The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
You just got to buy something with that title, haven't you? My friend recommended it to me. Swede Allan Karlsson climbs out of the window of his old folks' home to escape his 100th birthday party. He gets to the bus station, buys a ticket to somewhere random, and accidently steals a suitcase containing a large amount of money from a thug. The thug, of course, follows him on the next bus. And thus begin Allan's adventures.
Alternating chapters give Allan's back story. At 100 years old you'd expect him to have a lot of back story, but maybe not quite this much. In Forrest Gump style, he seems to have been present at many pivotal moments in history. He helped invent the Atom Bomb in 1940s US. Then he gave the secret away to the Soviets. He befriended several US presidents, had a young Kim Jong Il sit crying on his lap, and had a large amount of money given to him by Mao Tse-tung. As you do.
It's the most quirky of all quirky books. Told in a detached, amused voice, and maybe takes a little while to get used to the style, but in the end I couldn't put it down. Loved it. So unusual!
Friday, 17 January 2014
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
The War of the Wives
The War of the Wives by Tamar Cohen
Lent to me by my neighbour, who was interviewed by the author as part of the research for this book. Say no more!
Simon Busfield has been found dead in unusual circumstances, though the police initially assume it's a suicide. His wife Selina is at the funeral along with her teenage and adult children, when his other wife, Lottie turns up with her teenage daughter. Simon's been leading a double life - partly in London with Selina and partly in Dubai, later also London, with Lottie, for the last twenty years.
The story is told in alternating first person sections, from Selina and Lottie's POV. Each go through the classic stages of grief - denial, rage, depression, acceptance. As events unfold it seems Simon wasn't as wealthy as Selina at least assumed, and was involved in some shady business deals - could he have been murdered?
There are all sorts of twists and turns and plot developments in this book. It's beautifully written - the two women have very different voices. I was totally caught up in it and could not put it down. Definitely recommended.
Lent to me by my neighbour, who was interviewed by the author as part of the research for this book. Say no more!
Simon Busfield has been found dead in unusual circumstances, though the police initially assume it's a suicide. His wife Selina is at the funeral along with her teenage and adult children, when his other wife, Lottie turns up with her teenage daughter. Simon's been leading a double life - partly in London with Selina and partly in Dubai, later also London, with Lottie, for the last twenty years.
The story is told in alternating first person sections, from Selina and Lottie's POV. Each go through the classic stages of grief - denial, rage, depression, acceptance. As events unfold it seems Simon wasn't as wealthy as Selina at least assumed, and was involved in some shady business deals - could he have been murdered?
There are all sorts of twists and turns and plot developments in this book. It's beautifully written - the two women have very different voices. I was totally caught up in it and could not put it down. Definitely recommended.
Sunday, 5 January 2014
Another catch-up
It's all going to pot on this blog, isn't it?
Here's what I've read and enjoyed in the last month.
His Brother's Keeper by Sally Quilford
Part 1 of a series, a supernatural thriller. There's a vigilante in a seaside town where an oil company are about to start fracking. Investigative journalist Rachel Cohen is sent to look into it and meets enigmatic local businessman Gabriel Henchard. As usual for a Sally Q novel, lots of twists and turns and it keeps you reading and guessing. The ending is open but a bit abrupt - definitely leaving the way open for a second or more books in the series.
Loving Protector by Sally Quilford
A Regency romance, which is doing brilliantly on the Amazon.com website. Calista meets the dashing Brook Windebank when he rescues her and her family from a highwayman. She falls in love with him, but doubts he has any interest in her. This book has all the ingredients of the regency period - balls, social niceties, an unpleasant stepsister - bit like a Cinderella retelling. Very readable and enjoyable. Sally has a knack of writing books in all genres which you just can't put down once you've started them.
4 little books on research techniques by Helen Kara
Helen's a friend who had published a major book on researching and evaluating the results of research. She's now published short extracts of these books as Kindle ebooks, and I skim-read them. Very useful for anyone who ever needs to do any market or social research - questionnaires, interviews etc.
So You'd Like to Open a Wool Shop by Kath Kilburn
I really wouldn't, but Kath's an online friend and I was interested in her experiences. This book is very readable, useful if you are considering starting a small business, and pretty amusing in places too, as Kath tells you how to avoid the mistakes she made.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
An agent I met last year, when asked what the next trend in publishing would be, commented that if something like Gone Girl ever landed on her desk she'd snap it up. So I had to read it!
This is a psychological thriller. Nick's perfect wife, Amy, has disappeared. The sitting room looks as though it's been made to look as though she was abducted. But the details aren't right, and the police (and reader) begin to suspect Nick of having possibly murdered Amy. The book is told from Nick's point of view, and interspersed with extracts from Amy's diary. But this is a masterpiece in unreliable narrators. Although at the start you like Nick then begin to distrust him, is he really guilty? Or is there more to it.... With more twists and turns than the road to Alpe d'Huez, this is a hugely enjoyable book and one which will stay with me for a long time.
A Merry Little Christmas by Julia Williams
One of two books by this author I won in the Authors for the Philippines auction. It's the second of a series about a set of families living in the village of Hope Christmas. The novel covers an eventful year in their lives, in which one farmer has a major accident which alters his personality; a teenage girl gets pregnant; another extended family fight over which school a son goes to and who he should stay with at weekends. It's an enjoyable tale though I would recommend reading the other in the series, Last Christmas, first, so you know the characters.
Here's what I've read and enjoyed in the last month.
His Brother's Keeper by Sally Quilford
Part 1 of a series, a supernatural thriller. There's a vigilante in a seaside town where an oil company are about to start fracking. Investigative journalist Rachel Cohen is sent to look into it and meets enigmatic local businessman Gabriel Henchard. As usual for a Sally Q novel, lots of twists and turns and it keeps you reading and guessing. The ending is open but a bit abrupt - definitely leaving the way open for a second or more books in the series.
Loving Protector by Sally Quilford
A Regency romance, which is doing brilliantly on the Amazon.com website. Calista meets the dashing Brook Windebank when he rescues her and her family from a highwayman. She falls in love with him, but doubts he has any interest in her. This book has all the ingredients of the regency period - balls, social niceties, an unpleasant stepsister - bit like a Cinderella retelling. Very readable and enjoyable. Sally has a knack of writing books in all genres which you just can't put down once you've started them.
4 little books on research techniques by Helen Kara
Helen's a friend who had published a major book on researching and evaluating the results of research. She's now published short extracts of these books as Kindle ebooks, and I skim-read them. Very useful for anyone who ever needs to do any market or social research - questionnaires, interviews etc.
So You'd Like to Open a Wool Shop by Kath Kilburn
I really wouldn't, but Kath's an online friend and I was interested in her experiences. This book is very readable, useful if you are considering starting a small business, and pretty amusing in places too, as Kath tells you how to avoid the mistakes she made.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
An agent I met last year, when asked what the next trend in publishing would be, commented that if something like Gone Girl ever landed on her desk she'd snap it up. So I had to read it!
This is a psychological thriller. Nick's perfect wife, Amy, has disappeared. The sitting room looks as though it's been made to look as though she was abducted. But the details aren't right, and the police (and reader) begin to suspect Nick of having possibly murdered Amy. The book is told from Nick's point of view, and interspersed with extracts from Amy's diary. But this is a masterpiece in unreliable narrators. Although at the start you like Nick then begin to distrust him, is he really guilty? Or is there more to it.... With more twists and turns than the road to Alpe d'Huez, this is a hugely enjoyable book and one which will stay with me for a long time.
A Merry Little Christmas by Julia Williams
One of two books by this author I won in the Authors for the Philippines auction. It's the second of a series about a set of families living in the village of Hope Christmas. The novel covers an eventful year in their lives, in which one farmer has a major accident which alters his personality; a teenage girl gets pregnant; another extended family fight over which school a son goes to and who he should stay with at weekends. It's an enjoyable tale though I would recommend reading the other in the series, Last Christmas, first, so you know the characters.
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Doubting Abbey
Doubting Abbey by Samantha Tonge
Another rom-com from a facebook friend. I love Sam's writing style so was looking forward to this one. When the price dropped to just 59p on Kindle I couldn't believe my luck!
Essex girl Gemma is persuaded to impersonate her aristocratic flatmate in a reality show set in a stately home. As a reader you need to suspend disbelief and accept that not only can she do this, but she can also switch back to being Gemma by changing her clothes, make-up and hair colour and people won't notice. But once you've accepted this you are in for a treat. The novel jogs along at a good pace, full of humour and wacky antics. The characters are larger than life and Gemma herself is particularly likeable. She's a great creation and I'd like to see a sequel to this book - how life progresses for her as the new Lady Croxley (because yes, she gets her man. Sorry, spoilers! But you expect nothing less from a rom-com.)
Another rom-com from a facebook friend. I love Sam's writing style so was looking forward to this one. When the price dropped to just 59p on Kindle I couldn't believe my luck!
Essex girl Gemma is persuaded to impersonate her aristocratic flatmate in a reality show set in a stately home. As a reader you need to suspend disbelief and accept that not only can she do this, but she can also switch back to being Gemma by changing her clothes, make-up and hair colour and people won't notice. But once you've accepted this you are in for a treat. The novel jogs along at a good pace, full of humour and wacky antics. The characters are larger than life and Gemma herself is particularly likeable. She's a great creation and I'd like to see a sequel to this book - how life progresses for her as the new Lady Croxley (because yes, she gets her man. Sorry, spoilers! But you expect nothing less from a rom-com.)
Saturday, 7 December 2013
A Stitch in Time
A Stitch in Time by Amanda James
Choc-lit novel by a facebook friend. I liked the idea of the time-travel element, so bought this one for Kindle.
Sarah has been chosen by the mysterious powers and their agent, John Needler, to be a 'stitch' - in other words to go back in time and put things right after blips have made things go wrong. First she goes to Sheffield during the Blitz, then to 1913 London, then the American wild west. Each time she needs to save someone but doesn't know who until she gets there. And all the while she's falling in love with John Needler.
This is a lively and entertaining novel. I enjoyed the historical aspects of it which felt very well researched, and the atmosphere of each period was well drawn. It's an unusual plot. The only thing that let it down for me is that I wanted to know who these powers were, and how it is all organised, ie how the timey-wimey wibbly-wobbly stuff works. But it wasn't trying to be a sci-fi novel - it's a romantic comedy with a time-travel element, and as such works well.
Choc-lit novel by a facebook friend. I liked the idea of the time-travel element, so bought this one for Kindle.
Sarah has been chosen by the mysterious powers and their agent, John Needler, to be a 'stitch' - in other words to go back in time and put things right after blips have made things go wrong. First she goes to Sheffield during the Blitz, then to 1913 London, then the American wild west. Each time she needs to save someone but doesn't know who until she gets there. And all the while she's falling in love with John Needler.
This is a lively and entertaining novel. I enjoyed the historical aspects of it which felt very well researched, and the atmosphere of each period was well drawn. It's an unusual plot. The only thing that let it down for me is that I wanted to know who these powers were, and how it is all organised, ie how the timey-wimey wibbly-wobbly stuff works. But it wasn't trying to be a sci-fi novel - it's a romantic comedy with a time-travel element, and as such works well.
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Catching up again
I am becoming rubbish at keeping this up to date, and the whole point is to write a few words about each book as soon as I finish it while it is fresh in my mind. But once again I have several to write up. I blame these short little ebooks I keep reading. I get through them pretty quickly, faster than I have time to sit here and write my blog.
Anyway, recently read:
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Last read this one in my teens. What a wonderful book it is. So beautifully written. I love the leisurely pace at which events unfold, the way the narrator although first person fades into the background, eclipsed by a character who isn't even present. How du Maurier pulls this off is a masterclass in itself. It's a book to study if you're a writer, and savour if you're a reader. Creepy and clever and very satisfying.
Gracie's War by Elaine Everest
I've known Elaine mostly online for many years now and was delighted to see her first novel out. It's an enjoyable wartime romance, very evocative of the era and the location (north Kent). Gracie marries in haste to wide-boy Joe, but her heart belongs to soldier Tony. As the war progresses and Joe gets deep into the murkier sides of 1940s life, Gracie wonders whether she can ever have a chance at true happiness. But things do work out, as they always do in this genre, the story is well told and the end is satisfying.
My only quibble with this book was the number of formatting and punctuation errors which unfortunately did detract from the story. It's not a self-published book (if it was, there'd be only the author to blame). You would expect better from a specialist ebook publisher, so I was disappointed in this respect.
The Prince and the Singularity by Pedro Barrento
I came across this book because the author posted a link to his blog in a Facebook writers' group. The author looks EXACTLY like my brother, so I went to read his blog, was intrigued, and then went to take a look at his book. The blurb also intrigued, the 'look inside' feature showed the book was well-written (and crucially for me at the moment, well-formatted) so I bought it. That has to be the most surreal reason for buying a book - because the author looks like my brother.
The book is a take on creation myths. Gods are bored, playing cards, and creating universes as forfeits when they lose. Along comes a Prince who is somehow a bug in the system. Oh, I can't explain the plot. It defies description!
Back when I was about 20 I spent my days reading stuff by Richard Bach (eg Jonathon Livingstone Seagull) and Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance). Reading this book brought those two to mind. It's nothing like either of them - in fact it's nothing like anything I've ever read before but it's quirky and unusual and makes you think, just like those two do.
I loved the circularity of it, and the way it explains nothing in the end, but also asks the question what is reality and is it good or bad? Some things are currently unexplainable; the nature of reality is one such topic; but this book manages to show that reality is unexplainable in a very enjoyable way. If this review comes across as circular and doesn't actually tell you what the book is about, that's a good thing because that's what the book is like anyway.
I think it's good. Read it and make up your own mind.
Anyway, recently read:
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Last read this one in my teens. What a wonderful book it is. So beautifully written. I love the leisurely pace at which events unfold, the way the narrator although first person fades into the background, eclipsed by a character who isn't even present. How du Maurier pulls this off is a masterclass in itself. It's a book to study if you're a writer, and savour if you're a reader. Creepy and clever and very satisfying.
Gracie's War by Elaine Everest
I've known Elaine mostly online for many years now and was delighted to see her first novel out. It's an enjoyable wartime romance, very evocative of the era and the location (north Kent). Gracie marries in haste to wide-boy Joe, but her heart belongs to soldier Tony. As the war progresses and Joe gets deep into the murkier sides of 1940s life, Gracie wonders whether she can ever have a chance at true happiness. But things do work out, as they always do in this genre, the story is well told and the end is satisfying.
My only quibble with this book was the number of formatting and punctuation errors which unfortunately did detract from the story. It's not a self-published book (if it was, there'd be only the author to blame). You would expect better from a specialist ebook publisher, so I was disappointed in this respect.
The Prince and the Singularity by Pedro Barrento
I came across this book because the author posted a link to his blog in a Facebook writers' group. The author looks EXACTLY like my brother, so I went to read his blog, was intrigued, and then went to take a look at his book. The blurb also intrigued, the 'look inside' feature showed the book was well-written (and crucially for me at the moment, well-formatted) so I bought it. That has to be the most surreal reason for buying a book - because the author looks like my brother.
The book is a take on creation myths. Gods are bored, playing cards, and creating universes as forfeits when they lose. Along comes a Prince who is somehow a bug in the system. Oh, I can't explain the plot. It defies description!
Back when I was about 20 I spent my days reading stuff by Richard Bach (eg Jonathon Livingstone Seagull) and Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance). Reading this book brought those two to mind. It's nothing like either of them - in fact it's nothing like anything I've ever read before but it's quirky and unusual and makes you think, just like those two do.
I loved the circularity of it, and the way it explains nothing in the end, but also asks the question what is reality and is it good or bad? Some things are currently unexplainable; the nature of reality is one such topic; but this book manages to show that reality is unexplainable in a very enjoyable way. If this review comes across as circular and doesn't actually tell you what the book is about, that's a good thing because that's what the book is like anyway.
I think it's good. Read it and make up your own mind.
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
The Haunting
The Haunting by Alan Titchmarsh
I've read a few of Alan Titchmarsh's books before, and I enjoy his easy-to-read style. So when my son sent me this book for my birthday I was delighted. The blurb talks about a novel told in two time frames, with a genealogy element - right up my street. In fact that pretty much describes my own completed novel. So I looked forward immensely to reading it and it was allowed a major queue jump.
In the historical story, maid servant Anne Flint is witness to a tragic accident, and is then abducted. She gets away from her abductor and is subject to more adventures before finally getting back to the Hampshire village where she'd worked.
In the contemporary story, Harry Flint gives up his job as a teacher, moves into a tumbledown cottage in a remote part of Hampshire and researches his ancestors. Next door to the cottage, in an old mill, lives Alex Overton, a young widow who soon catches Harry's eye. She's got secrets of her own. Inevitably the two fall in love.
I enjoyed this story, and it's definitely easy to read. However, and it is a big however, (spoiler alert) the plot relies entirely on coincidence. Not one, but several. Harry, Alex and Harry's best mate all turn out to be descendants of the characters in the historical story. Alex just happens to be living in the mill where Anne Flint spent her last days. Harry's best mate's ancestors owned the mill, and he just happens to have a diary from 1816. In the historical story, when Anne Flint is on the run in Portsmouth, her employer's son just happens to come across her. And so it goes on. This felt like lazy plotting to me. Each event ought to occur naturally out of what's come before. If people are researching the past, they should need to actually research it, not have a diary with all the detail just handed to them. I felt quite annoyed by this in the end. My own two time period genealogical novel has no such coincidences in it.
Recommended as an easy read but don't expect to be blown away by the clever plot.
I've read a few of Alan Titchmarsh's books before, and I enjoy his easy-to-read style. So when my son sent me this book for my birthday I was delighted. The blurb talks about a novel told in two time frames, with a genealogy element - right up my street. In fact that pretty much describes my own completed novel. So I looked forward immensely to reading it and it was allowed a major queue jump.
In the historical story, maid servant Anne Flint is witness to a tragic accident, and is then abducted. She gets away from her abductor and is subject to more adventures before finally getting back to the Hampshire village where she'd worked.
In the contemporary story, Harry Flint gives up his job as a teacher, moves into a tumbledown cottage in a remote part of Hampshire and researches his ancestors. Next door to the cottage, in an old mill, lives Alex Overton, a young widow who soon catches Harry's eye. She's got secrets of her own. Inevitably the two fall in love.
I enjoyed this story, and it's definitely easy to read. However, and it is a big however, (spoiler alert) the plot relies entirely on coincidence. Not one, but several. Harry, Alex and Harry's best mate all turn out to be descendants of the characters in the historical story. Alex just happens to be living in the mill where Anne Flint spent her last days. Harry's best mate's ancestors owned the mill, and he just happens to have a diary from 1816. In the historical story, when Anne Flint is on the run in Portsmouth, her employer's son just happens to come across her. And so it goes on. This felt like lazy plotting to me. Each event ought to occur naturally out of what's come before. If people are researching the past, they should need to actually research it, not have a diary with all the detail just handed to them. I felt quite annoyed by this in the end. My own two time period genealogical novel has no such coincidences in it.
Recommended as an easy read but don't expect to be blown away by the clever plot.
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