Week 38: An unusual philosphical epic ... in Oz!

I have just finished my 41st book -  A Fraction of the Whole, by Steve Toltz, which I read as an audiobook. It is an epic - telling the life story of Martin Dean ... the most hated man in Australia, who is the brother of Terry Dean ... the most loved man in Australia. How did two brothers become the polar opposite on the popularity stakes? Well, as the book unfolds, we find out in graphic detail about the Dean family, from before the brothers were born to their deaths. Told from two perspectives - Jasper, the much put upon and regularly bewildered and disgusted son of Martin, and from Martin himself. The use of two excellent narrators to voice each of these two works fabulously. Full of philosophical musings (and the odd rant), with Jung, Frome and others all in the mix - we journey through a lifetime of lows and disappointments, with the odd highpoint thrown in to prevent you from complete despair. Despite the often desperate (and usually self-inflicted) situations Martin finds himself in - there are an amazing number of laughs and chuckles smattered throughout. It is a long, long book - and there are some tricky sections to plough through, but it is definitely worth the effort. Not for the faint-hearted (language, violence and general seediness are to be found!), this is a book that will stay with me, despite having a central character that you just want to slap. It's a book about life - luckily, someone else's life - but the core themes of relationships - siblings, fathers and sons, mothers and sons, wives and girlfriends - are thing any of us can related to. I'll miss the Dean family - and I never though I would say that.

My star rating: FOUR

The stats bit:
Length: 720 print pages (around 26 hours in audio)
Price I paid: £7.99 (via my monthly download from Audible)
Other formats available in: Print; EBook; Audio CD.

Week 37 ...and a bit!: Little Women is book 40

After what has seemed a VERY long time, I have finished reading my fortieth book of 2011 - Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, which I read as an Ebook. Written in 1868, this coming-of-age novel takes its inspiration from the author's own life and family. The "little women" are the four sisters of the March family - Jo (tomboy and writer), Beth (quiet, gentle and musical), Meg (the home-maker) and Amy (youngest, artistic and most lady-like of the bunch).

We follow the sisters as they grow up in the shadow of the Civil War, with their father away from home, and their mother trying to keep them happy, healthy and trying to teach them the practical skills they'll need for their future lives. There is a deeply moralistic heart to the book - how we should try and live with each other in the world which some might find offputting. However, there is fun to be had and scrapes to extricate themselves from as the four are no angels and there is the familiar bickering like all sisters do. As they grow up we see them move away from their childish concerns to more adult ones - will any of them marry, will they be able to move out of poverty, how will they cope with illness? After what I felt was a very slow start, I did eventually get sucked into this family and start to care about what happened to each of the characters. You do need to persist with it though and I recommend that if you are thinking of reading this book, then you give yourself good chunks of time to do so, rather than snatching 10 minutes here and there. I'm glad I have got through this classic, but it is very of its time, which I suppose is an education in itself. Not for the thrill seeker, but a good book for those who like character-based stories. There are further books which follow on from Little Women, and whilst I did enjoy following the trials and tribulations of the March family, I'm not sure it was quite enough to continue with it.




My star rating: THREE.

The stats bit ...
Length: 530 print pages.
Price I paid: Free on the Kindle.
Other formats available in: print; audiobook on CD; audiobook as a download.

Week 36: No new books, but have discovered croquet!

I've got two books on the go at the moment - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and A Fraction of the  Whole by Steve Toltz. I feel like I've been reading the latter, on audio, for ages, as it's a bit of a chunky beast of a story about a father and son relationship, set in Australia. Sometimes it's hard reading and at others it's laugh out loud funny. An odd mixture of a book but I think it's going to be worth the effort. Little Women, on the other hand is a classic novel that I'd heard was a must read, but I was feeling a bit ambivalent and a tad disappointed for a good few chapters until quite unexpectedly, I have been sucked in and am both interested in, and rooting for, the four sisters and their mother. Two completely different books - one very modern in tone and language, and the other, using language that wouldn't upset a nun - but their central themes are similar in that it's all about family and relationships! Who would have thought!

My weekends are usually big reading opportunities, but this last one has been different. My big sister is 50 and we had a "bit of a do" at her house! The clan gathered and had a loud and giggly and please no more food time. Excellent times and a great set of photo's have been taken by my brother-in-law that will help keep a record of our daft family for the younger generation to be able to look at in years ahead when mine is even more decrepit! Anyhow - one of the highlights was having my first ever game of croquet. This was unexpectedly difficult but excellent fun. Whilst I'm sure more experienced players would have been appalled at our loose interpretation of the rules, let alone the rather bumpy pitch, we became hooked - especially my youngest niece who turned out to be a bit of a star player. Just might have to find out if there is a local club. Who would have believed that whacking a ball around with a mallet through hoops could be so much fun! Thanks sis for thinking of hiring the croquet set for the weekend and thanks for everything else too - but boy have you set a high standard for 50th birthday celebrations ... but then you always have been a hard act to follow.

Borrowing a book on Malta - yes please!

Thanks Jonathan, I'd love to borrow your book and find out more about Malta during the war, as it sounds like something we should all recognise and understand and not just think of Malta as a holiday destination.

I'm posting a new entry in the blog rather than trying to post a comment - for some reason, over the last couple of months I cannot post a comment on my own blog! Am not alone - on a blogger forum, there were quite a few messages and queries about this - but we haven't had an answer as yet ... if any of you have a solution, I'm all ears.

Week 35: War time thriller with a twist! (book 39)

Just finished a really good book - one of those that once I'd got half way through, I just couldn't wait for the next opportunity to carry on reading it. Definitely a page-turner! The book was The Information Officer, by Mark Mills which I read in print. Set in Malta during the second world war, we discover a part of world history that many might never have heard about. Max Chadwick is the "Information Officer" whose job is to help keep the morale of the island upbeat despite it being under constant siege by the German Luftwaffe. While the bombs are falling and tensions start to build between the locals and the British "defenders", Max discovers that there could be a serial killer on the loose, who is using the cover of the bombing raids to hide his tracks. Can Max find out the truth and stop any further killings and, as if that wasn't enough to be getting on with, can he finally admit his feelings to the woman he loves? This is a well written novel, which hooks you in to the main characters quickly. There are twists and turns as you would expect, and I could really see this as a film. It has also made me want to find out more about life on Malta during the second world war, which became one of the most intensively bombed places during the war, as the two sides fought for control over this strategically placed hunk of rock.

My star rating: FOUR stars

The stats bit:
Length: 400 pages in print.
Price I paid: £0.50 (at local church fete)
Other formats available: Audio CD; Audio download; Ebook (Kindle).

18 August 2011 - Varifocals and reading!

My eyesight has deteriorated substantially in the last year and the time has finally come for me to try to get to grips with varifocals. I have just picked up my new glasses today and am giving them a go around the house. Can really see the difference for the telly, but haven't yet done much reading. How will I get on with them ... only time will tell. I'm certainly hoping they'll help with my reading - which was starting to become awkward as I kept having to hold my books at arms length. With my Kindle, it wasn't so bad, because I could increase the size of the text to compensate for lack of focus on things within 2 feet of my face! Some people have huge problems with varifocals - including two of my sisters - but others just take to them instantly. Fingers crossed I'm in the second category. Will let you know how it goes ... as long as I don't fall down the stairs as I miss a step between focuses! TTFN 

Week 34 - Wading Home: A Novel of New Orleans (book 38)

Wading Home: A Novel of New Orleans, by Rosalyn Story - which I read as an Ebook on my Kindle - is a novel which uses the backdrop of hurricane Katrina to weave a tale of fathers and sons, home-coming, food and, of course, Jazz! When Simon Fortier, chef and stalwart of the community, goes missing after hurricane Katrina, Julian, his jazz-trumpeter son comes home from New York to try and find out what's happened to him. We follow Julian as he tries to come to terms with the devastation left behind by the hurricane, the apparent lack of timely support by the authorities and his guilt over the last conversation he'd had with his father.  He finds comfort in the music of the city, the homely food that somehow finds its way to the table when more than two locals meet, and the friends he had virtually abandoned when he'd left New Orleans to find fame and fortune across the world. Will he find his father and will he be able to understand how the city maintains its hold over a community that has been ripped apart. This is a really good read - and the writing evokes the sounds, smells, tastes and sights of New Orleans and the people who are trying to rebuild their homes and maintain their own particular culture.

My star rating: FOUR stars

The stats bit:
Length: 306 pages in print.
Price I paid: £0.00 (was free when I downloaded it, but it isn't now)
Other formats available:  Print.