him. On the train back to school, Harry encounters The Dementors - he goes weak, hears screaming and eventually slips into unconsciousness. It turns out that these are the guards at Azkhaban - the dreaded prison of the magical world. They suck the joy out of everyone around them. They are on the hunt for an escaped prisoner - Sirius Black - who, Harry is told, helped to kill his parents and who is now after him. But, as always, things are never as simple as that! As Harry and his two best friends, Ron and Hermione, start their new school year, the action really gets going and keeps going - including a werewolf, a hippogryff and a smidgen of time travel. If I hadn't already seen the film, I think there would have been some super twists and turns in this book. And you know what, I am actually looking forward to the next installment!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 320 print pages.
Price I paid: Free - borrowed the ebook from my local library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (23) - spells, potions and beasts

Harry Potter is a total, worldwide phenomenon. The books, the films, the games ... on and on it goes. When the first book came out, I thought I would find out what all the fuss was about, and read it. I thought, at the time, that it was okay ... not spectacular and certainly not deserving of the ridiculous following that it created. Maybe because I had also read the first of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy around the same time - now THAT was a book that made me want to find out more and keep on reading. So, it was with a bit of trepidation that I embarked on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, one of several of JK Rowling's series on the Top 100 Reads list. Weirdly, my thoughts about the actual quality of the writing haven't really changed ... there are much better written books out there, but I have to admit that there is something compelling in the stories themselves. You do want to keep reading despite the occasional jarring (in my opinion) of the actual words. There is no denying that they are page turners. In this book, the second outing for our schoolboy wizard, Harry has had a miserable summer at his aunt and uncle's house, and thinks his friends from Hogwarts have forgotten all about him. With the arrival of Dobby, an elf, comes a warning for Harry not to go back to school - but when Ron Weasley and his brothers come to rescue Harry from the clutches of his relatives, he can't wait to get back to learning more about becoming a wizard. However, danger stalks the corridors and when people start to be attacked, Harry and co are determined to find out what is going on. And so the adventure begins ... I did enjoy this book, but it's very much forgettable fluff - good while it lasts, but doesn't stick in the mind. And maybe sometimes, that's exactly what we need.

My STAR rating: THREE

Length: 251 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.00 (borrowed from my local library)
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook

Watership Down (42) - don't go "tharn" on me

A book about rabbits ... surely this couldn't be exciting in any way? Well, you would be wrong. Watership Down, by Richard Adams which I read in print, is full of incident from page 1 until the very end. Our hero is Hazel, a brave rabbit with a bigger brain than most, who trusts the instincts of his best pal Fiver - who is a bit of an oddity amongst their home warren in that he has a sixth sense. When Fiver tells Hazel that they all have to leave the warren, Hazel tries to persuade the leaders ... but to no avail! Only a handful of rabbits join them in their escape, and those who stayed behind befall a deadly fate at the hand of man. The small band of escapees, including Bigwig, my favourite character, then begin an epic journey to find somewhere new to set up home. Dangers and perils abound but they eventually end up at Watership Down. All seems good until they realise that the lifespan of their warren is limited, as they have no does ... so there will not be a second generation! Hazel hatches a plan to secure prospective mothers for the warren, but this means facing the danger of approaching a huge warren that is run by a despot called General Woundwort. This book is an odd mixture - it's an action adventure at its heart, but it is also a bit of a wildlife manual with a bit of rabbit religion thrown in too. For me, it's at its best in the adventure elements - the characters are well written and individual, with clear goodies and baddies and a few who might have a paw in each camp! The bunny theology kind of left me a bit cold, and the special rabbit words were totally unnecessary - I didn't feel that it drove the story forward in any way. The only phrase I liked was "going tharn", which describes how a rabbit is transfixed by danger and can't move ... a rabbit in the headlights! Even though this is primarily for children, it's quite adult in style and there are some dark moments. I enjoyed it, but wouldn't feel that it is a MUST read book by any means.

My STAR rating: THREE

Length: 478 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.00 (borrowed from my local library)
Formats available: print, audio CD, audio download, ebook.

David Copperfield (34) - not so humble!

It may have taken me a while, but I have now finished another epic from "the list" - David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens, which I read in an audio format. This is the tale of a small boy, who loses his father at a very young age. He adores his mother and his nurse, Peggarty, but his life is really turned upside down when his mother remarries. His new step father is a nasty man, but his step aunt is even worse. David is sent away to school - a formative year where he meets James Steerforth (the charismatic head boy who takes a shine to David) and Tommy Traddles, who is a fellow outcast. But then his mother dies. Now at the mercy of his step father and aunt, David is sent to a new school ... a very different place altogether. All does not go well and he runs away, eventually heading to his real Aunt - Mrs Trottwood - who becomes his guardian and is an all round good egg. Young Davey's life is now much improved, and he forms strong bonds with Mr Peggarty, the brother of his old nurse, and Agnes, the daughter of the lawyer he boards with while at school in London. Time moves on and David becomes a young man, falls in love and marries the pretty, and, quite frankly, pretty vacant, Dora - what an irritatingly silly character! There are times of tragedy, times of joy and times of poverty. Really strong characters abound in this entertaining story - Uriah Heap (ever so humble) and Mr Micawber to name but two - but Mrs Trottwood was my absolute favourite. There is so much going on in this semi-autobiographical book that you do have to pay attention, but that is no bad thing. I felt that there could have been a bit of judicious editing towards the end of the book, which had a bit of a "strung out" feel to me. However, I would have no hesitation in recommending this tome - just make sure you give yourself the time it needs to get the most out of it.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 768 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.99
Formats available: print, audio CD abridged, audio download unabridged, ebook.

Noughts & Crosses (61) - pacey thriller but no laughs

In this fictional, yet familiar world created by Malorie Blackman, the Crosses have everything .... the money, the power, the educational opportunities and the jobs. The Noughts, on the other hand, are only 50 years down the line from being enslaved - but for them, not much seems to have changed. Equality is simply a dream. Most Noughts just keep their heads down and try to stay out of trouble, out of prison and, if they are lucky, well away from the hangman's noose. Within this atmosphere, two youngsters become friends - Callum (a Nought), and Sephy (a Cross). As they get older, the friendship has a chance of developing into something beautiful ... if it wasn't for everyone else trying to force them apart. Noughts and Crosses cannot be friends, let alone lovers. Callum's life changes for good when his sister commits suicide, which pushes his father and older brother to join the Liberation Movement, leading to a bomb blast which very nearly kills Sephy. Can Callum and Sephy ever be together in this world of hate and mistrust? This is a story that pulls no punches, with violence, racism, unhappy marriages, despair, love and joy in equal measures. The author pushes all your emotional buttons, and leaves you begging for someone to tell a joke just to relieve the tension. But there are no jokes. This is a book that exposes the utter ridiculousness of racism, but in a very accessible way (the book being written for young adults). It's gripping and you do root for the characters despite you having a nagging feeling that they are doomed! Noughts & Crosses, which I read in print is a very modern Romeo and Juliet and I can understand why this has become a very popular book and is now studied in British schools.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 443 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.00 (borrowed from my local library)
Formats available: print; audio CD; audio download; ebook.
     

On the road (90) - a novel of its time?

I found myself having enormous deja vu after the first few chapters of On the road, by Jack Kerouac (print). I am convinced that I have actually read this book before ... but as I couldn't be 100% sure, I ploughed on.  Set in the late 40s and early 50s, it's really a bromance between Sal Paradise, the narrator, and Dean Moriarty - a man totally wrapped up in himself who is hooked on drugs, booze, women and jazz. Although, the bromance is very much one-sided - Sal is totally in awe of Dean, and despite the amount of times Dean lets him down, always wants to experience more of what Dean does and says. The book follows Sal as he crosses America on various road trips over several years - trying to hook up with old friends and places that have a resonance to him, or places he wants to "experience". Sal is a writer, so feeds off the odd, the mad and the just plain bad people he meets along the way. Money is always a problem, but invariably, there always seems to be enough to find weed or alcohol. This is supposed to be a seminal work of the "beat" generation. It is a hedonistic, roller coaster ride, that you feel is only going to end in disaster. Not my type of people, not my type of book. I felt no empathy or understanding for the characters - but that's probably because I am a "square". However, there are sporadic passages of pure beauty - like an occasional oasis in a bleak desert. Depressing if this is how people think that this is the only way to get the most out of life. I first thought that this was a book very much of its own time, but when I think about it - this is still going on now, maybe not the big road trips, but just check out any town centre on a Saturday night! Seriously, we, as a species, just don't learn!

All in all, I'd rather listen to Donkey from Shrek singing "On the road again ..."

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 291 print pages.
Price I paid: free (borrowed from my husband)
Formats available: print, audio CD; audio download; ebook

Persuasion (38) - a romance that was never in doubt

I don't know whether I just wasn't in the right kind of mood for this book, but Persuasion, by Jane Austen, which I read on my Kindle didn't quite light my fire as much as I was anticipating it would. It could be that I sort of remembered the essence of the story, or maybe it was because I found myself getting confused between some of the characters, which was irritating. This is the tale of Anne Elliott, a thoroughly decent creature, who, following the early death of her mother, is, for some reason, virtually ignored by her vain father Sir Walter, and her eldest sister, Elizabeth. She has a stalwart friend, however, in Lady Russell, who lives near their home and in whom she confides. We discover that Anne was persuaded by this formidable woman to break off an engagement to a Mr Wentworth when she was just 19 years old, as the Lady didn't think it a suitable match. In the intervening years, her heart would compare any other suitor to her first beau, and they just didn't measure up. Now in her late twenties, Anne was convinced that she would never marry. When her feckless father runs into financial difficulties, he rents out their ancestral country pile and takes a house in Bath. Anne, while looking after her clingy, hypocondriac and married younger sister Mary, stays in the vicinity for a while, and finds the new tenants - Admiral and Mrs Croft - to be fine people, and she soon becomes an intimate of theirs, although she is nervous when she discovers that the Admiral is Mr Wentworth's brother-in-law. Inevitably, she and Wentworth (now a naval Captain) start to move in the same circles, and all the old feelings are stirred up once again. The remainder of the story is a bit of a will they, won't they affair, with a few twists and turns and misunderstandings. It is a romantic tale, but it didn't quite keep me gripped or in any doubt as to what was going to happen. I just wanted to shake the pair of them and get them to tell each other how they felt! Don't get me wrong, it's still a very enjoyable read, but it's no Pride and Prejudice.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 208 print pages
Price I paid: free on the Kindle.
Formats available: print, audio CD abridged, audio download unabridged, ebook.

Treasure Island (36) - yo ho ho and a botle of rum!

If you want a rip-roaring tale that's a real page turner, you could do a lot worse than turning to Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stephenson. The action starts on page one, and just keeps going all the way to the end. Our young hero, Jim Hawkins, becomes embroiled in the hunt for Captain Flint's treasure when one of his crew arrives at The Admiral Benbow (the tavern where Jim lives with his mother and ailing father). Jim is both frightened and fascinated in equal measures by this visitor, but events start to take on a darker hue when this resident pirate is handed the "black spot" by Blind Pew, and promptly drops dead. Jim and his mother have to run for their lives into the night, with Jim taking an old parchment from the dead man's belongings in payment for all the rum he has consumed without reparation. At the house of the local Squire, Jim, with his friend Dr Livesey, hands over the parchment which is revealed to be a map showing where there is a hoard of treasure on a far away island. Unable to resist the promise of such wealth, the Squire determines to get a ship and crew together and find this island - with the Doctor and Jim in tow. Unbeknownst to them, they inadvertently take on Long John Silver as ship's cook - who, together with other old shipmates of Captain Flint, bide their time, but have mutiny in their hearts. This is a great adventure story for young and old alike. And while the tale is a familiar one, it is well worth reading. Recommended - indeed, this could be the start of a run of RLS books if they all measure up to this cracker!

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 224 print pages
Price I paid: Free on Kindle.
Formats available: print; audio CD; audio download; ebook.

Memoirs of a Geisha (62) - a different time, a different place

This is another cracking book, and one which truly transports you to a different time and place. Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden gives you exactly what it says on the tin. We hear a firsthand account of a young Japanese girl - Chiyo - who is taken from a small fishing village just before her mother dies, and instead of being adopted as she thinks, she becomes a maid in a house in Kyoto, with a view to becoming a geisha. The resident geisha takes a dislike to her and makes her life a misery. It looks like she will be a maid all her life - but her life turns around after a chance meeting with a man who she feels destined to be with. The change in fortune means that she does indeed become a geisha - whose job is to entertain men in a variety of ways ... not necessarily how you would think. The voice of Chiyo and then Sayuri (her geisha name) is so strong that you feel like she is just chatting to you about her life over a drink or meal. There are beautiful descriptions of the places, the kimonos, the ornaments and, of course, the other characters. The changes that take place, not only to Sayuri personally, but also to the country are vast - the action starts in 1929 and takes us through the hardships in Japan of the Second World War, and then the passage of time that eventually brings healing to all. It's a fantastic insight to a world that we might think we know. It feels like a very truthful tale and is fascinating and well worth the effort.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 435 print pages.
Price I paid: £3.00.
Formats available: print; audio CD; audio download; ebook

The Alchemist (94) - a small slice of heaven

What a cracking little book The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho is. The version I have just finished was on audio, narrated by Jeremy Irons, and the text and his voice made the experience one that will stay with me for a long time. Do not be fooled by the relatively short length of this book - it has deep, deep themes. The central character is constantly referred to as "The Boy" rather than by his name. He is a shepherd in Andalusia, quietly content in many ways, learning about life through his sheep. He became a shepherd because he wanted to travel, but he's only ever done so within Andalusia, moving his sheep from pasture to pasture as the seasons come and go. Then he meets a gypsy who tells him that he will find treasure at the pyramids in Egypt. He dismisses this particular bit of fortune telling until an old man strikes up a conversation with him and tells him the same thing ... at the same time, telling him everything about The Boy's past, including things he'd never told anyone. The Boy decides that he needs to pursue his dream of further travels, or his "personal legend" as it s referred to in the book, and sells his sheep and gets on a boat to Tangier, crosses the Egyptian desert where he encounters "The Alchemist", who helps to bring him to the end of his journey of discovery. The Boy is helped along the way by many guides (not all of them in human form) who keep him on the right path and teach him how to hold on to his dreams and strive to fulfil them. Gentle, thought provoking and with the ability to take you to far off places both physically and spiritually, this is a fabulous read, no matter what your personal beliefs may be. I loved this book and know that I will reread it - particularly when I might be feeling a little down or lost. Follow your heart and live your life!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 197 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD.

Middlemarch (27) - Life in all its glory!

Happy to report that I've got another lengthy tome under my belt. Middlemarch, by George Elliot (or Mary Ann Evans as her mother would have known her) - has the subtitle of "A study of provincial life" and is thought to be based on Coventry in the early 1830s. Full of interesting characters and a variety of plots it gives an insight into the social history of the day. There are three main stories, all linked together with skill and a light touch.

We start with Dorothea Brooke - an idealistic woman who wants to do good with her life. Much to the surprise of her sister and uncle, she marries the unpopular Edward Casaubon - a middle-aged pedantic scholar - thinking that to help him him complete his "great work" is her destiny. The marriage sours almost immediately, and her friendship with Will Ladislaw, a cousin of her husband, doesn't help. When her husband dies, he sets a provision in his will that should Dorothea marry Ladislaw, she will lose her inheritance.

Next we follow Tertius Lydgate, an idealistic doctor who arrives in town and causes heads to turn - including that of local beauty, Rosamond Vincy - niece of Mr Bulstrode, the "money" man of Middlemarch who has a dark secret. Self-centred Rosamond seduces Lydgate in the sure knowledge that marriage to him would bring her fortune and status. She is mistaken, and proceeds to make both their lives miserable.

And finally, there is Fred Vincy, brother of Rosamond. He's not the sharpest tool in the box, but has a good heart. He longs to be married to his childhood sweetheart, the sensible Mary Garth, but is thwarted in his intentions when a presumed inheritance does not actually come his way. Mary loves him right back, but until he settles down and makes something of himself rather than acting the dandy, she will always turn him down.

These three stories weave in and out of each other as the book progresses, with each little drama counter-balanced by the lighter moments of life. All experiences are covered - hope, ambition, disillusionment, redemption, grief, love and charity. There is much humour in the book and this was brought out to a great extent by the brilliant narration of Juliet Stephenson in the audio version which I read. It's a book you can get your teeth into and I can heartily recommend it, though I did think there could have been a little editing in places, with some elements being repeated ... but maybe with such a long book, we readers needed to be reminded of things every now and then in case they had slipped our minds!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 736 print pages (with very small print!)
Price I paid: £7.99
Formats available: print; audio CD; audio download; audio multimedia CD; ebook.

Wind in the Willows (16) - the trouble with toads!

I'm on a roll again (but probably not for long) - having finished another title - Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, which I read as an ebook. This is the tale of Ratty, Mole, Badger and the ridiculous Toad ... and their various exploits on the river and in the Wild Woods! The actions starts with Mole deciding to explore the world above ground, and when he heads out to do so he is very fortunate in coming across Ratty who takes him in and gives him a home and shows him the delights of the river. Bliss! That is, until Toad bursts onto the scene in bombastic style. Toad is an obsessive, silly creature. Forever getting into scrapes, he is, quite frankly, too rich for his own good and hasn't got enough to do to keep him out of mischief. When his overwhelming desire for motor cars gets him into serious trouble with the law, his friends (including the sensible and slightly scary Badger) try to take him in hand. Unfortunately, Toad thinks he knows best, heads off and ends up in prison. What a troublesome creature he is, and a difficult friend to have. Will Ratty, Mole and Badger be able to put up with his antics for much longer and will Toad ever see sense? Well, you probably already know the answer to those questions. I have seen TV adaptations of this story and cartoons, but reading the original book (although without illustrations on the Kindle version I had) is definitely the way to go. As you read, you can experience the subtle nuances to the characters and how they interact with each other, or feel about the world they are living in. This is very much a massive round of applause for nature and the British countryside. There are delights to be had and chuckles at times, although I did find it a little inconsistent at times. I would recommend this as a good (but not great) read - worth it just so that you can tut at Toad's exploits!

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 192 print pages.
Price I paid: free in Kindle.
Formats available: print; audio CD; audio download; ebook.

Guards! Guards! (69) ... light relief and plenty of chuckling!

To follow the epic of War and Peace, I treated myself to one of my favourite authors - Terry Pratchett - and book number 69 on the top 100 reads. It's called Guards! Guards! and I read it in 2 days with a great big smile on my face. When Pratchett is on form, boy is he good! This is one of the best of his Discworld books in my opinion, and features The Watch - the much maligned and ignored police force who only work the night shift in the great city of Ankh Morpork. For their own health, The Watch basically ignores the crime that goes on around them. There are less than a handful of them, all with "issues" and their chief is constantly drunk. Into this mix, comes a young innocent lad - name of Carrot - who was raised by dwarfs who discovered him as a toddler in the forest. His adopted father sends him to the big city to learn to be human. Carrot studies all the laws, rules and regulations that The Watch are supposed to uphold, and, much to the amazement of his fellow Watch members, starts to arrest people! As if this wasn't weird enough, a dragon keeps on appearing and burning people to a crisp. Can The Watch save the day and tackle the use of magic which seems to be at work here? Will they accept the help of the Librarian of Unseen University (where wizards learn their craft). Okay, so he might be an orangutan following an accident involving magic, but he does have a bucket load of knowledge gained from years amongst all those books, and has exceptional strength in those long arms. This is such a great read and I laughed out loud on numerous occasions. Great characters, great story telling - fantasy fiction at its very best.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 416 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.50 (second hand shop).
Formats available: print; audio CD; audio download; multimedia CD; ebook.

War and Peace (20) ... phew, done and dusted!

At long, LONG last, I have completed War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I read the first half as an audio book, and the second half as an ebook. I enjoyed reading by both methods, although it took me a while to get used to the names in the ebook which I'd only ever heard before and not seen written down. This is an epic in every sense of the word. The size of the book puts people off - but it shouldn't. It's not a hard read, but bowls along with plenty of action (both in war and peacetime) and has a good set of central characters - especially the Rostovs and Bezukhovs. The backdrop to the tale is the invasion of Russia by the army of Napoleon Bonaparte and the impact this has on five different families. Initially, the Russians love Bonaparte and think he's a great man and ally - but when relations between him and their own Emperor fall apart, the country starts to realise how ruthless an opponent he is and are puzzled that their own glorious army is apparently powerless to stop him. Over the years, as the action continues, we switch between the fighting at the front, and the people left behind. The two worlds are initially very separate, but they slowly become closer and closer and eventually, all the citizens feel the dreadful impact of events. Love, death, power, loyalty - it's all here. The young men dream of the glory that fighting and dying for their Emperor will give them, without fully realising the real horrors of the actual battles - no-one is left unchanged. Bouncy, playful boys become serious men very quickly, and giggling, fluffy girls become sombre women as the action continues. But it's not all doom and gloom - there is humour and happy endings for at least some of the characters. The book is full of historic facts to help place it in the time and events in which the story takes place. My only problem with the book is when the author starts to drift into his lectures on the meaning of history and power ... he can go on a bit! Overall, a book that everyone should read ... just give yourself the time and space to do so.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 1440 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99 for the audio section; £0.49 for the ebook.
Formats available: print; audio; ebook.

Brideshead Revisited (45) ... dreamy!

Within one minute of starting this book, I knew I was in safe hands. Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh is almost perfect in every way - particularly this audio edition that I have just completed, narrated by the glorious Jeremy Irons! Our voice for this journey through the privileged classes prior to the second world war is Charles Ryder. It opens with him ending up in the grounds of a country house in the middle of the night - only to realise when he wakes next morning, that he's in a place never far from his thoughts, but one that he never thought he'd see again. He begins to relive the events that have taken place there, with all the members of the Flyte family - a dysfunctional aristocratic family whose Catholicism is a central theme. From his days at Oxford University where he falls under the spell of the beautiful, charming but fatally flawed Sebastian, we see him develop as both a man and an artist, as he meets and comes under the influence (to greater and lesser extents) of all the family - Lady Marchmain, Brideshead, Cordelia and especially Julia. It is, at it's heart, a romance not only between people, but also for a time and place that may never have existed anywhere except in our imagination. Charles falls in love with this family, but it's a relationship that is ultimately doomed as the social and spiritual differences cannot be ignored for ever. The characterisation is tremendously satisfying, with fully rounded and believable individuals - of which my favourite would have to be the outrageous, stammering Anthony Blanche. You cannot help but fall for the charm of these people - even though they are all far from perfect - but that's what makes them human. This book transports you into another world that you want to stay in for so much longer than you are given. It is aching in its prose and funny too. An absolute triumph. More, more, more!

My STAR rating: FIVE

Length: 326 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print, audio CD, audio download, ebook.

Brave New World (87) - somebody's paradise

What a book! Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley should be read by everyone. It's a chilling exploration of what the future could hold if the majority of humanity turned it's back on ... well, what makes it "human". This is supposed to be utopia ... no illness, no ageing, no fear of death, no violence, no family and no religion ... well, kind of! Everyone is bred in test tubes, with eggs being divided and redivided to create myriads of twins. Whilst growing up, all babies and then children are conditioned to the way of life they have been bred to live - whether they are "alpha" or "gamma" or whatever. Different types of people are "happy" with their lot, no matter how grim their work - it's what they have been bred and conditioned to think and feel. Ambition is long gone. If people do start to "feel" uncomfortable - then there is a very simple solution - they just drop a dose of "soma" and all is well once again. In effect, everyone is drugged up to the eyeballs most of the time. Whether it's work, play or recreational sex - of which there is plenty - everyone knows their place. Living in this world is Bernard, who doesn't quite fit the mould. He cannot get to grips with his place in the world and is full of resentment. When he happens upon a "savage" - a boy who has grown up in the wild - where people do get fat or sick, but do believe in God or Buddha or whatever, he brings him back to "civilisation" in the hope of glory. The savage makes sense of the world through the Shakespearean plays he has read since an early age, and which he quotes to express his thoughts and feelings. Initially excited and intrigued by this civilisation, he soon becomes disgusted and turns his back on it. This is a great book - it is disturbing, funny, tempting and thought provoking, but a great story too. More books should have this effect on their readers. This will definitely stay with me.

My STAR rating: FIVE

Length: 237 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.00 in a second hand bookshop.
Formats available: print, audio CD or download, ebook

The BFG (56) - oddly dark

So, the last of the Roald Dahl titles on the Top 100 Reads list has just been completed ... The BFG, or Big Friendly Giant, is a bit of a dark tale that didn't sit comfortably with me. There are many dark elements to Roald Dahl books, but this one struck me as particularly so. Sophie, an unhappy orphan, is looking out of her window one night, when she spots a giant coming down the road and poking a trumpet in through a window. Surely, she's imagining this, and if not, what is he doing and where has he come from? But no, she's not seeing things ... the giant spots her, kidnaps her and takes her back to his country, in order to protect himself - as he fears he will be hunted down if people know there are giants. He explains that he uses the trumpet to blow nice dreams into bedrooms for children, and that he loves "human beans" in a good way ... not like the other giants living in his land. They head off each night to different countries for their dinner - which is as many humans as they think they can get away with. The BFG is disgusted by this, but feels helpless to stop them, as they are all twice the size of him. As he and Sophie get to know each other, they come up with a plan full of cunning and bravado, and of course, it involves the Queen! The BFG mixes up words all the time, which did start to get on my nerves. I wasn't too enamoured with the premise of the story either - all but one giant are bad, with absolutely no redeeming features. Far too black and white for my liking. There are some good bits, but not enough. Not a favourite of mine at all - I was quite disappointed I have to admit. 

My STAR rating: TWO.

Length: 199 print pages.
Price I paid: free - borrowed from local library.
Formats available: print; audio; ebook; multimedia CD.

Matilda (74) - a little girl with a big brain

This is more like it ... I feel I'm back on track with another book under my belt this week. It's Matilda, by Roald Dahl (get used to the name, there will be more) which I read in print. This is a great little book about a small girl who is badly treated at home - neither of her parents think much about her, if, indeed, they think of her at all. Her father, who is a dodgy car salesman, has taken a particular dislike to her for some reason, calling her stupid and a cheat on numerous occasions. Despite this poor treatment, she is a happy girl and keen to explore the world about her. As her parents won't do anything with her, or take her anywhere, she decides to take things into her own hands. She wants to read books (having taught herself to read) and one afternoon, when she is left alone in the house yet again, she heads off the library, where she begins to devour all the children's books and then, with the help of the librarian, delves into the realms of authors like Charles Dickens. So, by the time she starts school, she has accumulated a lot of knowledge. Her teacher, Miss Honey, recognises her intelligence and encourages her. But the headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, a veritable demon in a smock and breeches, starts to bully Matilda, her classmates and Miss Honey. Matilda is determined to work out a way to take revenge and, in the process, discovers that she has an exceptional talent! This book made me laugh out loud and you can't help root for Matilda as she takes on a great literary baddie in a classic case of brain versus brawn. I can highly recommend this book - good fun, where good triumphs over evil.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 232 print pages.
Price I paid: free - borrowed from local library.
Formats available: print, audio, ebook.

The Twits (82) - a bit of light relief!

After many, many weeks spent on two books (Gone with the Wind and War and Peace), I felt the need to get a few short books under my belt to keep me on track for my target of having completed 50 of the Best 100 Reads by the end of 2013. On this quest, I spotted a few Roald Dahl books on the list, and decided that this would provide some quick reads as well as a bit of light relief. And so I found myself finishing The Twits within an hour or so. It's the story of a horrible couple (The Twits) who only have nasty thoughts, never seem to wash and the only thing they seem to get pleasure from is playing nasty tricks on each other - hiding worms in spaghetti is one of the classics! Worst of all, they keep a family of monkeys in a small cage in their back garden. They are not treated well, and Mr Twit is "training" them to stand on their heads all day, everyday, and do everything standing on their heads. His aim is to then offer them a s a circus act. The monkeys would love to escape and their chance comes in the form of an exotic African bird who has flown north for the summer. In cahoots with other birds in the area (all of whom would be on the menu if the Twits could catch them), they come up with a plan to not only escape, but pay the Twits back for all the horrible things they have done. Guess what - they come to a sticky end! This is a book that children of a certain disposition will love, and I can see how much fun it would be to read aloud to a small child. For an adult, it made me smirk a few times. It is a light read that whiles away an hour or so and, I suspect if you were read this by a parent in your childhood, rereading it as an adult might well bring back warm and comforting feelings. (By the way - still going with War and Peace).

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 87 print pages.
Price I paid: free - borrowed from my local library.
Formats available: Print, audio.

Gone with the wind (21) ... is finally GONE!

Oh happy day ... I have, at long last, finished one of the epic books I have been reading. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell is a big book with big themes. Set during the American Civil War and its aftermath, the action focuses on Scarlett O'Hara - a beautiful, but unimaginative Southern Belle - she loves her dresses, she loves the parties, she loves Tara, the cotton plantation that is her home, and she loves being the most desired girl in the region, with a myriad of beaus constantly surrounding her. Life is good and going pretty much to plan - until the North and the South go to war over the issue of slavery. All the men go off to war - including the real object of her affection - Ashley Wilkes. Scarlett isn't interested in the war and tries to carry on as if it wasn't happening. However, when Ashley announces his forthcoming engagement to Melanie - a quiet, plain cousin of his - Scarlett does not take this well. After declaring her love for him, she is rejected, and in a fit of pique, goes off and marries another man. War then seeps into her life, when she is left a widow after a only a few weeks, but expecting her first child. She ends up sharing a house in Atlanta with Melanie, and hates it! Then a certain Rhett Butler starts to visit more and more often. Sparks fly as he is not taken in by any of her tricks, which drives her crazy. When Atlanta is overrun by the Yankees, Rhett helps them escape back to Tara, but then heads off to war himself. Scarlett rebuilds her life and becomes a hardened and determined woman who will "never be hungry again". The action continues and Scarlett, Rhett, Ashley and Melanie are all inextricably linked. The book never lets off and you never get comfortable. There is a lot to admire in Scarlett, but many a time you just want to give her a good, hard slap! It is a good read, though I did find it hard at times with the language used to describe the slaves - it was a very different time and place to now, that's for sure. If you can get your head around that, then I can recommend this book to anyone who loves strong leading characters and star crossed lovers ... with several stings in the tale.

My star rating: FOUR.

Length: 1010 print pages.
Price I paid: free - borrowed from my local library.
Formats available: print, audio (I think), ebook.

It's been a while ...

So, it's been a while since I posted a blog - almost a month! In case some of you had started to think I'd dropped off he edge of the world, I thought I'd better put down a few lines. I am STILL reading War and Peace on audio (not even halfway through yet), as well as Gone with the Wind in print (about 5/8ths through). I cannot believe how long these books seem to be taking me. I sometimes wonder if the very length of them is somehow having an unforeseen consequence in my reading performance. As I'm thinking "This is going to take me ages to read" every time I pick them up ... am I fulfilling my own prophecy, but even more so? The thing is, I am enjoying them both, but it does make my heart sink a little that I haven't finished either of them as yet, and my challenge for this year is very much slipping through my fingers. I have been very busy both at work and socially over the last month - which tends to mean that my normal reading time hasn't been too productive. At bedtime, I'm too tired to read more than a few pages, and the long lie in on a Saturday hasn't been as long as normal due to a full "dance card". I need to set some serious time aside to crack on - really don't want another month to go by and STILL be reading the same two books. That would make me a very glum girl!

Winnie-the-Pooh (7) - a smile on my face!

So, it's been a bit quiet from me on the blog over the last couple of weeks - it's not that I've not been reading, it's just that I'm reading a couple of monsters ... Gone with the Wind (print), AND, War and Peace (audio). Boy oh boy - they are a bit on the daunting side, just because of the sheer size of them. I am enjoying both books but was starting to feel that I wasn't getting anywhere in terms of "the list" - so, for a bit of light relief, I've just spent a couple of hours reading Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne. I chose the print edition so that I could get the full benefit of the words plus the glorious illustrations by E.H. Shephard. What an absolute treat. I read the whole book with a smile on my face. It is sweet, touching and funny. For those of you who may not know, our eponymous hero is a bear of little brain but a big love of honey (or hunny as he would say). He lives in a wood with a whole host of neighbours - nervous Piglet, know-all Rabbit, wise Owl and sad and sarcastic Eeyore. There are various adventures, usually involving their best human friend - Christopher Robin. It is a study of friendship, language and community. Each chapter is a different adventure - from Pooh trying to disguise himself as a cloud in order to fool the bees guarding their honey, to the whole cast going on an expedition to find the North Pole. I cannot praise this book highly enough and can completely and utterly understand why this book lives long in the hearts and minds of anyone who has read it. A tonic for anyone feeling down in the dumps. I just wish I had children of a certain age to give me an excuse to read it to them (and me) time and time again!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 161 print pages.
Price I paid: free (borrowed from my local library).
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Good Omens (68) - not so sure myself!

For anyone who has been following this blog for a while, you will already know that I am a self-confessed fan of Terry Pratchett and have been an avid reader of his Discworld novels for many a year, so I was really looking forward to reading Good Omens by the great man himself and Neil Gaiman, which features in 100 Top Reads list. I had no fear that I wouldn't enjoy this book immensely, having also read previous works by Mr Gaiman, however, I found this an "almost" book. Subtitled "The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch", we find ourselves realising that according to Agnes's predictions, the world is about to come to an end. Enter into the arena, the four horsemen of the apocalypse (pestilence has changed his name to pollution to reflect the modern era), a bizarre witch hunter and his new apprentice, the long distant relative of Agnes, and a young boy called Adam, who is actually the son of the Dark Lord - but isn't aware of his prophesied fate. Adam just wants to carry on being the leader of his little gang of friends, but when the opposing forces of good and evil start to close in on him he comes up with a cunning plan which belies his earthly years. There are jokes and I did chuckle - but not nearly enough. It takes a while to get going, and I found it overly long for the actual situation. The last quarter of the tale really perked up, but not enough to salvage it in my eyes. I did enjoy the characters of an angel and a demon who, behind the scenes have been trying to steer humanity to good/evil over the years. They are supposed to be adversaries, but are really the only friends the other has got and the lines between right and wrong are often a bit blurry .. which is maybe the point of the book. However, other characters just didn't do it for me and I didn't think they brought anything to the table. I felt, overall, that this was less than the sum of its parts. Maybe I'd expected too much, or the subject matter was just not for me. Disappointed!

My STAR rating: THREE

Length: 402 print pages.
Price I paid: Free - borrowed from a friend
Formats available: print; audio CD unabridged; audio download unabridged; ebook. 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (30) - off with his head!

I have seen a few adaptations of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll on screen, but had never actually read the original work itself. It starts off great - Alice, intrigued by a glimpse of a rabbit who appears to be muttering to himself - falls down a hole, and keeps falling and falling and falling - but remarkably, she isn't at all scared. What begins, as she falls, is an internal dialogue that I found highly entertaining. She bucks herself up and gives herself a good talking to at times, and then at others, pats herself on the back when she realises she understands a tricky word or situation. However, Alice isn't a totally lovable character and her impatience comes out - you can almost feel her stamping her foot in frustration at times - just like a real little girl. This book is a total flight of fancy - with talking creatures such as the white rabbit, the mad hatter and the dormouse, and of course, the royal household of Wonderland - a pack of cards - which has the unenviable task of dealing with the despotic Queen of Hearts who is forever instructing her minions to chop the head off yet another unfortunate soul. Alice finds herself meeting all sorts of creatures in this strange land and manages to keep her head before finding herself back where she started. I found much of this classic children's fantasy amusing, and although I felt it lost its way a little about halfway through, I did enjoy it on the whole, although as the Kindle version I read was just the plain text, I felt I missed out on the glorious illustrations of the print copy.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 160 print pages.
Price I paid: free.
Formats available: print; abridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Dune (39), by Frank Herbert - sand, worms and fights

Dune is probably one of the most famous science fiction novels ever, but for some reason, I've never thought of reading it - and probably wouldn't have done so if it hadn't featured as one of the books in my challenge this year. However, I would have missed out on an epic tale of treachery, mysticism, love, power and sand! The action centres on a desert planet called Arrakis, and a young 15-year-old called Paul Atreides whose father is a Duke of the Noble House of Atreides. The Duke is made the steward of the planet by the Emperor - a move not enjoyed by House Harkonnen who had previously ruled there. The planet is harsh and not many would chose to live ther if it weren't for it's unique resource - Melange - which enables interstellar travel as well as granting psychic powers and longevity to people who consume it. And so, House Harkonnen plot to get back their position. First Paul's father is killed and then Paul and his mother are cast out into the desert to an assumed death. However, Paul comes across the Fremen, a tribe of desert dwellers who teach him how to survive and he not only becomes one of them but is slowly revealed as much more than a usurped duke. They start to see him as a Messiah when he displays amazing abilities ... abilities that are the result of a very long-term genetic experiment designed to breed a superhuman - an experiment designed by a secretive order of women, one of whom is his mother. His struggle comes to a head (of course) with the big players coming together for a final showdown which will determine the future of the planet and the Empire itself. This really is an epic and is full of intrigues and twists and turns and very large worms! A really good read that transports you to a completely different place, but which, at the root, is full of classic themes. Well worth the effort - and in the audio format I read, which used different voices for the main characters, a real treat!

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 624 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Secret Garden (51) - a book of delights

Who would have thought that such an unprepossessing book as The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett would prove to be such a delight to read! The action starts in India, just at the point when an unloved and unlikeable child, called Mary, loses both her parents to cholera. She is shipped back to England to stay at the large but gloomy house of her uncle - but he doesn't seem to want her either. Left to her own devices, she explores the vast gardens and is intrigued by a walled garden to which there is no entrance. Determined to get her own way (which is what usually happens) she sets out to find a way in, even though she has been told that it is forbidden  - her uncle closed the garden up following the death of his wife. Into Mary's insular world enters a grizzled and grumpy gardener called Ned, a local boy (Dickon) who seems to be able to charm animals, a friendly robin and then, quite unexpectedly, her cousin Colin - who is just as unlikeable and unloved as she is. When they find a way into the secret garden, both it and the unlikely companions start to work a kind of magic on the cousins, who seem to blossom in parallel to the plants and flowers they tend. This is a great book, with a message for everyone - don't brood on dark thoughts, as they will eat away at you and stop you living a full life. Focus on something a little lighter ... and you may just find that suddenly, you are not worrying and festering amongst the darkness anymore and that anything is possible! I so enjoyed this book and I hope that if you haven't read it - you will - definitely worth a few hours of your time.

My STAR rating: FIVE

Length: 288 print pages.
Price I paid: Free on Kindle.
Formats available: print; audio CD; audio download; ebook.

Black Beauty (58) - diary of a horse

Not quite sure what to make of Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell, which I read in print. It's written from the point of view of the horse - Black Beauty - starting when he is a foal and having an idyllic life with his mother. When he is sold to a gentleman, all goes well - he is superbly looked after and works hard for his master and mistress, and makes friends in the stable with a flighty horse called Ginger, and a solid pony called Merryweather. However, nothing lasts for ever and he is moved on, and on and on. He encounters cruelty at times and goodness at others amongst the humans he encounters and the book is certainly a rally cry to improve the lot of the working horse - particularly highlighting how the fashion for certain ways of treating horses could be cruel and could ruin them. Beauty eventually becomes a cab horse in London. He has a great master, but experiences horrific things around him - including a sad end for his old friend Ginger. When his gentle master becomes ill, things take a turn for the worse and he is very nearly sent to the knackers yard. However, a farmer takes a chance on him and nurses him back to health and finds a great final home for Beauty. This is a heart-warming story, but is a bit disjointed for my liking. I can see why youngsters would really enjoy this book, but it's a bit too simplistic for me. If it did anything to improve how horses were regarded and treated in the 1870s (when this book was written), then I applaud it mightily.

My STAR rating: THREE

Length: 263 print pages.
Price I paid: free (borrowed from local library)
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; abridged audio CD; ebook.

Jane Eyre (10) - reader, we loved it!

Hurrah, I cannot hide my joy at having read this delight of a book. It's Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, which I read as an audio book with the glorious Juliet Stephenson narrating! What an absolute pleasure it has been to have this book worm its way into my mind through the dulcet tones of this great actress. Our heroine is a strong willed, plain girl who becomes orphaned at an early age and is taken in by her unwilling aunt. The outcome is not good, and she gets shipped to a girls school which is at first harsh, but after a scandal involving the deaths of many of the girls, improves and Jane finds peace there. When it comes time to leave, she applies for a job as a governess in a large house in the country. Jane settles in and eventually meets her employer - Mr Rochester - a strange, unhappy and unattractive man. Over time, they talk and spar and despite her best efforts to resist, Jane develops an affection for this man. However, he is destined to marry a beautiful society lady and Jane concentrates on teaching her young student. But why is it that whenever he gets into trouble (which is quite often), it is Jane he always turns to? And what is at the centre of his sadness and ill temper? Jane is stunned, but overjoyed when he suddenly asks her to marry him. However, disaster strikes on their wedding day ... and she runs away and starts a new life. Will she ever find happiness? You can't help root for Jane who is one of the strongest female characters I think I have ever found in a book. The interplay between her and Mr Rochester sparkles and the book is full of life and twists and turns. It's a joy to read from start to finish and if you can get hold of this particular audio edition you will not be disappointed. Wish I was starting it again!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 404 print pages.
Price I paid: £3.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; abridged audio CD; multimedia CD; ebook.

The Great Gatsby (43) - man of mystery

The Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald is a little gem. Short, but packed to the gunnels with character and incident, it is narrated by Nick Carraway who has just moved to West Egg, right next door to one Mr Jay Gatsby. Wherever Nick goes, he hears stories about the enigmatic Gatsby ... an Oxford man, he once killed a man, dubious business man ... and on it goes. Eventually, he is invited to one of Gatsby's legendary Saturday night parties - everyone who is anyone goes to the parties, and all talk about Gatsby, but no-one actually seems to really know him. Nick suddenly finds that he is talking to the man himself, and so begins a relationship that is destined for tragedy. It turns out that Gatsby doesn't really have a friend and he adopts Nick as an instant confidante and pal. Slowly, Nick gets to hear about the real Gatsby, and is not exactly comfortable with what he finds out. Gatsby is obsessed with Daisy Buchanan, and is convinced that she loves him back and will ditch her constantly cheating husband, Tom. The action speeds up and it all comes to a head with deadly consequences. This is a great read, full of insights into American "high society" of the 1920's. I really enjoyed it and can recommend it without hesitation. 

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 148 print pages.
Price I paid: free (from local library)
Formats available: print; audio CD abridged; audio download unabridged; ebook.

The Catcher in the Rye (15) ... did I miss something?

So, JD Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye, is a book that is talked about on a regular basis. It's one that I kept thinking I should read to see what all the fuss is about and make sure I wasn't missing out on anything. Well, maybe it's just me - but I just don't get what people see in this book. Yes, it's different to anything else I've read - almost like a free form diary of a disgruntled 16 year old boy(Holden Caulfield). He hates and loves at the flick of a switch - fickle in some ways, but deeply loyal in others (to his sister Phoebe). It's written with all the slang of the fifties and the language can be a little fruity. It feels like the unedited thoughts of Holden as he spends a couple of days trying to decide what to do after he is expelled from yet another school. Too afraid to go home to feel the wrath of his father, he wanders around New York encountering people he takes an instant dislike to, or who he thinks he might have a connection with - but that tends to fade quickly. Generally an unhappy, angst-ridden rant against the world he finds himself in and doesn't understand - it's hard to feel any sympathy with Holden who seems to have brought all his woes on his own head. This book irritated me, and I cannot fathom why it seems to have influenced so many people. Maybe I'm too old - and if I'd read it as a teenager with all those hormones running through my veins then perhaps I would feel differently - but I don't think so. A book elevated beyond its content - don't bother reading if you haven't done so.

My STAR rating: TWO.

Length: 192 print pages.
Price I paid: free (borrowed from my local library)
Formats available: print; audio; ebook.

Great Expectations (17) is a great start to the year

First book to be completed this year is Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, which I read on my Kindle. Almost everyone will have an idea of what this book is about, which starts with a young boy (Pip) coming across a convict (Magwitch) on the marshes and stealing food from his sister to give to the convict, as well as a file to free himself from his leg-irons. Magwitch is recaptured in dramatic style, and Pip's life changes with the invitation to go to Miss Havisham's grand house - where he meets Estella, a girl destined to break his heart. As he gets older, he receives word that he is to come into money - the Great Expectations of the title. His head is turned and he wants to become a gentleman to impress the increasingly beautiful and unattainable Estella. When he discovers the true identity of his benefactor, his life begins to crumble. Pip is a hard character to like - I just wanted to slap him at times ... not happy with his lot and jumping at the chance to leave behind the people who care for him to try to impress people that don't! Will there be redemption? This is Dickens at his best - great characters, great plot and definitely NOT an ending that ties up all the loose ends. Good start to 2013!

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 512 print pages.
Price I paid: free.
Formats available: Print, unabridged audio download, abridged audio CD, ebook.

The scores on the doors!

I have now looked closer at the challenge I have set myself ... and am a little scared! Of the 100 books on the list, I've definitely read 29. I think I might have read a couple more, but couldn't guarantee it, so I'm keeping them on the "to do" side of the balance sheet. On a more positive note, of the top 25 books on the list, I've read 14, so not too bad on that score.

The books I've already read are ...

1. The Lord of the Rings (fabulous epic).
2. Pride and Prejudice (ahh!)
3. His Dark Materials (so much better than Harry Potter)
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (laugh out loud, resistance is useless)
8. Nineteen Eighty Four (read this at school, but thought it was one of the best books I've read)
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (read in my teens)
11. Catch 22 (not my cup of tea)
12. Wuthering Heights (I hated all the characters and couldn't wait for them to die!)
13. Birdsong (my favourite book - if you haven't read this, YOU MUST DO SO NOW!)
14. Rebecca (went through a massive Daphne du Maurier phase in my youth - cracking story)
18. Little Women (good in parts)
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin (very enjoyable, but I couldn't get the image of Nicholas Cage out of my head!)
22. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (good story, but I found the writing a bit sub-standard, so didn't pursue the rest of the series ... until now it seems!)
25. The Hobbit (Golem, hairy feet, magic ... what's not to like)
35. Charlie and the Chocolate factory (memories of childhood bedtime reading)
37. A Town Like Alice (loved this book, and other Nevile Shute books which I raced through in my twenties)
46. Animal Farm (another MUST READ)
47. A Christmas Carol (a classic, familiar story, but good to read for yourself rather that just rely on the TV or film adaptations)
52. Of Mice and Men (heartbreaking)
59. Artemis Fowl (Funny and clever and definitely not just for kids)
63. A Tale of Two Cities (I discovered a depth to the story that doesn't come across in TV adaptations)
65. Mort (I love Terry Pratchett and this is a cracker)
70. Lord of the Flies (shocking)
71. Perfume (odd, but satisfying)
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (Awesome, heavy, heart-breaking, but totally believable)
75. Bridget Jones's Diary (daft and funny)
79. Bleak House (deep, detailed and gripping)
84. Gormenghast (Fabulous fantasy with brilliant characters)
93. The Colour of Magic (the first of the Discworld novels, and it's a doozy)

I do NOT expect to have read all of the remaining 71 books by the end of this year ... I do have a day job and other things to do except read after all ... but I'll be disappointed if I don't reach 70 by 31st December 2013. I'm a good way through Great Expectations (17), and have just started Jane Eyre (10) too, so am on my way ...

New year, and a new challenge ...

In this, my third year of blogging about books, I have decided to challenge myself to reading as many of the novels voted as being in the Top 100 Books during the BBC's Big Read debate back in 2003. Hundreds of thousands of people nominated the books that meant the most to them. This was a vote by the people, for the people, rather than a list created by a bunch of well-meaning literatis out to improve the minds of the common people. So, ten years on, I thought it would be interesting to revisit the list and see how many I'd already read and what gaps I should look to fill.
So, what's on the list ... you might want to join me and see what you can do during this year too to get as many of these read as you can!

Here is the full list:

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

As I look through it, I've already read a few of these ... but a good few of thos I wouldn't mind reading again, which is a good sign. Onwards, onwards, into the valley of books ...