Recently Finished

[pontalba]

Sounds like a good one although the ending doesn't sound too promising.

It seemed to just kind of fade into an "end", no real end to the story. It would continue as it had. Bowman seemed to have no goal in life. Just went from one thing to the next, from one woman to the next.

 

[canuck]

It seemed to just kind of fade into an "end", no real end to the story. It would continue as it had. Bowman seemed to have no goal in life. Just went from one thing to the next, from one woman to the next.

Sometimes I wonder if the author doesn't know how to finish off the book. I was reading one by Val McDermid, a mystery/thriller, and the end really threw me, I felt like I wished I hadn't read the book. Don't think I'll read any more of her books. It was if she was thumbing her nose at the reader.

 

[pontalba]

Sometimes I wonder if the author doesn't know how to finish off the book. I was reading one by Val McDermid, a mystery/thriller, and the end really threw me, I felt like I wished I hadn't read the book. Don't think I'll read any more of her books. It was if she was thumbing her nose at the reader.

I'd seriously doubt that was the case, with this particular author. Salter isn't one to fail in that fashion. No, it was more a part of the story, the life led by Bowman was pretty pointless and without a lot of direction, even though he was successful in business. He sort of 'fell into' things. I thought Salter was more showing the endlessness and repetition of the character. He was just the sort of person that drifted into things. Whether or not that was the result of his wartime experiences I am not sure. He didn't seem to be that affected by anything. Probably went further back than that, to his childhood. Which, btw, not that much was told of.

 

[Peder]

I'd seriously doubt that was the case, with this particular author. Salter isn't one to fail in that fashion. No, it was more a part of the story, the life led by Bowman was pretty pointless and without a lot of direction, even though he was successful in business. He sort of 'fell into' things. I thought Salter was more showing the endlessness and repetition of the character. He was just the sort of person that drifted into things. Whether or not that was the result of his wartime experiences I am not sure. He didn't seem to be that affected by anything. Probably went further back than that, to his childhood. Which, btw, not that much was told of.

Living life on the surface, as you said, seems to me to be quite accurate about Bowman. And the very final scene of the novel seems to me to suggest very strongly a continuation of more of the same. Overall though the novel left me just a little disappointed compared to Light Years or The Hunters -- both truly magnificent in my opinion, or transcendent as we say elsewhere. I think his lapidary, beautifully written sentences show up better in those two shorter works, and that the works pack a correspondingly greater punch.

 

[pontalba]

Peder, I agree, totally. I haven't read The Hunters yet, but have read Light Years, and A Sport and a Pastime...both better, imo. Although, A Sport and a Pastime left me a little cold.

 

[pontalba]

Sometimes I wonder if the author doesn't know how to finish off the book. I was reading one by Val McDermid, a mystery/thriller, and the end really threw me, I felt like I wished I hadn't read the book. Don't think I'll read any more of her books. It was if she was thumbing her nose at the reader.

I haven't read McDermid, although I do have one or two around here, in the stack. Must get to.

 

[canuck]

I haven't read McDermid, although I do have one or two around here, in the stack. Must get to.

She has always been a favourite mystery author of mine so the last one I read came as a shock when it finished in a very unsatisfactory manner. I probably will read her next one even though I was a bit miffed with the last one. Don't know why I didn't get in touch with her at the time and ask her why the unusual ending as I was on her contact list. All water under the bridge now, however, will have to wait and see. I should look up Amazon and see if anyone had reviewed her book but it just hasn't occurred to me until now - so many authors, so many books........

 

[canuck]

Pontalba: Just looked up a review to see what someone else's viewpoint was and this was what was said about the ending.

I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling the suspense, but one gets the sense the author just got tired of the whole book, and rushed through the ending;

So I guess someone else felt the same way.

 

[pontalba]

Pontalba: Just looked up a review to see what someone else's viewpoint was and this was what was said about the ending.

I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling the suspense, but one gets the sense the author just got tired of the whole book, and rushed through the ending;

So I guess someone else felt the same way.

Interesting. But I'll still stick with my initial impression. They may be right though.

 

[pontalba]

the long-legged fly by James Sallis

Well done detective story told in episodic fashion that take place over a period of 26 years, 1964-1990. Sallis has New Orleans down pat, both the place and people. A brutal beginning, in 1964 addresses many of the racial prejudices of the time. Following episodes take place in 1970, 1984, with the final episode taking place in 1990. Those episodes are detective stories, but also address the racial divide, and the divides tearing down.

Sallis has a marvelous way with description, and creates much of the New Orleans ambiance. The stories are, in a way, separate, but also flow into one another, making a continuous chain of events.

Recommended.

 

[Hedwig]

Thomas Hardy - Tess of the D'Urbervilles
One of Hardy's best-known classics made a beautifully written but oh so tragic read. I love his description of late 19th century Dorset - the landscape, the people, the hard work - and while I couldn't really relate to the extremely diffident way Tess behaves (well, maybe it's just because I'm a 21st century girl), my heart still went out to her and I kept turning the pages as I grew more and more riveted by her sad story.

George R. R. Martin - A Game of Thrones
Most everyone seems to love this, and since the TV series intrigued me when I happened upon it while channel-surfing, I decided to read the book before watching it all. And despite an ongoing phase of fantasy fatigue, this one really got me hooked. It took a while to get into with all the names and houses and politics, but once I knew who was who, it was an awesome page-turner and I have already bought the second and third volume.

Marcus Brotherton - We Who Are Alive and Remain. Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers
Yes, I'm a Band of Brothers buff and thoroughly liked this compilation of oral history from 20 Easy Company men. It reads a little scattered with all the different voices, but this mosaic-like structure, on the other hand, gives a particularly colourful, broad view of the events. I was particularly touched by the chapters written by the children of three Easy men who had already passed away at the time the book was made.

Colm Tóibín - Brooklyn
The story of a young Irishwoman in the 1950s who, all of a sudden, gets the chance to emigrate to the U.S. to work there. On the one hand, she must take this as a stroke of luck with the desolate job market back home, but she has a hard time settling into her new life so far away from home. A quiet story, beautifully, tenderly written.

 

[ricko]

The Digital Sea:
The confused world of augmented reality resurfaces in this mystery/spy novel set in the year 2052 by Thomas K. Carpenter. I only say that because this theme is my least favorite when I’m reading sci-fi, or fantasy novels. I’m reminded of Vernor Vinge’s Rainbows End, the 2007 Hugo Award winner for best novel. I disliked that novel! Vernor spoke of a world in which “ ...the virtual and the real are a seamless continuum, layers of reality built on digital views seen by a single person or millions, depending on your choice.” Well, here we go again. The difference is that I didn’t dislike Carpenter’s novel. Don’t get me wrong, I was still perplexed, but so were some of his characters. One of the main ‘good’ characters, Zel Aurora thinks to herself on page 193... “ Damn it. Even with you I don’t always understand what’s going on. It’s like having a play in a foreign country explained to you. I hear the explanation, but I don’t know what it means.” Amen, Zel, I had the same problem reading this avant garde type novel. That being said, I thought the author highly competent. Some of the character’s lines are clever; such as, the reporter, Jartelle, thinking about an affair he had with a girl named Anesha...” I cannot be so blind to think it is a relationship. Still, what’s the difference, it’s only a title. Journalist. Prostitute. Some say they are no different, and the latter pays better.” There are quite a few of these kinds of snippets throughout the novel. This was a well written and thought- through novel that just happened to be about a topic that I don’t like.
4 out of 5 stars
ricksreviews.blogspot.com

 

[pontalba]

If I've posted about this before, sorry about that!

I read 25% of The Crimson Petal and The White by Michel Faber a while back. That was all I could stomach. The constant, attempted flip tone, the 3rd person omniscient narrator that I've not seen before made for uncomfortable reading. I was constantly taken out of the story by the style of writing. Not to mention the vulgarity was crude and not even sexy, so no redemption from that quarter.

The very style of writing seemed to make the unattractive characters even more so, which may have been the author's intent. If so he succeeded so well that I was put off from reading the book.

My rating is minus I really disliked this book. Just wanted to be clear on that point.

 

[ricko]

THE PECAN MAN: Cassie Dandridge Selleck writes a 142 page short story that some reviewers are comparing to Harper Lee’s classic To kill a Mockingbird. Are you kidding me? The only comparison that I can see is that the narrator of the novel, Ora Lee Beckworth, has Lee in her name. And okay there is a rape and the accused is black, but in this novel the victim is not white. There is no righteous white lawyer trying to right a wrong. Don’t get me wrong, because I liked the story, but get real! Oh yea, the town in Harper lee’s book is Maycomb, and in this story it’s Mayville. So there you go with all the similarities that this reviewer found. Harper Lee’s novel has reached legend status considering her Pulitzer Prize winning novel was her only novel. Some people don’t even give her credit for that, saying In Cold Blood author Truman Capote really wrote To Kill a Mockingbird ( Harper Lee’s childhood friend ). Anyway enough of that, Selleck’s story does seem to come out of that Southern Gothic genre with the local language adding a lot of flavor to the times and location ( Florida in the 1970s ). The writer did afford the reader with enough reasons to feel empathy for the characters in such a short story. By the way, why aren’t the pages numbered? Wouldn’t that be considered ergodic? 3 OUT OF 5 STARS
ricksreviews.blogspot.com

 

[Remigiusz]

Hotwire - Alex Kava .

Probably the worst book which i read of this author. In my opinion both actions was connected withoout any important reason.

 

[readsalot]

Ender in Exile (3/5 stars) Surprisingly semi boring audio CD to listen to. This is a post Ender's Game tale written fairly recently. All in all, not worth reading or listening to...just read the original story and enjoy that.

 

[Hedwig]

Just finished Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and liked it a lot more than I had expected.

It's the story of Lou, a young woman who suddenly finds herself out of a job and, more out of desperation than anything else, ends up a carer for quadriplegic Will Traynor, crippled in a road accident. He is having an extremely hard time accepting his disability, and Lou's foremost task, set by Will's worried mother, is to cheer him up a little and try to make him see some good in life while keeping an eye on him.

Two worlds clash as Lou, the working-class girl who's never got out of her little hometown, and Will, who used to be a successful businessman with a taste for adventure, meet, but very gradually, certain bonds develop between the two of them.

Told in a chatty tone that reminded me a bit of Marian Keyes's books, this novel deals surprisingly deeply with issues like disability and the right to die. Quite a riveting read and for a large part pleasantly un-sappy.

 

[ricko]

ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE by Agatha Christie:
Mais oui! Our small man with large moustaches and a egg shaped head is back. Does he live in England, speak French, and come from Belgium? Eh bien, it must be Agatha Christie’s famous flatfoot, Hercule Poirot. This is my fifth Hercule mystery, and as customary, I didn’t solve the murder. But I did solve Death on the Nile, so a twenty percent solving average is not bad. In this investigation, even the great Hercule was stumped for awhile as he thought to himself, “Is it possible that I am growing old?” But he must have been doing his job, since one of the suspects, Jane Olivera, said to him, “I loathe the sight of you-you bloody littlebourgeoisdetective!” That’s the Hercule that I know and love. Agatha wrote 37 Hercule Poirot mysteries, the final one was Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case. She wrote the novel during World War II, but didn’t publish it till 1975, a year before her own death.Agatha was a master at writing main plots, creating subplots, and inserting plot twists into every novel. Her books usually had around ten suspects, yet Agatha was able to inject ‘reader’s sympathy’ into most of the characters, so the reader was freely empowered to root for the innocence of their favorite hypothetical felon. She certainly achieved that in this novel. 4 out of 5 stars.
ricksreviews.blogspot.com

 

[753C]

The Finkler Question - Howard Jacobsen
Highly entertaining story of loss and grief, old friendships and new love, and also of ethnic envy and exclusion. Jacobsen won the Booker for this story in 2010 and I can see why. A very strong author. I will be reading more of him.

 

[canuck]

The Finkler Question - Howard Jacobsen
Highly entertaining story of loss and grief, old friendships and new love, and also of ethnic envy and exclusion. Jacobsen won the Booker for this story in 2010 and I can see why. A very strong author. I will be reading more of him.

Have made a note of the author, haven't read anything by him thus far.