Lemon_sherbert's 50 book challenge!

lemon_sherbert

I've been meaning to do this a while, and new years seemed the perfect time to start.

Well, just finished my first book last night. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. It was a collection of three novellas, Cranford, My Lady Ludlow and Mr Harrison's Confessions. I really liked aspects of it, it was pretty funny for the time it was written in. But I did find myself having to reread pages. A lot of talk of types of hats and clothes got a bit tiring. I give it a 3/5.

lemon_sherbert

I finished my second book last night. A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz.

It was funny, I really liked this book as I began it, and I read it fairly quickly, because it was the kind of book you want to find out what's going to happen next. The plot was good, unpredictable and fairly funny. I think I was a little put off, because it was described as 'riotously funny' on the back. Amusing, yes. Riotously funny, absolutely not.

I suppose the main problem I had with this book, was I did not like the two main characters. The ending didn't have as big an impact as I think it could have, because I did not really care about the characters.

Overall, a 3/5 again. Though I think other people might like it better than I did.

lemon_sherbert

Have finished my third book, The Economic Naturalist by Robert H Frank. My mum got it for me for Christmas. It's written in a similar style to the New Scientist Books which pose scientific answers to questions about everyday situations, but from an economic perspective.

I really liked the book. It was funny, and light hearted. It was also pretty good revision going into next term, as I've another Economics class this term in college. I don't know how much I would have liked it had I never done economics. I definitely would have had to read it slower, and might have given up on it. But as it was, I had used the textbook written by the same author, which used similar examples throughout, and the style suited me.

For me, it was a 4/5. Not perfect, but not half bad.

lemon_sherbert

I went kinda crazy yesterday, and subsequently spent the entire day reading my fourth book. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.

I had just picked this up in Hodges Figgis a few days ago, and it was literally a case of the cover having a good blurb, I'd never heard of it. There are two interweaving stories in the book, both looking at polygamy, at the formation of the Mormon church, and a modern story of a sect who still practice it. The history of the church is fictionalised, but at the end in the acknowledgements, it turns out all the people mentioned were real. The narrative is a little awkward, because it jumps from a first person experience, to a pretend memoir, to interviews and research papers. At first this irritated me. I was also a little disappointed with the resolution of the story. A lot of the appeal for me was the mystery involved, and it was wrapped up in about four pages. Then maybe I was just missing out on pages of hints.

Either way, it's a page turner and entertaining. It's a 3/5

lemon_sherbert

You Can't Do Both by Kingsley Amis

I'd never read anything by him before, and I just picked this up for four euro. It followed the life of Robin Davies, from his life in secondary school, his time in Oxford, right up to when he was thirty five. The book was fairly amusing,and did actually make me laugh out loud once.

But what I really liked about the book was the way the author dealt with the relationship between the father and son. It was very complicated, and touching without being sentimental, and I really began to empathise with the characters.

It's a 4/5.

lemon_sherbert

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.

The film's out next week with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. The story, without giving too much away, is about a stagnating couple living in American Suburbia in the late 1950s.

It was a spectacular book, very atmospheric, very affecting. It was slightly irritating that there are so many ads about for the book, because there were always in my head and I couldn't see the main character without thinking of Kate Winslet. Similarly, the back of the book gave away more than I would like.

But it's a 4/5

lemon_sherbert

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.

It won the Man Booker last year, and at first it seems difficult to understand why. It reads like a simple rag to riches story, set in modern day India. But it mixes in social commentary and darker themes as it moves on.

It was a good story, but I never quite got into it, and it left me a little sad about the state of humanity. It was okay.

It's only a 2/5 for me, I'm afraid.

lemon_sherbert

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.

This was wonderful, I just finished reading it a few minutes ago. It's the story of Margaret Hale, child of a parson who gives up the church and they must move from the South of England to a manufacturing town in the north.

What I really liked about this were the imperfections of the characters, how real they seemed. I thought that the heroine really developed throughout the novel. She was much like the heroines in a lot of the Austen or Eliot books, I thought. But it was terribly romantic and funny.

The only bits that could be a little tiresome were the moral arguments about the class relations, and the place of workers unions, but not enough to annoy me.

It's a 4/5

lemon_sherbert

This one seemed to take forever; never a great sign for a book. It was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

Now admittedly, it took me a little while to pick up my nineth book, I started another one and gave it up, to go back to some other time.

Anyhow, this novel is set in Barcelona, in post Civil war time. It was slow to get started, and I found the large cast of characters and intersecting plot lines very confusing. However, in only the last two days of reading, it became very rewarding.

The story (for the second half of the book) is remarkable, and completely unpredictable, and I really liked the characters and the historic backdrop.

It's a 4/5

lemon_sherbert

Okay, so I shouldn't have stayed up half the night reading a book, but here I am. It's a short one The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby.

A lot of people have heard about this, I'm sure, after the praise the film got, though I can't say I've seen it. All I knew about the book going in was that it was about someone suffering from 'locked-in' syndrome.

Far from being depressing, this was one of the most life-affirming books I've ever read. I never knew how much a book could make you appreciate little things, swallowing, smell, tastes. It's a true story, and I won't tell you anything else.

It was beautiful, if you haven't read it, read it.

5/5 without a doubt

lemon_sherbert

Netherland by Joseph O'Neill.

An excellent book, beautiful language and I got a very strong sense of the central character from the voice of the novel.

Strong plot, and the backdrop seemed very familiar, he was able to weave in lots of events from the past six/seven years. Sad at times, funny, compelling.

It's a 4/5

lemon_sherbert

The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander

This book was absolutely heartbreaking. But wonderful, nonetheless.

It's set in the dirty war in Argentina, at the beginnings of the military coup, and revolving around the impact on one family.

It's a 4/5.

lemon_sherbert

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

A story that follows a family over three generations, as one member seeks to unravel their past. It was good, but not as good as I had expected. As with all the books of Morrison's I have read, the plot was strong, complicated. But none of the characters were particularly likeable, and really I just wanted to get through it, I didn't really enjoy this book.

It's a 3/5, just about.

lemon_sherbert

Clarissa by Samuel Richardson.

First off, this is a long book! 1700 pages of tiny writing. and sometimes, long books can be good. Not always. Though the essence of the story was very good, the characters very real, an excellent plot, it was just about five hundred pages too long.

It's written as a series of letters between the main characters, and a lot of these letters have little or no purpose. The main character, Clarissa, was very believable, a young woman of 18/19 being pressured into marriage by her family. I won't give anything else away. One of the book's strengths was her characterisation, and how she was flawed, indecisive, unsure. It felt like she could exist today.

It's a 3/5

lemon_sherbert

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

My mom gave this to read after she'd finished it, and kept insisting I read it. Normally I'm not much into thrillers, but I'm glad I relented and read it. It was perfect after the heavy reading of Clarissa.

It was fast paced, complex, exciting, and impossible to put down. A little brutal maybe, for my liking, but nonetheless excellent.

4/5

lemon_sherbert

Homestead by Rosina Pippi

An interesting one, this book. It follows two clans living in an Austrian village across the twentieth century. It reads a little like a group of short stories. The characters and stories were excellent, believable, touching. The historical backdrop didn't impose, but as I read it left a distinct impression on the effect great events on people living far from them, the tragedy and injustice of war.

The only problem I encountered was that for some weird reason, I thought that it was set in the american prairie for the first couple of chapters. Don't ask me why, but when the Nazis arrived, I figured I had made a mistake, and went on from there. It was a very good book, and definitely left me thinking. About people in the end, complex, flawed people, making do in the circumstances they find themselves in.

A 4/5

lemon_sherbert

Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama

I have to say, I really liked this book. It is Obama's memoirs, up until his marriage. I had expected it to be quite political, but in fact it seemed a very personal story. Mostly, what struck me was the insecurities he suffered, the uncertainties he dealt with in his search for identity, and the honesty with which he dealt with these issues.

He's an excellent writer, which helped, but with all the political spin, it's easy to forget that he had an extraordinary early life and family life. It's the kind of book you read that makes you want to be a better person.

Can't be anything but a 5/5

lemon_sherbert

Crow Lake by Mary Lawson

A novel surrounding the lives of a family in rural Canada, struggling to survive in tragic circumstances. Very affecting, I could see a lot of myself in the main character. I also stayed up half the night reading it.

4/5

lemon_sherbert

The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson

Not quite a sequel to Crow Lake, but set in the smae fictional town, and some minor character overlapping. I liked this one too, but it was fairly sad. Lovely style though.

A 3/5

lemon_sherbert

Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris.

Took me a good while to get into, the main character is a pyschopath, and some of it just seemed too far fetched. But I have to say, halfway through it just hooked me and I couldn't put it down. There are some great plot twists and reveals, and I thoroughly enjoyed it in the end.

Its a 4/5

lemon_sherbert

The Gathering by Anne Enright

A story of an aging family, concerning themes of grief and familial relationships. Veronica, one of twelve children, anticipates a gathering of her family after the death of her favourite brother.

It's poignant, and wonderfully written. What I really liked was how rooted it seemed in Irish culture.

A 4/5

lemon_sherbert

The Elephant Vanishesby Haruki Murakami

A collection of short stories, ranging from portraits of people, to tales of magic realism and encounters with family and friends. There are recurring characters and motifs, and the main characters are never named. All are first person narrated, and most seem to be the same narrator. I found myself building up quite a complete picture of him.

These are wonderful stories. The style is simple, concise and somewhat distant, but really makes you suspend your belief. One or two I didn't quite get, but on the whole, really excellent.

It's a 4/5

lemon_sherbert

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

I have to say, I really liked this book at the beginning, got wrapped up in the mystery, liked the style etc. But what I liked rapidly degenerated, and in the end I don't think I really enjoyed the book.

The mystery never resolved itself, or at least I could not understand it in any way. Maybe that's just me being stupid The discussions of literature and music were interesting at first, but I got sick of them, I prefer good story-telling to discussions of classic literature anyday.

All in all, a 2/5

Edit: I've been reading a little about the book online, and apparently I'm not supposed to understand it... I'm supposed to come to the possibility of understanding it? Oh well.

lemon_sherbert

The Clothes on their Backs by Linda Martin

I read this yesterday instead of studying:D. It's a story of a second generation Hungarian immigrant to London. The novel explores the her adult life, and the relationship she develops with her estranged uncle. It's often tragic and rather bleak, and I was almost in tears at one point. What's really interesting though, is the way she uses clothes as a symbol for the identities we form for ourselves, and the face we try to present to the world.

Very affecting, though a little forgettable.

A 4/5

lemon_sherbert

The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer

An intriguing story set during the Korean war in San Francisco. It's a real page turner, with a cracking plot. There is a dreadful sense of inevitability throughout the whole novel, as characters are trapped by the shortcomings of the era. Themes of racial relations, war-time, sacrifice mingle in this novel. Against the backdrop of the McCarthy trials, the novel is atmospheric and poignant. The characters became so real that I found myself angry at them for their choices.

The only fault I might find was a few of the situations seemed a little contrived, and I found myself reminded of a soap opera. A short little book, but well worth a look.

A 4/5

lemon_sherbert

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

A fictionalised version of the life of Laura Bush. Very insightful, beautifully written. I had been struggling through a tome of a fantasy book that I just can't get into, so this was a welcome break. A very enjoyable, easy read.

It's a 3.5/5

lemon_sherbert

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck's prose is as beautiful and eloquent as ever in this short novel. It's the tale of two travelling migrant workers in California. As with every Steinbeck book I've read, a beautiful tragedy.

A 4/5

lemon_sherbert

The Magus by John Fowles

A post wartime story of a young man who travels to a remote Greek island to teach in a school. He quickly becomes enravelled in a world neither he nor the reader understands.

And therein lies the problem. While there was some brilliant prose, and lyricism in the writing, most of the time I hadn't a clue what was going on. It seemed like the kind of book for more high brow types than myself. To be honest, I was just glad to finish it.

A 2/5

lemon_sherbert

The Girl who played with Fire by Stieg Larsson.

I don't want to give away any of the plot here, as it's the sequel to The Girl with the dragon tattoo, and really, the excitement of the plot is the main reason I read the entire book within the space of 12 hours, 6 of which I was asleep.

It's a fantastic book, exciting, fast paced, tightly plotted, and with excellent characterisation. The level of sadism in some of the characters is very disturbing, yet entirely believable and motivated.

It's a 5/5

lemon_sherbert

One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson

To be honest, this book didn't really have my full attention, as I'm studying for exams at the moment. So, when I say I didn't really follow it, it's more my fault than that of the author.

It's marketed as a literary novel, crossed with a detective story. The cross-genre nature of the book was not a strength, it felt like it wasn't enough of a detective story, as the plot wasn't developed enough, and the twists seemed arbitrary, the characters lacking in motivation.

At the same time, an enjoyable enough read, again apparently it's a sequel, so I think other's would enjoy it if they could dedicate proper attention to it. And it probably bore poor comparison to the excellence of The Girl who Played with Fire.

Anyhow, it's a 2.5/5

lemon_sherbert

Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake

Not my sort of book at all to be honest. I thought I would like it, as it was recommended to me on the basis that it was a little similar to LOTR, however it seemed to share all the flaws of the LOTR, without any of the best parts.

So it's the story of the birth of the 77th heir to the Earldom of Gormenghast, a quasi-medieval imagined city (which weirdly uses cardboard at times), and the various host of characters who inhabit the castle. The characters were very flat, and there wasn't much of a plot. I had bought it as part of the Gormenghast trilogy, but I'm not bothering to read the other two.

It's a 1/5

lemon_sherbert

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

So instead of going out and socialising with the world today, I've been lying in the garden reading, and this book was just perfect for it. A story told by a ninety-eight year old, looking back on her days as a housemaid in a stately home in England.

I engaged with the plot immediately, and enjoyed the book immensely. It reminded me a little of Du Maurier's Rebecca, though not as beautifully executed. But the book was an acheivement, and I found it astounding to think that a world so different from our own is not so far away as we think.

A nice escapist read for a day.

It's a 4/5

lemon_sherbert

The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant

A novel set in the early to mid nineteenth century in tiny village on the East coast of America. The book charts the dying community, following each of the characters as they live their lives, moving to more urban areas, to escape the desolation imposed by the barren isolated landscape of Dogtown.

It's an interesting book, certainly some of the stories resonate today, but it didn't quite grip me as much as it could have, I think. The characters are the book's heart, and I thought sometimes their backstories weren't explored enough, as they were hinting at very interesting issues, of poverty and children sold into bonded labour, of slaves who remembered Africa.

It's a solid 3/5

lemon_sherbert

Temptation by Douglas Kennedy

I was anticipating this to be a bit of light fluff for diversion, but this story of a TV-writer catapulted into success, and whose life is turned upside down by meeting a reclusive billionaire/failed director, wasn't really harmless enough to be called fluff.

I took an instant dislike to the main character, who professes his ambition in life to be to be rich, and is a completely superficial and pretentious man. I didn't stop disliking him when his life imploded, either, nor did I feel sorry for him. But I suppose it did keep me hooked.

A 2/5

lemon_sherbert

Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor

This was a real masterpiece, a truly excellent read. It's set in 1847, on a ship to New York, and the lives of passengers in the First Class and Steerage. It was very poignant, and gave an interesting insight into an area of history I used to know quite a bit about, but seem to have forgotten quite a bit. It made me regret a little that I don't have stronger ties to Irish culture.

A 4.5/5

lemon_sherbert

Dawnthief by James Barclay

Fairly traditional heroic fantasy; team of mercenaries named the Raven set off to cast the ultimate magic spell to banish the evil Witch Lords.

It's a good book, funny and the action is fairly good. Not excellent, but good.

It's a 3/5

lemon_sherbert

A Special Providence by Richard Yates

This is as close to a perfect book I have read. It's the story of a mother and son, their complex relationship and how their pasts have shaped their identities.

The characters were so real I felt I knew them intimately. They're both deeply flawed, engaging and fascinating. The depiction of war was very affecting, and the vulnerability of the characters very poignant.

It's a 5/5

lemon_sherbert

Noonshade by James Barclay

The second of the Chronicles of the Raven Trilogy, this wasn't really my cup of tea. The Raven soldiers set off to deal with the consequences of their actions in the last book, and encounter the usual bumps along the way.

Though the writing style is fairly funny, there were a number of things I just couldn't engage with. I never really like dragons in fantasy books, and the characters' emotional states were incredibly unbelievable. After much effort was made to describe the despair and hopelessness certain characters reformed without explanation, and seemed to forget their grief with the turn of a page, without any resolution to be seen.

I bought the trilogy all at once, so I probably will get around to reading the last one, but for now it's a 2/5

lemon_sherbert

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chiamanda Ngozi Adichie

This was a phenomenal novel, set in the Nigeria-Biafra war of the late 1960s, telling the story of two sisters, their lovers and a houseboy and the turmoil they are pulled into when war breaks out.

The book is very moving, and I really found myself very attached to the characters. It's a very emotional portrayal of the individual consequences of war, the helplessness and grief.

It's a 5/5.

lemon_sherbert

A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler's books are always wonderful, she's a very talented author, and her characters really come to life. This is the best of hers I've read in a while. The development of the main character was very interesting.

This is the story of Barnaby Gaitlin, who in the shadow of a wealthy philanthropic family, a failed marriage and a seemingly dead-end job, seems to be merely passing time, awaiting the fabled angel who visits each member of his family before they become successful. Barnaby is very likeable, insecure and isolating himself to protect himself. Tyler as always does great things with a disfunctional family.

5/5

lemon_sherbert

Legend by David Gemmell

This was an outstanding piece of work. A pinnacle battle approaches between the Nadir warriors and a vital outpost of the ancient Drenai civilisation. The earl of the outpost dies, and writes to a renowned old warrior, Druss the Legend, to come to his rescue. There are parallel stories running throughout, each of the character's motivations and circumstances are given time without weighing down the narrative. Some fantastic characters.

It's funny, tragic, exciting, romantic, dramatic.... it's got everything really. The only thing that bothered me a little was the portrayal of women in the story, seeming to content with a subservient role. But forgiveable due to the other merits of the story.

A 4.5/5

lemon_sherbert

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

As with all Atwood's books that I have read thusfar, this is a simply beautiful piece of writing. It's the fictionalised retelling of the life of a notorious Canadian murderess, Grace Marks, in the 1840s-60s.

In a bout of insomnia, I read nearly all of it in one sitting, and was glad of the distraction. The story flows along at a steady pace, the predominant voice was Grace's storytelling, and her language and distinctive observances made the character come alive.

It's a 5/5 (I've had a run of very good books recently!)

lemon_sherbert

the Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I picked this up on a whim really, thinking I'd like it as I used to read Agatha Christie when i was younger. It's a Sherlock Holmes mystery tale, about the haunting legacy of an ancient family. To say much more would give too much away.

It took me a while to get into the story, though it was a good one. I felt sorry for Dr Watson the whole way through though, it seemed as if he got a lot of the hard work and not much of the credit. Anyhow, it was fairly good.

A 3/5

lemon_sherbert

Good Harbour by Anita Diamant

This I read in three hours last night, when I couldn't sleep. It's the story of two friends, Joyce and Kathleen, each facing their own personal problems, and how thier friendship helps them get through it all. A nice book, about the dynamics of family life, a female friendship.

Good read to pass the time, though not as enjoyable as The Red Tent.

4/5

lemon_sherbert

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

Macon Leary finds himself falling apart after the death of his son, and his wife leaving him. But rather than admit this to himself, he becomes obsessed with routine and efficiency. He washes his clothes in the shower as he bathes to save water, he eats as little as possible, he rips up his sheets and sews them into a shape that gives him a clean bed every night. It was very sad to read the beginning of this book, because this vision of a broken man, his eccentricities multiplied into debilitating faults.

The book is about a lot of things, coming to term with grief, change, re-inventing yourself, how love can change you. It was eloquent and beautiful.

A 4/5

lemon_sherbert

The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins

This is one hell of a long book, and tough going at times. It's the story of evolution, told through the ancestors of human kind, travelling backwards in time. My favourite parts of the book were the explanations of human characteristics, the explanations for their survival in natural selection. As it went further back in time, and it started into nemotodes and bacteria, I felt my interest wandering.

I definitely didn't understand everything, but I learnt a lot from this book. Dawkins writes well, very accessible for someone with no knowledge of biology. I got a little sick of his rants on creationism, but other than that, a very good book.

3.5/5

lemon_sherbert

Back When we were Grown-ups by Anne Tyler

Another of Tyler's books, I read it last night. This is the story of Rebecca Davitch, a mother, stepmother, grandmother, widow, who realises one day that her life is not what she intended. It's a very interesting story, with a varied host of characters. It's Tyler's usual skilled portrayal of simple human truth that makes the book great. The complicated relationships, the insecurities, the disfunction.

It's a 4/5

lemon_sherbert

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

Since fate seemed to have decided that I am never going to sleep again, I read this all last night. It's primarily the story of Stephen Wraysford, a young man who initially travels to France to learn the textile industry, and later fights at the heart of WW1. The writing is very poignant, and provokes a real honest emotional response.

The ending was a little schmalzy, but other than that, a very good read.

4/5

lemon_sherbert

The Man who mistook his wife for a hat by Oliver Sacks

This was a lot more technical than I had anticipated. It's a number of case studies of patients of Sack's who had unusual brain abnormalities. He writes well, and I certainly learned a lot, but at the same timem I think I should have read something more introductory first.

What was very moving was the way he told the personal stories of the patients, but I don't think I enjoyed it enough from a layman perspective. I might read it again someday, with a bit more knowledge on my side.

It's a 3/5

lemon_sherbert

Mothers and Sons by Colm Tóibín

This is a collection of short stories, all on the theme of mother/son relationships. I really liked the Irish settings, the recognisable characters from Irish society. Some of the stories were excellent, particularly the final story, set in Franco era Spain.

It's a 3/5

lemon_sherbert

Okay, so I reached 50, but for now I think I'll continue on with the log.

A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon

This is the story of an aging man, with an adulterous wife, unhappy gay son and daughter about to marry. He suffers from increasing anxiety and mental illness. It's sad, yet funny at the same time. Equally well explored are the relationships of the children with their respective partners. There's definitely a sense of unease as you wait to see how George, the central character will behave.

A 4/5