Distractions of many kinds resulted in 2016 yielding the most depressing final reading tally since my records began (2008), although less time readingDistractions of many kinds resulted in 2016 yielding the most depressing final reading tally since my records began (2008), although less time reading meant way less dross being consumed - of the 50 (*sob*) books I read this year, 39 resulted in a rating of 3 stars or higher.
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I also skewed further towards the historic - be it fictional or otherwise - most of which grace my favourites read this year. And so, without further ado and in no particular order:
The Anti-Hero in the American Novel takes an academic look at the fiction of the sixties counterculture, and how the anti-hero was used to challenge tThe Anti-Hero in the American Novel takes an academic look at the fiction of the sixties counterculture, and how the anti-hero was used to challenge the status quo, in particular through the appropriation of three ideals - the capitalist, the cowboy and the Christ-like figure.
Whether or not you've read many of the books within (and if you haven't, you should - many of my favourites litter these pages) will obviously affect your enjoyment and if you're looking for something easily digestible then look elsewhere - this one's definitely not for the layman thanks to its scholarly frame of mind. But if you're a fan of Vonnegut, Kesey, Heller and the like and you're feeling a little highbrow, there's enough to keep you interested within. As well as making you want to read those books again....more
With Guthrum having been defeated and, for once, honouring a truce, Uhtred decides to put Alfred and Wessex behind him and head north towards his outsWith Guthrum having been defeated and, for once, honouring a truce, Uhtred decides to put Alfred and Wessex behind him and head north towards his outstanding blood feud with Kjartan and his usurping uncle hidden in Bebbanburg.
It's a journey with more than one twist in the road as he saves a slave called Guthred, a Danish Christian who the northern priests are claiming as king, and gets sold into slavery himself when his new friend takes his lesson that kings need to be ruthless to heart, before reuniting with some old friends for more maximum carnage as the blood feud comes to its culmination.
As excellent as its predecessors, I'll be taking only a short holiday before plunging once again into the further adventures of Uhtred Uhtredsson/Ragnarsson/Whoeversson he's claiming to be that week....more
Continuing the engrossing adventures of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the Danes are still assaulting England whilst Alfred and Wessex try desperately to resisContinuing the engrossing adventures of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the Danes are still assaulting England whilst Alfred and Wessex try desperately to resist. Which gives Uhtred plenty of opportunities to gleefully exercise Serpent Breath and Wasp Sting.
Indulging in his own spot of Viking, massacring some Cornish and taking their 'shadow queen' for his own before facing down more than one legendary Dane as he saves Alfred's skin (only to get repeatedly kicked in the teeth as reward, metaphorically speaking) Uhtred is exactly the kind of mean and cynical bastard that I love reading about and so I'm jumping straight into the third instalment, where I hope (no doubt in vain) that he will get the chance to punch at least one of Alfred's teeth out before he starts being known as 'the Great'....more
My rating of this book isn't really reflective of the quality of writing inside, but is instead a result of my losing my reading mojo during a period My rating of this book isn't really reflective of the quality of writing inside, but is instead a result of my losing my reading mojo during a period of heavy workload and general feelings of cruddiness. I know that I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but now that it's finished I can't really recall any of the details.
I'm sure this one will benefit from a re-read at a time when I can properly enjoy it....more
Prior to picking this up, I had no clue who on earth David Sedaris was. Reading his memoir hasn't really made much of a difference there, although it Prior to picking this up, I had no clue who on earth David Sedaris was. Reading his memoir hasn't really made much of a difference there, although it is intermittently amusing. Best when talking about his family (especially his brother), it flits from subject to subject in a series of small essays and vignettes - from his speech therapy, through music and French lessons, being an 'artist' (mostly fuelled by meth) to life in France.
Now that I've finished, I can't say that it's really left a huge impression - it's probably best to stick to the memoirs of people I've actually heard of in future....more
An excellent and insightful look at introversion in a world that's set up the extrovert as the ideal, Quiet was something of a revelation to me. In myAn excellent and insightful look at introversion in a world that's set up the extrovert as the ideal, Quiet was something of a revelation to me. In my late teens/early 20's, I'd have sworn blind I was an extrovert (no doubt helped by the copious amounts of alcohol I consumed at the time) but as I've grown older I've realised that this really isn't true. I'd much rather stay at home than go to a party, and need a lot of time to myself in order to feel that all is well in my world.
Quiet helped to show me why I often feel so overwhelmed and distracted, as well as explaining why I often feel the need to defend my preferences to people who really don't understand why I don't want to fill every single second of my days with other people and activities. Showing what we're missing out on by insisting that a successful society is designed for and based around extroversion, it argues for greater inclusion of other personality types as well giving as hints to help the introvert navigate such a world.
An excellent read and one I'd highly recommend, even for the more outgoing reader.
Supposedly a classic of horror literature, I was looking forward to reading this, anticipating a spooky mood and layers of tension as a governess takeSupposedly a classic of horror literature, I was looking forward to reading this, anticipating a spooky mood and layers of tension as a governess takes over the care of two beautiful but strange children, and starts seeing ghosts.
What I got was boring tripe, where two women shriek themselves into a hysterical frenzy every couple of pages or so thanks to the least interesting or terrifying ghosts I've ever read about. With the governess jumping to wild conclusions every other sentence, I was half hoping that the children would turn out to be murderous and do away with her, or that the servants would at least turn out to be gaslighting her. Sadly, I was to be frustated in this. There were indeed ghosts, albeit of the crap kind, and I was left feeling distinctly underwhelmed by the whole thing.
I missed out on the whole Poldark mania, thanks to a boyfriend with severe allergies to period dramas, so I thought I'd find out what I was missing. AI missed out on the whole Poldark mania, thanks to a boyfriend with severe allergies to period dramas, so I thought I'd find out what I was missing. And, sorry Nik, but I really, really enjoyed it.
From our brooding hero, back from war in America to find his sweetheart is marrying his cousin, to his drunken, lice-ridden servants and the poor local kid he brings home to work in his kitchen, all the way up to his gossipy peers and down to the local miners and their families, I thoroughly enjoyed every second.
I love Demelza, who's grown up to be a great character, and think she's worth five hundred of the insipid bint Ross loved before. And he had better not do anything to upset her or or I'll...be really annoyed while turning the pages of the next book frantically into the night. Because there's no question of me continuing this series. And maybe trying to sneak in some secret telly watching the next time Nik nods off on the sofa......more
Well, I never. I'm about to do something I thought I'd never do - abandon a Kelley Armstrong series part way through.
I had been hoping that in DeceptiWell, I never. I'm about to do something I thought I'd never do - abandon a Kelley Armstrong series part way through.
I had been hoping that in Deceptions we'd move away from the love quadrangle that was irritating me and get some resolution to what remained of the story. But sadly, while one of the sides of the quadrangle was eliminated in this round, it would soon turn out that not only was the remaining triangle the main focus of this book, it's also only part three of a five book series. I was soon huffing every time Olivia starting thinking about her feelings (which was ALL THE TIME) and was equally glad when the book eventually ended and annoyed that it wasn't actually the end.
As I couldn't care less who Olivia ends up with, I won't be bothering with the rest
Hmmm. I wasn't feeling this one any near so much as its predecessor, which already had a few flaws. This one spent way too much time on the love quadrHmmm. I wasn't feeling this one any near so much as its predecessor, which already had a few flaws. This one spent way too much time on the love quadrangle for me, while the stuff going on around it was a little too patchy to tip the scales more positively.
Olivia's parents are still on the hook for the remaining six murders of which they were originally accused and so still remain in prison and when her mother refuses to give her answers about her reading of omens, Olivia cuts off contact. Meanwhile, someone seems to be sending threats to Olivia by taunting her with the corpse of a missing Cainsville girl, Ciara Conway, and so she's compelled to investigate, uncovering more clues as to the true nature of herself and her new home in a story thread which kept feeling like the side-show. Because, mostly, she's thinking about her feelings for the various men in her life, and they're thinking about theirs for her.
I'm normally way more into anything that features things from folklore, so I'm hoping that for the next book we spend more time on that than on who Olivia is lying under....more
Pillars of the Earth is the epic tale of the building of a cathedral in 12th century England, a country blighted by frequent civil wars as various nobPillars of the Earth is the epic tale of the building of a cathedral in 12th century England, a country blighted by frequent civil wars as various noble factions vie for the tentatively held crown of King Stephen. 12th century life wasn't exactly one of ease for most, with destitution and death only one fire or bad harvest away, their lives at the mercy of the nobles and churchmen ruling over them and in this we rub up against most of the stratas that made up that society, from the proud prior that's commissioned the cathedral, the men building it, and the families and merchants that make up the town surrounding it, to the ambitious bishop opposing it and the vicious nobles that are his tools of destruction.
Truly immersing you into the life of the town of Kingsbridge, this was an excellent read even while being depressing at times, but that was mostly a result of how engrossed I was. I haven't hated a character as much as William Hamleigh since I first met Joffrey Lannister, and I was thoroughly invested in the fates of those opposing him.
Very definitely my kind of catnip, I'll be picking up more of Follett's work....more
Apparently one of the main players in the field of geographical profiling, David Canter has taken this as the theme for this book, setting out the casApparently one of the main players in the field of geographical profiling, David Canter has taken this as the theme for this book, setting out the case for its (and his) preeminence with varying effect. This half success was coloured by Canter's propensity to go off on tangents that seemed unrelated to geographical profiling (such as the authenticity of the Ripper diary, Fred West's diary, etc) and heavily criticising investigations that he wasn't personally part of - as well as leading with the Jill Dando case and how geographical profiling would have nailed Barry George, who has since has his conviction overturned and therefore made me look askance at much of Canter's subsequent claims.
While no doubt very useful, much like any of the other tools in a criminal investigation's arsenal, according to many of the examples used it seems this sort of profiling is most useful in hindsight when it's usually revealed that the perpetrator(s) of the crimes either live in the areas suggested by their crimes, have a friend or family member that lives there, work there, once parked their cars there, etc.
So, while interesting, I felt that Mapping Murder fell short thanks to some poor examples, meandering thoughts that had naff all to do with its chosen topic and arrogant dismissal of any investigation that didn't include Canter's expertise....more
Looking down the ratings for this book, it seems that it's one that you either love or hate - I'm firmly in the former camp. The sort of book that youLooking down the ratings for this book, it seems that it's one that you either love or hate - I'm firmly in the former camp. The sort of book that you can't put down and that manages to take an awful subject and yet not drag you into a pit of despair, I couldn't recommend this highly enough.
Ma and Jack live in Room, their only contact with the outside world being the regular visits from Old Nick bringing them whatever necessities they've begged for before making Bed squeak while Jack hides in Wardrobe. Until now, Jack has been happy with Ma in the only world he's ever known, but once he turns five Ma unveils a plan for them to leave Room - and it's a plan that counts on Jack to get them out.
Written from Jack's perspective, I thought this was an excellent way of telling a story such as this. Jack's lack of comprehension of what is really happening helps to cushion the reader somewhat from the harrowing situation, even as we fill in the blanks for him, as well as making clear how terrifying and confusing freedom, something most of us take for granted, can be to those who've had to live without it. Some have mentioned that lots of Jack's dialogue and behaviour don't quite ring true, especially for a child who's been exposed to TV, but neither having children of my own nor having experienced development in captivity, this wasn't the case for me. I bought Jack's voice hook, line and sinker and found it so compelling that I stayed up long into the night with it (I really couldn't put it down for so much as a second) and have already pressed the book upon others with a fevered 'read it!' ...more
In Idiot America, journalist Charles P. Pierce takes aim at a country that has rejected intelligence, facts and evidence in favour of sound bites, gutIn Idiot America, journalist Charles P. Pierce takes aim at a country that has rejected intelligence, facts and evidence in favour of sound bites, gut feelings and personal prejudices, taking the beliefs of crackpots from the fringes and embedding them firmly into the mainstream.
Taking in, amongst other things, creationism as science, climate change, the war on Iraq and the appalling media circus that surrounded the death of Terri Schiavo - with the ignorant threatening the lives of hospice workers and doing their utmost to ensure her death was stripped of any dignity as it was used as a political tool - Pierce lays out the three great premises of Idiot America:
Premise 1: Any theory is valid if it sells books, soaks up ratings, or otherwise moves units.
Premise 2: Anything can be true if someone says it loudly enough.
Premise 3: Fact is that which enough people believe. Truth is determined by how fervently they believe it.
Which is how we have a country full of normally intelligent people believing that vaccinating your children against serious diseases is bad, that more guns will help control gun violence, that 24 gives a successful blueprint for dealing with terrorism, that Glen Beck is an insightful political commentator rather than a screaming man-baby and that Jesus is on their side no matter what they do. A country that now has an unhinged, bright orange hate-monger with Shredded Wheat for hair running for the most powerful position in the world. Not that we, America's faithful lapdog, are any better (as evidenced by the amount of fuckwits googling 'what is the EU?' the day after voting to leave it, and who now have Boris Johnson, a clown who seems never to have met anyone without offending them, as Foreign Secretary. That's sure to end well.)
Thankfully, I know plenty of Americans that are most definitely not idiots to give me faith that things won't always be this way. And Pierce was good enough to include plenty of biting humour to offset the rage and despair that some of these cases inspired, even if he got a tad repetitive at times (those three premises mentioned above are now imprinted on my brain thanks to how often they were repeated.)
If you think that Jesus has a place in the science class, that your beliefs over the contents of my uterus trump my own, that climate change isn't real because you've not been personally affected by it, and that TV personalities opinions should be trusted over legitimate experts, then this book isn't for you. If you're everyone else, read it and weep. And be vocal about supporting fact and reason over faith in the political sphere. ...more
A beautiful sociopath marries a religious sociopath and religious upheaval, assassinations, temple-raising and the mean-girling of other wives ensue.
TA beautiful sociopath marries a religious sociopath and religious upheaval, assassinations, temple-raising and the mean-girling of other wives ensue.
Told through the eyes of Nefertiti's sister, Mutnodjmet, who's as wise and nice as Nefertiti is bitchy, I wanted to like this way more than I did. I love historical fiction and had heard good things about Moran, but the shallow flit across the surface of Egyptian society and the rather broad characterisation made this feel far more like I was reading a book for teenagers than a decent imagining of what Nefertiti's life might have been like. And Mutnodjmet might have been a more sympathetic character than her sister, and therefore much easier to base a book around, but it wasn't her name that had enticed me in the first place.
A sensually told tale of Thomas the Rhymer - pre, during and after his abduction by the Queen of Elfland, with whom he resides for seven years, returnA sensually told tale of Thomas the Rhymer - pre, during and after his abduction by the Queen of Elfland, with whom he resides for seven years, returning with her 'gift' of a tongue that can tell no lies.
Fleshing out the myth and letting us get to know Thomas as he might have been before, with a tongue that flattered and lied easily, the first part of the book was the strongest for me. And while I enjoyed the plunge into Faerie, I found that Thomas's return and remaining life, as told by the girl he'd loved before the Faerie Queen, didn't quite live up to what preceded it. But still, this was a pleasant and dreamy read with which to happily while away a summer evening....more
And so we come to the end of the series, to find Lily now working to get her PI license alongside Jack while still cleaning part-time, and having beenAnd so we come to the end of the series, to find Lily now working to get her PI license alongside Jack while still cleaning part-time, and having been talked by Jack into attending a therapy group for rape survivors. Which is how she comes into contact with Tamsin Lynn, Shakespeare's Counselor and target for a particularly nasty stalker. When the stalking escalates into a woman being found dead in the therapist's office, Lily can't help but start nosing around.
A decent end to a decent series, but I'm going to need a little holiday from Charlaine Harris for a while - the things that had started to bug me in the Sookie series (every man with a sex drive lusts after her, people have overheard conversations around her about how awesome she is, yada yada yada) were all present and starting to irritate - but I'm grateful that it got me through a particularly unpleasant cold without taxing my poor brain too much....more
The fourth outing for Lily Bard (and my fourth in three days), this was as easily readable as its predecessors, but also managed to irritate me more tThe fourth outing for Lily Bard (and my fourth in three days), this was as easily readable as its predecessors, but also managed to irritate me more than some of the others thanks to Lily's constant judgement of the victim, the titular town 'trollop' (the title in itself winds me up some) Deedra Dean.
Throughout the series Lily has very much disapproved of Deedra's lifestyle, with many visits from many men, but when she finds Deedra's naked body in her car in the woods, Lily's judgement ramps up even more. Whether blaming Deedra for getting murdered (which she obviously assumes is because she liked sex) or telling herself that 'she was nothing' when wondering why she cares about her death, Lily seemed to constantly be looking for new ways to make me twitch. And Lily doesn't so much do any investigating this time around, but merely be in the right place at the right time for the answers to fall into place around her.
As I'm still feeling cruddy, I know I'll now be reading the next (last?) in the series, but that'll be it for me and Harris again for a while....more
As my cold gets worse instead of better, Lily Bard heads home for her sister's wedding preparations. While Lily tries to navigate familial relationshiAs my cold gets worse instead of better, Lily Bard heads home for her sister's wedding preparations. While Lily tries to navigate familial relationships, Jack Leeds unexpectedly appears in her hometown, drawing her into a missing person's case and a murder (she's becoming a little like Jessica Fletcher, who I'm amazed ever got invited anywhere what with her presence guaranteeing that a dead body would show up).
While Jack still makes my shit itch - if a potential boyfriend ever showed up to a family gathering to which I hadn't invited him, I'd be dumping his ass rather than getting all misty-eyed at him, and Jack is also way too possessive for my liking - the books are still undemanding and yet compelling enough for me to appreciate around medicated dozes....more
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