The Iron Wagon - Jason

Today I went to a demonstration against the cuts at the Central Library in Sheffield, and as part of that event I took out a load of books, this was one of them.

A short graphic novel based on a Norwegian classic detective story first published in 1909.

Although if I'm honest I found the plotting rather sparse (perhaps that is typical of Scandinavian fiction?), I did enjoy the story and the illustrations were great.

Jason (no second name) draws animals and birds instead of people, but walking upright and wearing the costumes of the period. I will look out for some of his other books, and hope the story lines are a little more dynamic.

5th February 2011

Borrowed from Sheffield Central Library

Room - Emma Donoghue

The sleeve notes of this book include a quote from Audrey Niffenegger saying 'is a book to read in one sitting' - how right she is! I couldn't afford the time to read it in one sitting, but I did read it in two days, and found it very hard to put it down.

I guess the main thing that kept me hooked was the narrative, the story is told by Jack, a five year old who, with his mother is kept captive in Room. 'Ma' was abducted by 'Old Nick' as a teenager, and later gives birth to Jack.

All Jack knows is the world inside Room, but just after his fifth birthday 'Ma' admits that what he sees on the TV is real, and that they have to escape.

I couldn't stop reading, the early part of the book deals with Jack's descriptions of life in Room, followed by their escape and subsequent re-establishment into society.

If I have one criticism it is that the escape was too easy, and fast; but that does not detract from the novel or my enjoyment. The fact that its loosely based on the Josef Fritzl case in Austria, meant little to me as I didn't follow the case, but having now read about it on the web I can see the similarities.

This book is compelling, read it.

January 2011

Bought in Waterstones.

Miss Smilla's feeling for snow - Peter Hoeg

My Dad read and enjoyed this book back in the mid 90s, I know this because not only did he lend me his copy (which I still have), but because the book mark he used is still inside printed with a competition with the closing date of 1995.

Knowing that I had enjoyed reading thrillers before, he had recommended this, but I never could 'get into it'. It's sat on various bookshelves ever since.

The current fashionability of Scandinavian crime fiction made me go looking for this book, the first to come to the UK and be successful.

Although I did finish it this time, it's taken a while and I'm still not convinced it lived up to all the hype. But it did keep me reading nonetheless.

I've always had a problem following story lines in which I'm unable to pronounce the names of the characters, I find myself skim reading the names and then can't work out what is going on. This certainly happened at points, as well as getting a bit lost in the plot half way through.

The story starts with the death of a young boy who lived next door to Miss Smilla, a death that the police believe is an accident, but which due to her feeling for snow, Miss Smilla knows was something more.

By the end of the book Smilla is running around on a ship in the Arctic, trying to work out where it is going and fighting with baddies!

I'm at a loss to see why the book won a crime novel literary prize, it's not so much a crime novel, as the story of a woman who is bored with life and has lost her way. The descriptions of the different types of snow and ice start off interesting, but after a while become almost overwhelming. The reasons and circumstances of the boys death become lost and irrelevant so that by the end I no longer cared. In fact I found the end to be rather abrupt and very unsatisfying - like Hoeg couldn't work out or decide where to go next, so just stopped.

Lent by (and subsequently inherited from) my father.

Mid December 2010 - 16 Jan 2011

Dead as a Doornail - Charlaine Harris

I admit it, I'm addicted!  I was going to wait a while before I read the next one - but I couldn't!

Having 10 of the books in the house makes me want to read them all back to back - but then I'd have to wait for more!  So, I really must read something else now.

Anyway, the storyline in this edition of the Sookie Stackhouse novels sees her brother, Jason, turning into a werepanther, Fairies, more werepanthers, shootings, two-natured, vampires and a few normal humans....things are really beginning to get silly, but I just don't care.

I'm a bit disappointed that Sookie and Bill still aren't together, he only makes a brief appearance in this book, but Eric is more than making up for the lack of Bill - and having the look of the actors from the tv show in my head as I read these books makes it even more enjoyable!

The story line centres around the fact that many of the two-natured are being shot, and someone has tried to burn down Sookie's house (with her inside) - there are lots of subplots, and interesting wanders too.

I know I'm looking forward to the next book, but I AM going to wait a while.

Bought from 'The Book Collection'
30th November - 5th December 2010

Dead to the World - Charlaine Harris

Everytime I read one of these books I say it will be the last, but this time I know it won't as I've actually ended up buying a set of 10 of them! And they really are so hard to resist!

This edition of the story sees Sookie looking after an amnesiac Eric, and helping the Weres, Vamps and other Supes fight a coven of evil witches who wish to take over the area.....

There isn't much more to say except that as usual it was an easy, quick and enjoyable read.  I just need to stop myself from reading the remaining editions too quickly.

Bought from 'The Book Collection'
27th - 28th November 2010

Memoirs of a Fruitcake - Chris Evans

As I've said before I'm not really one for biographies, but Liz lent me the first part of Chris Evans' story and it was brilliant.  By the end I was left wanting to know what happened next - and this is from someone who REALLY doesn't give a stuff about celebrities!

This book, subtitled 'The wilderness years 2000 - 2010' and takes us from the end of the first book when Chris bought Virgin radio, up to recently when his first son, Noah, was born.  In between he doesn't spare his embarrassment much but telling of all the stupid things he has done and the multi-millions of pounds he has gained, spent and lost!

As I think I said in my review of his first book, I didn't like Chris Evans at all during this period of his life, and he fully admits that he was a complete idiot 'lost in showbiz'.   It wasn't until he started to pick his life back up, got back on the radio (Radio 2) and met his new wife, Tash, that things started to get better and I certainly rediscovered what a fantastically entertaining DJ he actually is.

I will never be pleased that he moved from the Drivetime show to the Morning (not because I wanted Terry Wogan to stay, but because I listen to the Today programme on Radio 4 and therefore can't listen to Radio 2) - but the book has gone a long way to explaining why and how this happened.

I'd suggest that it's not necessary to know anything about Chris Evans to read this book, but it would certainly help (and reading the first book would help too but isn't necessary), it's an interesting 10 years, I look forward to the next chapter of his life - I think with Tash and Noah it will be a lot quieter and perhaps a bit more sensible (but then again......this is Chris Evans the 'fruitcake').

Lent to be by Liz Jones
19-22nd November 2010

The Survivors Club - Ben Sherwood

I didn't pick this book up because it is a New York Times bestseller, or because I thought it would help me survive a crisis or disaster; I picked it up as it looked interesting - and it is.

The basic premise of the books is that everyone has the potential to be a survivor. A survivor of accidents, disaster, serious illness, bereavement, stress and life in general, it's not about what you know, how fit you are or knowing how to survive in a jungle with a single match; it's more about attitude and being prepared.

The author looks at situations and exceptional circumstances and how people have survived, and what we can learn from these experiences.

How to better your odds at surviving a plane crash, how to survive a trip to casualty, and what makes someone a survivor. Looking at victims of crime, survivors of accidents and wars; we learn the simple little things that we can teach ourselves about surviving.

The second half of the book is linked to a website where you can take a multi-question test to find out your own survivor profile. I'm not sure about that, when I did the test I'm not sure I agree with the result. But it's still fascinating nonetheless.

I've learnt some important facts and survival techniques, that I actually hope I'll never need. But I've also come to realise how I've survived some of the stresses and situations I've already been in so far in my life.

October 2010

Bought in Waterstones, Sheffield