I will admit - I'm skipping ahead in my book reviews. I read these exactly one year ago now - trust me, you aren't missing anything with the stuff I'm skipping. I'm so behind in my reviews that if I don't skip ahead I'm going to forget what the books were about.
Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
I was intrigued with this book - a woman who keeps re-living her life until "she gets it right". And not in a funny way like Groundhog Day. It was well written and made me want to read more by this author. *
Fortune's Rocks - Anita Shreve
Anita Shreve usually does a number on my emotions. This was a good book, but a different style for her. I enjoyed it although I felt like it ran a little long. However the relationship between the heroine and her lover is really intense.....then again a little unbelievable and....strange.
Above all Things - Tanis Rideout
I was really looking forward to this one, and it was good - but that's it. Not completely memorable but a solid three stars. I know I'm not saying much, but honestly nothing stands out.
The Hidden Reality - Brian Greene
I love physics and Brian Greene is so good at explaining complicated theories in layman's terms. That being said there are theories in this book that were still way over my head. If you want a challenge and are interested - a definite must-read.
The Moving Toyshop - Edmund Crispin
Brad reads a lot of "old classic mysteries" and this one looked really good. If fell so flat, I was really disappointed. The synopsis was like a trick, it pulled me in but didn't deliver on the mysterious "how'd they do it?!" aspect. I wish someone modern would take this idea and re-do it properly.
What are you guys reading? I've been reading a book since January 1st and I'm not sure about it yet.
* I did try another book by Atkinson and I couldn't get through it - I didn't like the characters, the story or the writing?! (One Good Turn)
Happy New Year!
2015 was an intense, crazy year. I started my own business, met tons of new people, lots of good camping trips through the summer and a trip to San Francisco. Lots of changes and new experiences. Overall it was a great year!
Best Book
I can't help it this year, it's a tie.
I'm not sure if you could find two more different books.
Last year a Joseph Boyden book was the best, this year I read the sequel. This book made me cry. CRY. His writing is incredible.
Ready Player One was also amazing for different reasons. It's a fun, original story that grabs your attention right away. It's also a trip back to 80's nostalgia. I recommend having Google Images close by if you can't remember or don't know about the things he's talking about.
(Honourable mentions: The Martian, A Pair of Blue Eyes)
Best Album
Digits - Death and Desire was on high rotation for most of the year. Such great music to work to, it's edgy but not too crazy and distracting. (Honourable mention: Hot Chip - Why Make Sense.)
Best Instagram
I still love Brad's shirt, this is my favourite t-shirt and the lighting is great. I seem to have tons of shots of my messy desk, coffee and - surprisingly - beer in my feed this year.
Best Blog Post
My favourite book lead to my best blog post. Krull. Definitely not the best movie - in fact one of the worst movies ever. But I love this cartoon and I still laugh of the memory of how tortured Brad was.
Best Show
I know, I'm late to the party. As usual. I'm actually only on Season 2 but it's such a great show. So rare that I can find something that makes me laugh out loud.
(Honourable mention: W1A and The Killing.)
Best Movie
We actually just saw this last night, but I'm including it as 2015 movies. This is also another blog post in itself, but I'll wait because I don't want to spoil it for anyone.
I'm looking forward to 2016! We're planning a big trip, my parents are here for the month of January, I'm busy with work, and best of all......I'll be getting these braces off sometime this year!
I'm so far behind with my book reviews, and I'm sure you guys are sick of capsule posts...
Today I added another horrific read to my one star, bad books list. I'll do another 'special' book review post on it.
Blasphemy - Douglas Preston
I turn to these guys when I want pure escapism/mindless thrillers. I love stories that revolve around science - even if the stories are a little far fetched. It's like a good action movie (as opposed to a Vin Diesel movie) in book form.
Borrowed Time - Robert Goddard
This book seemed to have so much potential in the synopsis. Unfortunately the story dragged and it fell flat. I was really bored and looking back, I'm surprised I finished it. I won't read him again.
The Dinner - Herman Koch
An interesting book. I love that it took place in one evening, however there was also lots of back story which was necessary to describe the situation. There was one part that made me laugh out loud. A solid three star book.
The Probable Future - Alice Hoffman
I really like Alice Hoffman, however this one fell a tiny bit short for me. Her prose is there but I thought the story dragged a bit in the middle. She does such a wonderful job of building up the settings and people so it's enough for me to recommend it.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
What can I say? Hardy is my favourite author and this is one of his best. Better review here.
Endless Night - Agatha Christie
After reading Hardy, I usually turn to something light. Agatha Christie is a good place to start. Unfortunately this one was strange. Not her usual whodunnit. Still worth reading to get a full spectrum of her writing.
Here's to another week! I hope your guys had a great Thanksgiving.
Recently I read two books - almost in a row - that kind of destroyed me.
If you spend time here, you'll see that I'm all over the map with my reading. General fiction mostly but I throw in some thrillers, classics and I'm just getting into science fiction.
Once in a while I'll come across a book that is so awful I can't finish it. I usually read about 50 - 100 pages, give it a fair chance, put it down and move on.
Then there are books like this.
So I can appreciate the whole adding-weird-photos-and-text-and-graphics-to-novels-thing that some authors are into lately. That part of the book didn't bother me.*
What bothered me was a nonsensical story involving super annoying characters with a plot line leading no where. There was also a side story that was so bizarre it ended up frustrating me to death. When that story had some guy wandering through the Blitz shooting escaped zoo animals, I threw the book onto my donate pile.
Then....I started reading this beauty.
Sigh.
I know - horror books. I'm taking a chance, I know that! But this one was recommended.
I was about 50 pages from the end when I quit. Let's just say when I got to the scene with the vampire with no face and an erection, I reached my quota of stupidity.
When I read something this bad, it turns me off reading for a couple days. It's intense. Brad also has to put up with my ranting.
*The Raw Shark Texts did a way better job of this by the way.
I had three or four epic reading fails in a row this summer. That will be another blog post. For now, the usual.
Left Neglected - Lisa Genova
I found the main character in this book annoying and shallow. She's begins by being so obsessed with her work I feel like she already has major issues other than the devastating diagnosis that's in store for her. I understand the author isn't exactly writing a novel, but it doesn't make me want to read more from her. Overall the book fell flat in many ways.
Annihilation - Jeff Vandermeer
I saw this book all over the place and was in the mood for something eerie so it seemed appropriate. It's a short book, only about 200 pages and honestly - it's weird. I finished the book and wondered what I had just read.
My craving for eerie/creepy reading went unsatisfied yet again...
Floating Staircase - Ronald Malfi
I realize I'm taking a risk with these books, but this little voice in my head keeps saying "What if it's what you're looking for? Give it a try." Well, this one wasn't great either. It read like a Hollywood TV mini series, and a cheesy one at that. Nothing too creepy either.
Plus the ebook came as a pdf which added more layers of annoyance.
Enduring Love - Ian McEwan
I love this guy. Nobody builds up tension like McEwan and I totally dig it. The only problem is sometimes the tension builds up, the book is awesome, the "big event" happens and then it's "downhill" and I'm only about halfway through the book.
That being said, I'll definitely read him again.
Old City Hall - Robert Rotenberg
This guy has migrated to the top five of my "page turner" authors. He writes what you wish John Grisham wrote about - the crimes, cops and lawyers who solve them. Plus he includes the trials. It's like Law and Order in a book and best yet - he's Canadian so it's even more relevant. I'm now on his fourth book (I read this one over a year ago) and I'm hoping he writes more.
Death Comes to Pemberley - P.D. James
Normally I scoff - SCOFF - at anyone who comes near Jane Austen and messes with her books. But if there is an author I can forgive it's PD James. She also wrote an apology in the beginning of the book which I love. This mystery isn't bad either, good page turning and she brings back Elizabeth in a classy way. She also treated Lydia perfectly.
At least there were no zombies. Don't ask.
Both Brad and I were reading good books this long weekend. You would think this is a good thing but it's not really. We didn't do anything we intended to!
And now the weekend is over.
First world problems I know.
Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane
I don't know, this book bugged me. I read it really quickly while we were staying in a cabin so it was good fluff. There's a a twist at the end, but it fell flat for me.
Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
I think there is a subtle reason this novel is such a classic. If I had read this when I was a teenager it definitely would have resonated with me because the main character is SUCH a teenager. One minute extremely annoying, then you just want to protect him and comfort him the next minute. A must read.
The Distant Hours - Kate Morton
I really get in to Kate Morton's books. This stuff is right up my alley. I love how she goes from the past to the present, strings me along with the mystery right until the end and builds up tension. This one is as good as all her others. I notice a definite "formula" to her stories but who cares?! It works.
He's Gone - Deb Caletti
In all the madness that was Gone Girl, this one falls into the same category. I was hooked right away. This couple was pretty dysfunctional to begin with, but when he disappears I could relate to what she went through. The twist at the end caught me off guard. I'd highly recommend.*
The Big Over Easy - Jasper Fforde
I really want to like this guy. His crazy stories seem totally suited to my mental personality. And he throws a murder mystery in?! Sounds perfect.
But it sucks. I gave this book one star on Good Reads. I couldn't stand it. The writing was boring and honestly, something really dumb happened at the end that put me over the edge but I can't remember what it was. I even remember ranting about it?!
In the Woods - Tana French
This one started out promising with a good mystery, good writing....then it seemed to turn into a character study of the two detectives. There was a strong female detective whose personality I totally got into, but overall I would hesitate to read her again.
What have you guys read lately that's worth picking up?
*A hundred times better than After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman.
Uh-oh.
This year we both said "five to ten books and that's it."
Remember how last year was Brad's year? Well, karma was in the house because this year belonged to me. I got four books off my paper list (fist pump if I find one) and three off my GoodReads list (casually pick up and put in my bag without looking at the back).
On our way in I said that I wanted to find a Photoshop textbook. Wandered over to the computer section..Boom. Done.* While walking to the check out, I said that I hadn't found the book I wanted the most.....we looked at the 'Staff Picks' table on the way out - there it was.
I don't think I've mentioned this before but I totally love old sci-fi book covers from the 60's and 70's. In the science fiction section there was an entire box of old Robert A. Heinlein books - old ones. I bought three including this one:
What are those pink snake-lizards? Those guys have awesome uniforms and what is that floaty submarine-sphere? I love it all.
*Said like Johnny T!
I'm reading the most incredible book right now: Ready Player One*. There are tons of 80's references and some of them take me back to my childhood in a big way.
I was innocently reading along when the author happened to mention the title of a movie:
Krull.
The instant I read that word, I immediately saw this image in my mind.
Yeah, I know.....shudder.
I never actually saw the movie. I just remember looking at the VHS cover with disgust when I was a kid. It blew my mind that I could recall this image in an instant. Cheesy lasers, cheesy princess, giant claws, scary head and best of all: what the hell are those little glowing things flying out of the monster's mouth?!
So I convinced Brad that we should watch it that night! I warned him that I hadn't seen it, had somehow knew to avoid it when I was younger and that it was most likely horrendous.
We had no idea.
Brad made it though about 45 minutes before I noticed him curled into the fetal position, begging me to turn it off. I'm not sure if it was the flying horses with flaming hooves, the silly princess, the annoying character who kept turning into random animals or the cyclops that put him over the edge.
*If you haven't read this book, do it. Do it now. Do it.**
** Do it.
I've been hinting about telling you about my foray into the science fiction genre. It's been good, confusing, inspiring and ultimately....frustrating.
I'm at the point where the next sci-fi book I read will have to be a) highly recommended b) not chosen off the shelf "because it sounds cool" and c) written by a highly reputable author.*
In no particular order, these are the books I've read so far which have either destroyed my interest in the genre or inspired me to discover more about it.
Hull Zero Three - Greg Bear
This was my number one reading FAIL for 2014. I will take the blame - partially. I got way too excited for this book, built it up to be something it wasn't and searched all over the island for it. So when I ended up reading about doughnut monkeys, let's just say I was disappointed.
I devoted an entire blog post to this so I won't say much more.
I'm still confused.
The Long Earth - Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter
This book sounded right up my alley and indeed it was. The concept of parallel universes was genius, I wanted to live in one of these worlds - who wouldn't? The main character being 'special' added interest and enabled them to develop the storyline. Character development fell by the wayside a bit but I could let it go.
However when I got to the end and realized it was going to develop into a space opera series in Book #2, I put the series down.
That being said, I'm intrigued with Pratchett and will be exploring more of his books.
The Lure - Bill Napier
I think I'm learning a lesson about randomly picking books off shelves without recommendations. Case in point.
This one sounded like a great page turner! Scientists find a signal from space. Unfortunately it gets way too Hollywood with car chases and daring escapes. Not enough science.
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Happily this was my very first attempt at science fiction. Good thing because this was one of the best I've read so far. Given that it was written in the 80's I couldn't believe what I was reading. So trippy with crazy, intense characters and a fast paced plot. The language and writing style were sometimes difficult but it's worth pushing through.
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
What would we do without authors like Clarke? I was on a downward spiral with science fiction when I picked this up. I remembered that you can't really fail with Clarke so I happily began.
What a fantastic book. Such a great vision of the future for the time it was written. Clear descriptions, just the right amount of science** and a kick ass, intriguing plot line. I'm looking forward to my next Clarke read.
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Again, a book picked off the shelf because it sounded cool. I think I should stop doing that?
Imagine one day a giant black shroud envelopes the earth and we can't see the stars. Would you then, basically do a character study of three people?
This guy did.
Titan - Stephen Baxter
Again, I've devoted an entire post to this space ship owner's manual. I'm still recovering from this book which is responsible for putting me into a holding pattern around the entire genre.
* Carl, you're on deck.
**Hint. Hint. Baxter I'm looking at you.
I read a book recently that kind of destroyed me.
I've been diving into a new genre that I hadn't considered before - which is surprising considering my love of physics and astronomy.
From what I can tell science fiction comes in two flavours - hard and soft. I'm not into soft sci-fi but it seems like it dominates the genre. So it's hard to find good hard science fiction. I found a book that looked like a perfect hard sci-fi read - Titan by Stephen Baxter.
Basically the plot is a few people go on a voyage to Titan, knowing that they won't return to Earth. The majority of the book takes place around 2006 so the technology is current, which is why they won't be coming back.
Maybe the synopsis was misleading? Maybe it oversold the 'interesting adventure' I was waiting for? It also probably didn't help that I imagined something like the movie 2010. I also wasn't counting on all the back stories of what was happening on earth - which was completely ridiculous by the way.
He spent the first 400 pages just getting them into the spaceship on their way to Titan. After that, they land and walk around in the slush for a while and then....they die. The last 40 pages was so bizarre I'm not even sure what to make of it.
Basically I read 700 pages waiting for the "exciting thing that was going to happen". This book read like a space shuttle owner's manual. This guy knows his stuff - technically. But as a writer - forget it. There were paragraphs that were just lists of biochemicals?! Sometimes he spent entire pages describing how some part of a space shuttle was repaired.
Ugh.
He didn't even begin to delve into how the astronauts were dealing with leaving earth.* I realize this isn't a novel but come on.
I've had a couple other colossal fails with this genre....future post.
* I was waiting for someone....anyone to say they just wanted to see something green. Or they would kill for a glass of wine.**
** I sure as hell needed something alcoholic to numb the pain after reading this book.
I've just gone through a reading FAIL and need a break from a certain genre.* It's so bad that I'm now running to a book I know will be good** to alleviate the pain and make reading enjoyable again.
This has brought on another book review in the hope that I can reflect on some past good reads.
Let's see what happens.
Annabel - Kathleen Winter
I had read this before Canada Reads last year so had reason to yell at the debates when they got interesting. This was a good book overall, but there is a big part of the story that doesn't make sense - because it's impossible and would never happen?! I don't think this had a chance when up against The Orenda, but it was a good contender.
The City and The City - China Mieville
My old boss was a good source for book recommendations and this one delivered. In fact he gave me this book! Super cool "parallel universe" concept combined with a bit of a cop chase/mystery. If you can get past the author's sometimes bizarre use of language, I'd definitely recommend reading this.
Half Blood Blues - Esi Edugyan
This was also a contender for last year's Canada Reads and I really enjoyed it. The writing is amazing, the history of jazz in Nazi Germany was so interesting. The characters were well developed and I could almost hear the music when I read it. Edugyan deserves the recognition she got with this book.
Hellgoing - Lynn Coady
I don't normally go for short stories but this one was getting a lot of attention at the time and went on sale on Kobo. It didn't do much for me, I read it and moved on. This is why I normally avoid short stories. I think it's me?
Defending Jacob - William Landay
Ugh. Seriously? You have a screwed up kid, then another kid is killed and you find incriminating evidence in your kid's room. So obviously you can't believe he would do anything so horrible so you completely deny his guilt. And you're a prosecutor.
Spare me.
The Kitchen God's Wife - Amy Tan
Really good read and and I love the perspective of a Chinese immigrant living in America. She tells the story well and develops her characters deeply. I'll read her again and would recommend this book for sure.
The Luminaries - Eleanor Catton
Oh man...what an incredible book. The effort that went into writing this book is worth recognition. The writing is fantastic, great characters and a fascinating setting. I would highly recommend and will likely read it again in the future.
* I'm looking at you Science Fiction.
** Kate Morton here I come!
