Pavb2's Reading Log

pavb2 · 05-10-2015 4:23pm

wreade1872 wrote: »

I havn't read this but i did read the 'Island of the Day Before' and thought it was really pretty good. I've heard people who liked one won't like the other so maybe you'll like that instead . Still very highbrow, but i don't recall too much latin.

Hi wreade I think the book divides opinion you either like it or loathe it. I read that the thing was to persevere with it but I had to speed read it from about page 250 onwards as I'd had enough.

The only other book and I don't consider TNoTR as bad but heading in that direction is 'One hundred years of Solitude' but again this splits opinion.

pavb2 · 09-10-2015 9:29pm

Mr Mercedes - Stephen King 7/10

The beginning of this story started out very well and then we got in to the conflict between our retired detective Hodges and the perp who was identified almost at the beginning.

Some things didn't add up for me like

1. I don't think Hodges would have hit it off so quickly if at all with the millionaire Janey.
2. Everybody seemed to get back to normality almost immediately after Janey's death which was surprising as this would have been a major incident.
3 I don't think Jerome's parents would have allowed him to hang around with Hodges after what went on.
4 it seemed like Brady embarked on a course of action and this was rehashed as our detective deduced it almost like for like a few pages later.

All in all this was an ok read as one review put it though the ending was very much like an episode of Scooby doo.

pavb2 · 13-10-2015 10:13pm

Desert God - Wilbur Smith 7/10

You always see Smith's books in book shops so I was interested in seeing what he was all about. This book is about Taita an Egyptian who basically keeps the empire together. Told in the first person Taita is quite conceited and after a bit this kind of jars.

The story is easy to read but something niggled away at the back of my mind. I had read before that most stories should have 3 disasters which create conflict and suspense allowing the protagonist to resolve the crisis thus holding the readers interest.

Everything Taita did was a triumphant success and I think that was the problem here. The book lacked a bit of credibility and the supernatural element was far too simplistic and unnecessary.

I might read another of Smith's but would probably look more closely at the reviews first.

pavb2 · 16-02-2016 11:43pm

The Lieutenant of Inishmore - Martin McDonagh 10/10

Mcdonagh stated that he wanted to write a play that would make Irish nationalists want to shoot him so conceived in 1994 The lieutenant of inishmore is a black comedy and satire on terrorism.

I had just finished reading 1100 pages of James Clavell's Shogun so wanted to read something shorter. I've had 3 of MM's plays on my shelf for a couple of years so turned to the above. This was an unexpected surprise for a short play the characters were colourful and the plot twists quite clever.

What works so well is what we think are throwaway comments and minor actions come back to have major significance later on.

The story was genuinely funny throughout and the gruesome bits so absurd that I didn't find them that shocking. Couldn't fault it.

pavb2 · 18-02-2016 10:02pm

I Am Pilgrim - Terry Hayes 7/10

This would be an OK holiday read and I was reminded of The Day of the Jackal but this story doesn't come anywhere near. The story centres around a spy hunting down a terrorist who has developed a new virus to unleash on the world.

There are too many coincidences and contrived plot lines which are far too convenient and stretch the limits of credibility like the eyeballs and the mirror. Would probably make a good film with some gratuitous editing.

pavb2 · 21-02-2016 12:51am

The Lonesome West - Martin Mc Donagh 9/10

I like these plays as you can generally read them in one sitting the thing about The Lonesome West is that though the characters are exaggerated you can still identify with some of their peculiarities.

The play set in Connemara centres around two brothers who are continually fighting and the attempts of the priest to get them to live a more peaceful existence.

Similar to The Lieutenant of Inishmore these plays are like very violent and dark episodes of Fr Ted.

echo beach · 21-02-2016 3:40pm

It wouldn't occur to me to read a play. Would you not rather see it on stage?

pavb2 · 22-02-2016 2:21pm

Absolutely echo beach but there's no reason why you can't do both. The format of these is very much like reading a short story, obviously a lot of dialogue but lets the imagination provide the colour.

pavb2 · 10-03-2016 10:56pm

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon 8/10

This would be a nice holiday read set in post Franco Barcelona it is a mystery about a boys search for the elusive Julian Carax, the author of a book he takes from a secret library. There are a lot of characters in the story and a few inconsistencies but overall it holds the interest.

pavb2 · 26-03-2016 5:26pm

Shogun - James Clavell 8/10

Set in feudal Japan at the beginning of the 17th century this is a novel that describes the adventures of an English sailor Blackthorne who is shipwrecked. The novel describes a power struggle between feuding warlords and through Blackthorne's eyes we get an insight into the culture of those times.

It is an easy read but for me the motivations of various characters became a bit cloudy such as

why the lady had to sacrifice herself, why was his ship so important to the Jesuits

. The novel lost momentum at times but overall a fascinating and educational journey.

pavb2 · 04-04-2016 7:14pm

The Dead Secret - Wilkie Collins 8/10

Not as good as The Woman in White and The Moonstone by WC but better than The Haunted Hotel. The plot of The Dead Secret is a bit predictable but I still found it difficult to put down. The strength of the book lies in the characters

I felt sad for Susan though her two uncles were both funny in their own different ways.

Uncle Treverton wanting to leave his money to someone who didn't want it and eventually Finding someone who didn't care for it, Rosamund was too neat.

Likewise Rosamund needing a nurse and her mother who just happened to be in the village was a bit of a stretch

pavb2 · 29-08-2016 10:50am

Tai - Pan - James Clavell 7-10

This book chronicles the start of Hong Kong through the conflict between Dirk Struan of the Noble House Trading Company and his adversary Tyler Brock. Not a bad read if a bit repetitive and some of the supporting characters of which there are many could have been developed as they had interesting stories.

The relationship between the two main protagonists was a bit hard to believe as at one point they are trying to kill each other and the next having a drink together

pavb2 · 29-08-2016 11:01am

The Plague Dogs - Richard Adams 9 - 10

This was an enjoyable and thought provoking read from the author of Watership Down. The story is about two dogs who escape from an animal testing laboratory ARSE (an acronym for Animal Research, Scientific and Experimental) in the lake district.

The story chronicles their battle to survive and RA successfully manages to create animals that have human personalities. The book could have done with a map for those of us unfamiliar with the area.

The ending was a bit weird as RA introduces David Attenborough and uses it to give what I felt was an unnecessary lecture on the wrongs of animal testing.

pavb2 · 09-10-2016 6:12pm

Untouchables: Dirty cops, bent justice and racism In Scotland Yard 8/10

I got this on the back of the Daniel Morgan podcasts and to say it was an eye opener is an understatement. It basically deals with corruption in The Met from the eighties through to 2010 or thereabouts. High profile cases such as the Stephen Lawrence murder, Daniel Morgan murder and Brinks Mat robbbies are discussed.

One philosophy the police had was the noble cause principle, the principle was such that if the police considered that someone was guilty then the police could use whatever methods they chose to secure a conviction. Firearms, drugs etc could be planted, evidence and witness statements fabricated and a blind eye turned by all concerned. In reading the book these weren't isolated incidents but more like police policy.

An interesting if tough read but far too many names to remember.

pavb2 · 06-10-2021 8:11pm

Started Terry Pratchett’s discworld series I’m on book 3 now Equal Rites. I’m getting the books for about 5 euro on the kindle but after reading the first two books I wouldn’t pay much more than that.

Also reading A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin which is different and holds the interest much better than the film.

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