Firstly, I've been neglecting this blog, sorry but for such a long time, I had no internet access at home, due to lack of machine.
Now to the book.
What to say? This not a book I would recommend to just anyone. It's an acquired taste. It is written in diary form and there are two diarist it is very hard to like, I think more wonder at how they continue in what they are doing without being stopped is what keeps me reading.
The book is based in Venice and Peru. The main diarist, Minguillo Fasan is a warped, sadistic creature who thinks his behaviour is normal. He hates his sister's with normal-ish sibling rivalry until he finds a will specifically dis- inheriting him.
I haven't yet finished it, and wouldn't presume to recommended the book. If what I have put has piqued your interest, look the book up, but borrow from the library, in case you don't like it. I am finding it ,strangely, a compulsive read, but for the first 50 ,or so pages thought that I'd abandon it.
Today we have lost a brilliant poet.
You can read his obituary here
I
studied some of his poetry during my degree, and found it very
accessible.
I would like to offer my condolences to his family.
I've read three books on my Kindle.
Villette by Charlotte Bronte, I'd only give it 3 stars, as I'm now sure I prefer Emily Bronte's writing style. I got to the stage where I really couldn't care less what happened to Lucy Snowe.
One Dead Hen by Charlie Williams is the fourth in a series. I haven't read the other three, again I would give this book three stars. The main character is a badly flawed man whose thoughts we are party to. He doesn't seem to like other people breaking the law, but it doesn't seem to bother him personally. An entertaining read. A good experiment along the lines of "What if my main character was unlawful?"
Locked In by Kerry Wilkinson was a slow start, but then became a page turner. There is a dead body discovered, but how did the murderer leave as all windows and doors are firmly locked and there is no sign of a forced entry. I'd give this four stars. It is only available for Kindle.
Proper books I have read are
The English Eccentric by Henry Hemming, a factual book, following the author's quest to find present day eccentrics. There was one point that made my brain scream, and it thoroughly annoyed me. If you are going to write a factual book, make sure your facts and statements are ALL correct, after all, if you are fact gathering, what harm does it do to check what you are writing is 100% true?
I'll get off my hobby horse now, incorrect facts drive me mad. **
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamie starts as the A bomb explodes in Nagasaki. It then follows Hiroko Tanaka, a Japanese national, through her life. A very deep book exploring what it is like to be an outsider for one reason or another in life. ****
Inkheart and Inkspell by Cornelia Funke. An engrossing young adult book exploring the idea "what if characters from books could become alive in our world, and what would it be like for us to travel to their world?" Inkheart starts with a shabby looking man turning up at Mo and Meggie's house wanting Mo to "read" him back into the book he is from. Along the way we meet other characters from Inkheart, (the story Dustfinger is from,) and learn that when these characters appeared in our world Meggie's mother disappeared. In Inkspell Mo, Meggie and several other "real" people, including the author of the book in the story, travel to Inkworld. I really enjoyed these books even though they are not adult books. *****
Our Lady of the Forest by David Gutterson. A down and out teen has the Virgin appear to her in some woods, and the place rapidly becomes a shrine. A good book
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak. A tangled story that turns out to be a family saga with a twist. ****
The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko. This was the first of the books I read, I know it had vampires, wizards, witches, etc. A damned good read. I believe there is a film of the book. *****
Resurrectionist by James McGee. Back with Hawkwood, a pre Bow Street runner type. This time bodies are being dug up at the dead of night from fresh graves. A grave robber is crucified in a churchyard, and a man escapes from Bedlam. At times things look like they will never be solved, but Hawkwood saves the day. *****
I'm very sorry that I haven't blogged about some of the books that I have read since last time I posted....BUT....there is a very good genuine reason for me not doing so.
Earlier this month it was my birthday, and the Saturday beforehand, to cut a long story short. My three managed to convert a spare room into a library for me as a birthday surprise. At one point my daughter suggested that I take the dogs on a long walk, and when I returned the surprise was done.
OK! Yes, I know I haven't posted here for ages.
I have a small mountain of books to blog about, but am currently using a laptop with a dodgy keyboard that makes typing difficult.
Do you know how many times you use the d key? Answer, a lot more than you realise when you have to go to an "on screen keyboard" to put the letter d in whatever you are typing.
I picked up a book last night. I must have read it, as within two pages the story felt all too familiar. I'll have to look back through my "mass" posts to see if I have.
Fingers crossed I should have my own pc back soon, and normal service will be resumed
A very easy book to read. The story is told by Harrison, (Harri,) Opoku an eleven year old boy who has recently arrived from Ghana.
Harri's sheer exuberance at learning his new home's culture is infectious.
The story opens when Harri sees a scene of crime near to his home. He and his friend decide that they will be detectives and help find out what has happened. Their naivety is touching, as they try to collect fingerprints and DNA, not really knowing what they are doing.
The end four months later is a surprise to the reader, and I won't spoil your reading pleasure.
I can honestly say it is a book I will remember for a long time to come.
Please, please, please do not add into the novel a section of the forthcoming novel by the same author.
It took me all afternoon to establish that I haven't yet read "Lasting Damage" by Sophie Hannah...all I had done is read the introductory chapters at the end of the previously published novel of Sophie Hannah's
I nearly put Lasting Damage aside, convinced that I had already read it.
Take note publishers...a preview of "soon to be published" novels are good, but word for word, you might get readers not reading the next one as they think they already have done
I did continue reading and realised that I had only read a "taster" of "Lasting Damage", but beware! Not everyone will do, some might reject as having read before