What Book Did You Read Last Night??? (5 Viewers)

[nooleen]

gustav mole was the best by far. amazing drawings and a decent story and lots of sneaky learning about musical instruments involved.

the drawings in bear hunt are good but the story is a bit weird at the end, and the inside back cover is the sad old bear trudging back to his cave alone, which is a serious downer. also the dad is frankly irresponsible at times.

i got oliver twist because i like the illustrations, but they've somehow managed to use way too much text without making the story easy to understand. the language is a good bit too advanced for a picture book and the story stutters forward in very abrupt steps. was cheap though (lidl)

project space is another lidl one, it has pop-up flaps and funny little cartoons scattered around to keep the science from being too boring, and 11 cool experiments/activities, although the one i tried didn't work so that was pretty disappointing. there's a really cool one i haven't tried yet where you collect rainwater and dry out the dirt that's in it, then separate out meteorite dust with a magnet.

i got these for some niece/nephews by the way, i haven't just downgraded to kids' books.

 

[IFF]

Girlfriend was completely unimpressed with her stuff, what make ye of her in general?

I find her ok but there are parts of each of her novels that I find annoying and while "half of a yellow sun" is my favourite of hers so far, I did find problems with the writing.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

the drawings in bear hunt are good but the story is a bit weird at the end, and the inside back cover is the sad old bear trudging back to his cave alone, which is a serious downer. also the dad is frankly irresponsible at times.

I really disliked that bear book. Of course the child I was reading to loved it and wanted to hear it every night.

 

[Jim Daniels]

I find her ok but there are parts of each of her novels that I find annoying and while "half of a yellow sun" is my favourite of hers so far, I did find problems with the writing.

I really liked Americanah for the most part, though the lead female character was mildly head-wrecking at times. She was grand on other occasions.

 

[Jim Daniels]

Holiday reading last week.

Rage is very light going. Read it in a day. Kind of a Breakfast Club thing going on with it. Enjoyable enough. Suitable for reading on a plane.

Read Rage many times as a late teenager. Loved it, but I think I was the right age. Remember telling our English teacher if he thought Holden Caulfield was bad, he needs to meet Charlie Decker

My edition was in the Bachmen Books - my favourite Stephen King collection. StephenKing.com - The Bachman Books

 

[nooleen]

I really disliked that bear book. Of course the child I was reading to loved it and wanted to hear it every night.

bringing small kids and a baby through a snowstorm without proper gear, wtf

 

[travispickle]

The Invisible Man is more akin to PG Wodehouse or A.C.Doyle than it would be to the exemplary sci fi of John Wyndham.

The gags come hard and fast..as does the action.The wordplay is exquisite..I find myself marvelling at some of the sentences

I'll be procuring The Island Of Dr.Moreau tomorrow for my weekend reading.I'd say its bananas.

It amazes me I never read either of these before

Likewise, I've never read any of those sci-fi/fantasy classics but I recently got hold of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea which I'm looking forward to.

 

[travispickle]

I'm re-reading Dark Lies The Island by Kevin Barry, mainly in anticipation of his new novel, Beatlebone, but also because I think I misjudged it first time around. It's a cracking read.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

bringing small kids and a baby through a snowstorm without proper gear, wtf

Thats fathers for you, all action with no thought as to the consequences.

 

[Jim Daniels]

I'm re-reading Dark Lies The Island by Kevin Barry, mainly in anticipation of his new novel, Beatlebone, but also because I think I misjudged it first time around. It's a cracking read.

Yeah great collection.

And Beatlebone is fantastic

 

[rettucs]

Giving this a go.

I finally finished this last night (after leaving it down for a bit and going away to read a few other books).

To be honest it left me a little bit cold. Its tough going in a lot of different ways. The phonetic Jamaican language is offputting. You get used to it, but then it switches back to normal English, and keep switching between the 2. He had to do it I suppose, given how the book is written, but it disrupts the flow. And its very flowery in places. A lot could have been cut from it IMO, without the book being any worse off.

The underlying story is fantastic, and, for the most part, I love how it tells it. The different perspectives approach is hardly new, but generally, I love it.

Its factional (is that a word?) which initially put me off a little bit. I didn't know the full details of the incident at the heart of this book though, so maybe that helped. I still don't, and I don't know how much of this book actually happened.

He tied it up well in the end too. I loved the ending.

Won't be reading any more of his books though.

 

[rettucs]

next up, this

 

[Jim Daniels]

Ruth Ozeki: A Tale for the Time Being

Loved this. The blurb describes it as " a Chinese box of a novel" and that it is. Two alternating narrators, with YA themes, Japanese culture, Zen philosophy, pop culture, the human condition - all masterfully entwined and completely satisfying. Going to miss it now.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Ruth Ozeki: A Tale for the Time Being

Loved this. The blurb describes it as " a Chinese box of a novel" and that it is. Two alternating narrators, with YA themes, Japanese culture, Zen philosophy, pop culture, the human condition - all masterfully entwined and completely satisfying. Going to miss it now.

View attachment 11292

Sounds great!

Although hard to read "with YA themes" as meant in a positive way. Can we call it a Bildungsroman to make it sound more literary?

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

Last little while:
Stephen King The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger

Stephen King The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three

Stephen King The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands

Stephen King The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass

Stephen King A Dark Tower Novel: The Wind Through the Keyhole

Vidar Sundstøl The Ravens

 

[rettucs]

Last little while:
Stephen King The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger

Stephen King The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three

Stephen King The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands

Stephen King The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass

Stephen King A Dark Tower Novel: The Wind Through the Keyhole

Vidar Sundstøl The Ravens

tried those back in my teens. Made it to Wizard and Glass and I was completely spent by then.

I remember the first 3 being really really good.

This going to be a film (series of films), or TV series soon, isn't it?

 

[eoinzy2000]

just over a third way through Outlander, by someone (Gabaldon or summit). Pretty shite. turns out after a promising bit of time travel, its a romance/chick lit( whatever the fuk that means) book. I really should've checked before I started. Soooo not my cup of tea. I will be moving on this evening.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

As recommended by @7 - No tomorrow (have you bought it?)
Hmmmm, strange, I'm seven chapters in already so its obviously very readable but I don't know, its not engaging me really. There's nothing new in it essentially, it might be better suited to the casual observer of Russia rather than the crazed Russophile.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

As recommended by @7 - No tomorrow (have you bought it?)
Hmmmm, strange, I'm seven chapters in already so its obviously very readable but I don't know, its not engaging me really. There's nothing new in it essentially, it might be better suited to the casual observer of Russia rather than the crazed Russophile.

I'm sorry you didn't really like it. It was more of a heads up than a recommendation.
I haven't read it yet.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

I'm sorry you didn't really like it. It was more of a heads up than a recommendation.
I haven't read it yet.

Yeah, recommendation was the wrong word to use, apologies. I wouldn't say I'm not enjoying it, it's just not telling me anything new.
Have you bought it yet? If not I can send you this copy, I suspect I'll be finished by the weekend.