This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Finished Bring Up The Bodies yesterday. I felt quite sad at the end, and I'm not sure if it's because of what happened or because the book is over. Don't know what to do with myself now. Got Fall of Giants by Ken Follett on a Kindle deal weeks ago and haven't read it yet so might give that a go next.

eire4 wrote: »

Finished a re read of the short stories book A New Book of Dubliners which was pretty good. It had 15 short stories in total and I liked 12 of them.

Did you re-read the three that you didn't like? That book only came out a few months ago assuming you mean Dubliners 100.


I finished the new John Boyne book the other night, I thought it was excellent, extremely interesting take on the church abuse scandal through the eyes of an inherently decent but damaged priest in the late 20th century. I'll be surprised if this isn't recognised as a modern Irish classic.

GinnyR wrote: »

I'm just after finishing Big Fat Love by Peter Sheridan .

Did you enjoy that? My parents loved it but I didn't think it was that good.

Finished the Lost World. I thought it was boring.
Picked up when A monster calls for €6 in Charlie Burns in Galway :-) gonna start that tomorrow

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Do you mean A Monster Calls?

If so stock up on tissues.

Yep, sorry A Monster Calls. My best friend has been at me for ages to read it. I started A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer instead because I need something easy and likable to read at the mo.
I'll read A Monster Calls when I have my mini hols in Nov.

First men to the moon by HG Wells, Game of thrones by GRR martin, My Wicked, wicked ways, by Errol Flynn and an officer and spy by robert harris.

I shelved Charm and Strange for now, until I suss it out a bit more. I started Until You're Mine, Samantha Hayes instead. Good so far, though I'm not far in yet.

Was away on holiday so zipped through a few books

Finished The Woman in White, a fantastic book, can't wait to read The Moonstone.

Had a few Richard & Judy recommendations on the Kindle so read them -

The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman, the story of an Alzheimer's patient. I downloaded that as I loved Still Alice but this wasn't a patch on Lisa Genova's book.
Daughter by Jane Shemilt, a teenager from an affluent home who doesn't come back one night. This was quite a good read.
Victoria Hislop's new novel The Sunrise, set during the war in Cyprus in the 1970s. It was an ok holiday read but not up to The Island.

Now reading Longbourn by Jo Baker. I don't like Jane Austen spin-off novels but this is quite readable so far.

Wyldwood wrote: »

Was away on holiday so zipped through a few books

Finished The Woman in White, a fantastic book, can't wait to read The Moonstone.

Had a few Richard & Judy recommendations on the Kindle so read them -

The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman, the story of an Alzheimer's patient. I downloaded that as I loved Still Alice but this wasn't a patch on Lisa Genova's book.
Daughter by Jane Shemilt, a teenager from an affluent home who doesn't come back one night. This was quite a good read.
Victoria Hislop's new novel The Sunrise, set during the war in Cyprus in the 1970s. It was an ok holiday read but not up to The Island.

Now reading Longbourn by Jo Baker. I don't like Jane Austen spin-off novels but this is quite readable so far.

Loved the woman in white and the moonstone so atmospheric in a similar vein lady Audley's secret is also a great read

I'm currently trying to read 'the bone clocks' by David Mitchell.
Only reason I've not given up is that I paid €14ish for it.
what will I do will i give up or not ?

Finished Longbourn by Jo Baker and I have mixed feelings.

If this was a stand-alone novel of life in a rural gentry home it would have worked quite well. I could have enjoyed the story for what it was without reference to any other work. It's a well told story and has it's merits as a novel in it's own right.

As it stands, riding on the coattails of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice it feels like exploitation. Jo Baker has changed the characters of the Bennett family to suit her novel. The story line involving Mr Bennett is not at all in keeping with Austen.
It appears that Baker felt the need to include all possible controversial issues .
The whole back story of James Smith was just a long drawn out irrelevance that detracted from the original narrative of Longbourn.

All that said I did enjoy reading the book.

Wyldwood wrote: »

Finished Longbourn by Jo Baker and I have mixed feelings.

If this was a stand-alone novel of life in a rural gentry home it would have worked quite well. I could have enjoyed the story for what it was without reference to any other work. It's a well told story and has it's merits as a novel in it's own right.

As it stands, riding on the coattails of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice it feels like exploitation. Jo Baker has changed the characters of the Bennett family to suit her novel. The story line involving Mr Bennett is not at all in keeping with Austen.
It appears that Baker felt the need to include all possible controversial issues

child out of wedlock, token gay character, child molestation

.
The whole back story of James Smith was just a long drawn out irrelevance that detracted from the original narrative of Longbourn.

All that said I did enjoy reading the book.

I enjoyed it, but like you I felt she should have left the P&P characters alone. Would have been better as a stand alone. I also agree about the James Smith bit :-)