Robyn's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 28 Feb 2021 04:28:45 -0800 60 Robyn's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Pride and Prejudice 84979 Another cover edition for this ISBN

Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.]]> 334 Jane Austen 0553213105 Robyn 5 4.36 1813 Pride and Prejudice
author: Jane Austen
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1813
rating: 5
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date added: 2021/02/28
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]]> The Wisdom of Uncle Kasimir 3302226 272 0747579040 Robyn 0 3.00 2006 The Wisdom of Uncle Kasimir
author: William Czerniak-Jones Gabi Czerniak
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/01/28
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]]> Hamlet 1432 This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN13:9780743477123, Hamlet.

Hamlet is the story of the Prince of Denmark who learns of the death of his father at the hands of his uncle, Claudius. Claudius murders Hamlet's father, his own brother, to take the throne of Denmark and to marry Hamlet's widowed mother. Hamlet is sunk into a state of great despair as a result of discovering the murder of his father and the infidelity of his mother. Hamlet is torn between his great sadness and his desire for the revenge of his father's murder.

Each Folger edition includes:

- Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
- Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
- Scene-by-scene plot summaries
- A key to famous lines and phrases
- An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language
- An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
- Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books]]> 342 William Shakespeare Robyn 5 4.05 1601 Hamlet
author: William Shakespeare
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1601
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/04/14
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Northern Lights (His Dark Materials, #1)]]> 70947
The ensuing quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the North, where armoured bears rule the ice and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies - and where a team of scientists is conducting experiments too horrible to be spoken about.

Lyra overcomes these strange terrors, only to find something yet more perilous waiting for her - something with consequences which may even reach beyond the Northern Lights...]]> 399 Philip Pullman 0590660543 Robyn 5 4.24 1995 Northern Lights (His Dark Materials, #1)
author: Philip Pullman
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/03/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories]]> 276750 149 Angela Carter 0099588110 Robyn 5 3.79 1979 The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
author: Angela Carter
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1979
rating: 5
read at: 2011/08/13
date added: 2018/12/03
shelves:
review:

]]> The Other Hand 6383176 Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it so we will just say this:

This is the story of two women.

Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice.

Two years later, they meet again - the story starts there...

Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.]]> 378 Chris Cleave 0340920246 Robyn 3
This book is quite good. It's not brilliant. It doesn't deserve the mega hype, nor the publishers' desperate pleas to spread the good word without giving anything away. There's little to give away; there are no major plot twists, nor huge, story-altering revelations which must be kept secret at all costs. If I tell you that the story revolves around a Nigerian refugee and a white woman from Kingston upon Thames who meet on a beach in Nigeria and affect each others' lives in ways that they couldn't possibly fathom, then that gives away precisely nothing. And you're unlikely to feel contempt and resentment if you finish the novel and remain unmoved. Plus, it would probably intrigue a reader far more than a cryptic promise that it's the best book you're ever likely to read but we can't give anything away because it's Just That Good.

The two female protagonists are well-developed, identifiable and likeable whilst remaining flawed enough to maintain the reader's interest. Unfortunately the background characters are cardboard cut-outs. There is a child who, after the first couple of chapters, becomes supremely irritating, his speech patterns unrealistic and his demeanour grating. Certain elements of the both main characters are questionable and serve to make them less believable, not more. I stumbled over sketchy timelines, unfeasible practicalities and unrealistic physical descriptions which seemed implausible and forced, thus jolting me out of the story and making me suspicious of the parts I'd previously had no reason to doubt.

The main point of the book was obviously to make people question the way they feel about asylum seekers, in a time when Britons view them in a negative, uncaring light. In parts it did shock me, and I suspect that I will indeed view refugees differently than I have done in the past. But it left a sour taste in my mouth due to the stereotypes which he not only fails to overturn, but in some cases actually presents without a hint of irony. Some people have accused the author of racism but I don't think it's that simple. He means well, but he is using such a grossly simplified idea to deal with a complicated situation that it smacks of armchair psychology and is guaranteed to offend in both directions. After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I don't think that Nigerians would like to be portrayed the way Little Bee is in the novel any more than I am happy comparing myself to Sarah, a white middle-class woman from Kingston upon Thames (which, as it happens, I am myself). But more than that, it's the simplification of the delicate, complicated background to Africa's political situation which is hard to swallow. I felt in some ways the same anger and distaste towards The Other Hand as I did towards My Sister's Keeper; it's admirable to try and tackle such a controversial subject in a commercial novel, but the ineffectual nature of the end result is flimsy enough that it feels like a set-back, not an advance. Some people will be affected for the better, and that's fantastic. If it makes us question our judgements and our actions then the novel has, arguably, already done its job. But if we view this as a masterpiece or panacea for the West's behaviour towards Africa then, much like the marketing ploy, we are on dangerous grounds indeed.]]> 3.58 2008 The Other Hand
author: Chris Cleave
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2011/12/12
date added: 2016/02/18
shelves:
review:
I am not a marketer. I am not a publisher. But I am a consumer, an avid reader, and (I would venture to hope) an intelligent person. As such I can say with no reservations whatsoever that to proclaim that a book is so astonishingly good that they are incapable of giving anything away to a potential reader is a dangerous game to play. And I don't think that they've won this round.

This book is quite good. It's not brilliant. It doesn't deserve the mega hype, nor the publishers' desperate pleas to spread the good word without giving anything away. There's little to give away; there are no major plot twists, nor huge, story-altering revelations which must be kept secret at all costs. If I tell you that the story revolves around a Nigerian refugee and a white woman from Kingston upon Thames who meet on a beach in Nigeria and affect each others' lives in ways that they couldn't possibly fathom, then that gives away precisely nothing. And you're unlikely to feel contempt and resentment if you finish the novel and remain unmoved. Plus, it would probably intrigue a reader far more than a cryptic promise that it's the best book you're ever likely to read but we can't give anything away because it's Just That Good.

The two female protagonists are well-developed, identifiable and likeable whilst remaining flawed enough to maintain the reader's interest. Unfortunately the background characters are cardboard cut-outs. There is a child who, after the first couple of chapters, becomes supremely irritating, his speech patterns unrealistic and his demeanour grating. Certain elements of the both main characters are questionable and serve to make them less believable, not more. I stumbled over sketchy timelines, unfeasible practicalities and unrealistic physical descriptions which seemed implausible and forced, thus jolting me out of the story and making me suspicious of the parts I'd previously had no reason to doubt.

The main point of the book was obviously to make people question the way they feel about asylum seekers, in a time when Britons view them in a negative, uncaring light. In parts it did shock me, and I suspect that I will indeed view refugees differently than I have done in the past. But it left a sour taste in my mouth due to the stereotypes which he not only fails to overturn, but in some cases actually presents without a hint of irony. Some people have accused the author of racism but I don't think it's that simple. He means well, but he is using such a grossly simplified idea to deal with a complicated situation that it smacks of armchair psychology and is guaranteed to offend in both directions. After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I don't think that Nigerians would like to be portrayed the way Little Bee is in the novel any more than I am happy comparing myself to Sarah, a white middle-class woman from Kingston upon Thames (which, as it happens, I am myself). But more than that, it's the simplification of the delicate, complicated background to Africa's political situation which is hard to swallow. I felt in some ways the same anger and distaste towards The Other Hand as I did towards My Sister's Keeper; it's admirable to try and tackle such a controversial subject in a commercial novel, but the ineffectual nature of the end result is flimsy enough that it feels like a set-back, not an advance. Some people will be affected for the better, and that's fantastic. If it makes us question our judgements and our actions then the novel has, arguably, already done its job. But if we view this as a masterpiece or panacea for the West's behaviour towards Africa then, much like the marketing ploy, we are on dangerous grounds indeed.
]]> Don Quixote 3835 Don Quixote chronicles the adventures of the self-created knight-errant Don Quixote of La Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through sixteenth-century Spain. You haven't experienced Don Quixote in English until you've read this masterful translation.]]> 940 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 0060934344 Robyn 0 to-read 4.12 1615 Don Quixote
author: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1615
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wuthering Heights 507157 am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure... but as my own being." Wuthering Heights is the only novel of Emily Bronte, who died a year after its publication, at the age of thirty. A brooding Yorkshire tale of a love that is stronger than death, it is also a fierce vision of metaphysical passion, in which heaven and hell, nature and society, are powerfully juxtaposed. Unique, mystical, with a timeless appeal, it has become a classic of English literature.]]> 324 Emily Brontë 0553212583 Robyn 5 3.80 1847 Wuthering Heights
author: Emily Brontë
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1847
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/08/12
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review:

]]> To Kill a Mockingbird 37449 here .

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos.]]> 376 Harper Lee 1439550417 Robyn 4 4.30 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird
author: Harper Lee
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1960
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/03/12
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]]> number9dream 212843 Ghostwritten, with a work that is in its way even more ambitious. In outward form, number9dream is a Dickensian coming-of-age journey: Young dreamer Eiji Miyake, from remote rural Japan, thrust out on his own by his sister’s death and his mother’s breakdown, comes to Tokyo in pursuit of the father who abandoned him. Stumbling around this strange, awesome city, he trips over and crosses—through a hidden destiny or just monstrously bad luck—a number of its secret power centers. Suddenly, the riddle of his father’s identity becomes just one of the increasingly urgent questions Eiji must answer. Why is the line between the world of his experiences and the world of his dreams so blurry? Why do so many horrible things keep happening to him? What is it about the number 9? To answer these questions, and ultimately to come to terms with his inheritance, Eiji must somehow acquire an insight into the workings of history and fate that would be rare in anyone, much less in a boy from out of town with a price on his head and less than the cost of a Beatles disc to his name.]]> 432 David Mitchell 0340841826 Robyn 3 3.67 2001 number9dream
author: David Mitchell
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/05/09
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review:

]]> Burma Boy 1134917 Biyi Bandele-Thomas 0224076825 Robyn 0 3.12 2007 Burma Boy
author: Biyi Bandele-Thomas
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.12
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/02/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gentlemen and Players (Malbry, #1)]]> 15102
As the new term gets under way, a number of incidents befall students and faculty alike. Beginning as small annoyances -- a lost pen, a misplaced coffee mug -- they are initially overlooked. But as the incidents escalate in both number and consequence, it soon becomes apparent that a darker undercurrent is stirring within the school. With St. Oswald's unraveling, only Straitley stands in the way of its ruin. The veteran teacher faces a formidable opponent, however -- a master player with a bitter grudge and a strategy that has been meticulously planned to the final move, a secret game with very real, very deadly consequences.

A harrowing tale of cat and mouse, this riveting, hypnotically atmospheric novel showcases New York Times bestselling author Joanne Harris's astonishing storytelling talent as never before.]]> 422 Joanne Harris 0060559144 Robyn 0 currently-reading 3.92 2005 Gentlemen and Players (Malbry, #1)
author: Joanne Harris
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/01/17
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Before I Go to Sleep 9736930
So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?

Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight.

And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.

Welcome to Christine's life.]]> 359 S.J. Watson 0062060554 Robyn 0 3.90 2011 Before I Go to Sleep
author: S.J. Watson
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/01/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Happy Prince & Other Stories (Classic Literature With Classical Music. Junior Classics)]]> 1056920 2 Oscar Wilde 9626341394 Robyn 0 4.29 1888 Happy Prince & Other Stories (Classic Literature With Classical Music. Junior Classics)
author: Oscar Wilde
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1888
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/01/03
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review:

]]> Cakes and Ale 191793 Cakes and Ale is a delicious satire of London literary society between the Wars. Social climber Alroy Kear is flattered when he is selected by Edward Driffield's wife to pen the official biography of her lionized novelist husband, and determined to write a bestseller. But then Kear discovers the great novelist's voluptuous muse (and unlikely first wife), Rosie. The lively, loving heroine once gave Driffield enough material to last a lifetime, but now her memory casts an embarrissing shadow over his career and respectable image. Wise, witty, deeply satisfying, Cakes and Ale is Maugham at his best.]]> 308 W. Somerset Maugham 0375725024 Robyn 0 currently-reading 3.79 1930 Cakes and Ale
author: W. Somerset Maugham
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1930
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/11/13
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> My Mormon Life 13421623 219 James Sanbourne 1466471425 Robyn 0 3.11 2011 My Mormon Life
author: James Sanbourne
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.11
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2012/11/13
date added: 2012/11/13
shelves:
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]]> The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle 11275
In a Tokyo suburb a young man named Toru Okada searches for his wife's missing cat. Soon he finds himself looking for his wife as well in a netherworld that lies beneath the placid surface of Tokyo. As these searches intersect, Okada encounters a bizarre group of allies and antagonists: a psychic prostitute; a malevolent yet mediagenic politician; a cheerfully morbid sixteen-year-old-girl; and an aging war veteran who has been permanently changed by the hideous things he witnessed during Japan's forgotten campaign in Manchuria.

Gripping, prophetic, suffused with comedy and menace, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a tour de force equal in scope to the masterpieces of Mishima and Pynchon.]]> 607 Haruki Murakami 0965341984 Robyn 5
His way with words is second-to-none. Jay Rubin deserves an enormous amount of credit for this but Murakami is the one who creates the bewildering array of characters, genre-defying plotlines and mind-bending scenarios. I don't think there is another author who can leave me simultaneously appalled, tearful, amused, curious and educated to the extent that he does; and all of those emotions are at play to a considerable degree in The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

This review tells you very little of the book. But then, I'm not sure what there is to tell. I am simply left thinking how grateful I am to live in a world where I can enter Murakami's in turn and live to tell the tale, even if I don't quite understand what the tale told, who I'm telling it to, and why I started to tell it in the first place.]]> 4.16 1994 The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1994
rating: 5
read at: 2012/10/31
date added: 2012/11/01
shelves:
review:
How is it that Haruki Murakami can pull you into his novels without you even realising how affected you are until it's too late? His books are deceptively simple, with bland characters experiencing calm days, but before long their lives descend into a quietly mad cacophony and you're too enthralled to look away. Nobody really knows what's going on, neither do you, answers aren't quite given, but sort of are, and you wonder what happened during the last 700 pages apart from you being left absolutely mesmerised.

His way with words is second-to-none. Jay Rubin deserves an enormous amount of credit for this but Murakami is the one who creates the bewildering array of characters, genre-defying plotlines and mind-bending scenarios. I don't think there is another author who can leave me simultaneously appalled, tearful, amused, curious and educated to the extent that he does; and all of those emotions are at play to a considerable degree in The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

This review tells you very little of the book. But then, I'm not sure what there is to tell. I am simply left thinking how grateful I am to live in a world where I can enter Murakami's in turn and live to tell the tale, even if I don't quite understand what the tale told, who I'm telling it to, and why I started to tell it in the first place.
]]> The Picture of Dorian Gray 5297
In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.]]> 272 Oscar Wilde Robyn 0 4.13 1890 The Picture of Dorian Gray
author: Oscar Wilde
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1890
rating: 0
read at: 2012/09/12
date added: 2012/09/12
shelves:
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]]> Frankenstein 18490 This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780141439471

'Now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart ...'

Obsessed with creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, which he shocks into life with electricity. But his botched creature, rejected by Frankenstein and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear. Mary Shelley's chilling Gothic tale was conceived when she was only eighteen, living with her lover Percy Shelley near Byron's villa on Lake Geneva. It would become the world's most famous work of horror fiction, and remains a devastating exploration of the limits of human creativity.

Based on the third edition of 1831, this volume contains all the revisions Mary Shelley made to her story, as well as her 1831 introduction and Percy Bysshe Shelley's preface to the first edition. This revised edition includes as appendices a select collation of the texts of 1818 and 1831 together with 'A Fragment' by Lord Byron and Dr John Polidori's 'The Vampyre: A Tale'.]]> 288 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Robyn 0 currently-reading 3.77 1818 Frankenstein
author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1818
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/09/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Norwegian Wood 11297
A magnificent blending of the music, the mood, and the ethos that was the sixties with the story of one college student's romantic coming of age, Norwegian Wood brilliantly recaptures a young man's first, hopeless, and heroic love.]]> 296 Haruki Murakami 0375704027 Robyn 4 The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo to the delicate elegance of Norwegian Wood. I don't speak Japanese but I can't imagine that it's an easy task to adapt such a poetic novel into an entirely alien language, and do so with such expertise that the reader forgets it was written in anything other than English.

It is the phrasing and language which makes this novel so wonderful. Murukami has a turn of phrase which lifts the banal into the sublime; he is at times magniloquent, at others succinct, but always relevant, always accessible. What does it matter if you've never visited Japan, didn't live through the 1960s, are female, or have yet to experience the death of a loved one? This is a very specific tale from a single period of one person's life, yet it envelops the reader in its entirety, and keeps the attention throughout. It is, put simply, a beautiful story.

Murukami said himself that this writing this novel - comprising a love story in a straight narrative - was a deliberate challenge to himself. He pulls it off with aplomb, straying neither into the sentimental nor mundane, but for me it didn't quite reach the dizzying heights of A Wild Sheep Chase. I can't imagine that this author could ever tell a boring tale, so deft is he with language and unexpected plot twists. To me, this was a wonderful take on a "normal" novel; but he should leave that to the "normal" writers. Murukami's mind is too magical to be restrained, and whilst I am grateful that he made the effort to follow this path, on a purely personal level, I prefer it when he strays.]]> 4.01 1987 Norwegian Wood
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2012/07/27
date added: 2012/07/27
shelves:
review:
It's always fascinating reading a translated novel. It's still more so when one goes directly from the clunky, awkward phrasing of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo to the delicate elegance of Norwegian Wood. I don't speak Japanese but I can't imagine that it's an easy task to adapt such a poetic novel into an entirely alien language, and do so with such expertise that the reader forgets it was written in anything other than English.

It is the phrasing and language which makes this novel so wonderful. Murukami has a turn of phrase which lifts the banal into the sublime; he is at times magniloquent, at others succinct, but always relevant, always accessible. What does it matter if you've never visited Japan, didn't live through the 1960s, are female, or have yet to experience the death of a loved one? This is a very specific tale from a single period of one person's life, yet it envelops the reader in its entirety, and keeps the attention throughout. It is, put simply, a beautiful story.

Murukami said himself that this writing this novel - comprising a love story in a straight narrative - was a deliberate challenge to himself. He pulls it off with aplomb, straying neither into the sentimental nor mundane, but for me it didn't quite reach the dizzying heights of A Wild Sheep Chase. I can't imagine that this author could ever tell a boring tale, so deft is he with language and unexpected plot twists. To me, this was a wonderful take on a "normal" novel; but he should leave that to the "normal" writers. Murukami's mind is too magical to be restrained, and whilst I am grateful that he made the effort to follow this path, on a purely personal level, I prefer it when he strays.
]]> Cloud Atlas 49628 A postmodern visionary who is also a master of styles of genres, David Mitchell combines flat-out adventure, a Nabokovian lore of puzzles, a keen eye for character, and a taste for mind-bending philosophical and scientific speculation in the tradition of Umberto Eco, Haruki Murakami, and Philip K. Dick. The result is brilliantly original fiction as profund as it is playful. Now in his new novel, David Mitchell explores with daring artistry fundamental questions of reality and identity.

Cloud Atlas begins in 1850 with Adam Ewing, an American notary voyaging from the Chatham Isles to his home in California. Along the way, Ewing is befriended by a physician, Dr. Goose, who begins to treat him for a rare species of brain parasite. . . .
Abruptly, the action jumps to Belgium in 1931, where Robert Frobisher, a disinherited bisexual composer, contrives his way into the household of an infirm maestro who has a beguiling wife and a nubile daughter. . . . From there we jump to the West Coast in the 1970s and a troubled reporter named Luisa Rey, who stumbles upon a web of corporate greed and murder that threatens to claim her life. . . . And onward, with dazzling virtuosity, to an inglorious present-day England; to a Korean superstate of the near future where neocapitalism has run amok; and, finally, to a postapocalyptic Iron Age Hawaii in the last days of history.
But the story doesn’t end even there. The narrative then boomerangs back through centuries and space, returning by the same route, in reverse, to its starting point. Along the way, Mitchell reveals how his disparate characters connect, how their fates intertwine, and how their souls drift across time like clouds across the sky.

As wild as a videogame, as mysterious as a Zen koan, Cloud Atlas is an unforgettable tour de force that, like its incomparable author, has transcended its cult classic status to become a worldwide phenomenon.

]]> 509 David Mitchell 0375507256 Robyn 5 4.02 2004 Cloud Atlas
author: David Mitchell
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/07/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1)]]> 2429135
An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.]]> 480 Stieg Larsson 0670069019 Robyn 2
Nonetheless, I found myself watching the Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo not so long ago because my housemate had control of the remote. It was far better than I had expected; dark and edgy, with a fascinating female lead who both exasperated and intrigued. The central theme of women responding to misogynistic violence ticked all the right boxes for me, and before the credits had even finished rolling I was downloading the novel to my Kindle so that I might fill in the gaps.

This might be one of those rare occurrences where the film is better than the book. I was expecting to encounter new information and intrigue but instead I found boring subplots and extraneous characters. Lisbeth Salander was fleshed out and given a more detailed history but, whilst a look into her history did explain her current psychological damage, she was also more chatty, which seemed counterintuitive. I was far more captivated by the bitter darkness which Noomi Rapace embodied so well in the film.

Perhaps the biggest problem was the clunky translation. It clearly hadn’t been done by a native English speaker, peppered as it was with awkward phrasing, unrealistic syntax and strangely-worded idioms. It’s such a shame, because a good translation is both possible and essential, and in fact occasionally � with the restrictions of the existing story already in place � they can be even more beautiful than a story in its primary language. This one is lazy, and sloppy. Had I read the manuscript without realising that it was not originally in English, I would have passed it off as amateur and badly-edited.

But mostly it’s the coldness, and the prevailing lack of emotion. I can only hope that this was intentional � and it obviously worked for most readers � but I struggled to engage with the characters and their situations. All of Larsson’s descriptions are factual and perfunctory, but even when they were listing a room’s contents, or a person’s physical characteristics, I felt none the wiser as to the way they looked and felt. Instead, it was as if I were reading a shopping list. I don’t care how many software upgrades have been integrated into a computer, nor its exact model, nor its backlit keyboard. How many times does he need to give us the exact dimensions of a room?

The main story of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is interesting and a page-turner, but only if you don’t already know the ending. Ultimately � and I say this with trepidation � I would not suggest wasting your time with the book. The best bits have been carefully plucked, trimmed and reinserted into a film which is far more exciting, and I highly recommend. I’ll watch the film again. But I won’t be reading either sequel to the book.]]> 4.17 2005 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1)
author: Stieg Larsson
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2005
rating: 2
read at: 2012/07/08
date added: 2012/07/10
shelves:
review:
In any of their sundry incarnations, I am generally not a fan of thrillers. I usually guess the twist half-way through and spend the duration of the book (or indeed film, television series, drama episode etc) frustrated that the hero has yet to make the connection. Why can’t he see the clues? When will she turn around? IT WAS THE GARDENER ALL ALONG. And so on, and so forth.

Nonetheless, I found myself watching the Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo not so long ago because my housemate had control of the remote. It was far better than I had expected; dark and edgy, with a fascinating female lead who both exasperated and intrigued. The central theme of women responding to misogynistic violence ticked all the right boxes for me, and before the credits had even finished rolling I was downloading the novel to my Kindle so that I might fill in the gaps.

This might be one of those rare occurrences where the film is better than the book. I was expecting to encounter new information and intrigue but instead I found boring subplots and extraneous characters. Lisbeth Salander was fleshed out and given a more detailed history but, whilst a look into her history did explain her current psychological damage, she was also more chatty, which seemed counterintuitive. I was far more captivated by the bitter darkness which Noomi Rapace embodied so well in the film.

Perhaps the biggest problem was the clunky translation. It clearly hadn’t been done by a native English speaker, peppered as it was with awkward phrasing, unrealistic syntax and strangely-worded idioms. It’s such a shame, because a good translation is both possible and essential, and in fact occasionally � with the restrictions of the existing story already in place � they can be even more beautiful than a story in its primary language. This one is lazy, and sloppy. Had I read the manuscript without realising that it was not originally in English, I would have passed it off as amateur and badly-edited.

But mostly it’s the coldness, and the prevailing lack of emotion. I can only hope that this was intentional � and it obviously worked for most readers � but I struggled to engage with the characters and their situations. All of Larsson’s descriptions are factual and perfunctory, but even when they were listing a room’s contents, or a person’s physical characteristics, I felt none the wiser as to the way they looked and felt. Instead, it was as if I were reading a shopping list. I don’t care how many software upgrades have been integrated into a computer, nor its exact model, nor its backlit keyboard. How many times does he need to give us the exact dimensions of a room?

The main story of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is interesting and a page-turner, but only if you don’t already know the ending. Ultimately � and I say this with trepidation � I would not suggest wasting your time with the book. The best bits have been carefully plucked, trimmed and reinserted into a film which is far more exciting, and I highly recommend. I’ll watch the film again. But I won’t be reading either sequel to the book.
]]> The Complete Sherlock Holmes 188572
The sign of four --

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : A scandal in Bohemia ; The red-headed league ; A case of identity ; The Boscombe Valley mystery ; The five orange pips ; The man with the twisted lip ; The adventure of the blue carbuncle ; The adventure of the speckled band ; The adventure of the engineer's thumb ; The adventure of the noble bachelor ; The adventure of the beryl coronet ; The adventure of the copper beeches --

Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes : Silver blaze ; The yellow face ; The stock-broker's clerk ; The "Gloria Scott" ; The Musgrave ritual ; The Reigate puzzle ; The crooked man ; The resident patient ; The Greek interpreter ; The naval treaty ; The final problem --

The return of Sherlock Holmes : The adventure of the empty house ; The adventure of the Norwood builder ; The adventure of the dancing men ; The adventure of the solitary cyclist ; The adventure of the priory school ; The adventure of Black Peter ; The adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton ; The adventure of the six Napoleons ; The adventure of the three students ; The adventure of the golden pince-nez ; The adventure of the missing three-quarter ; The adventure of the abbey grange ; The adventure of the second stain.

Volume 2. Introduction / by Loren D. Estleman --

The hound of the Baskervilles --

The valley of fear --

His last bow : The adventure of Wisteria Lodge : The singular experience of Mr. John Scott Eccles ; The tiger of San Pedro ; The adventure of the cardboard box ; The adventure of the red circle ; The adventure of the Bruce-Partington plans ; The adventure of the dying detective ; The disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax ; The adventure of the devil's foot ; His last bow --

The case-book of Sherlock Holmes : The adventure of the illustrious client ; The adventure of the blanched soldier ; The adventure of the Mazarin stone ; The adventure of the three gables ; The adventure of the Sussex vampire ; The adventure of the three Garridebs ; The problem of Thor Bridge ; The adventure of the creeping man ; The adventure of the lion's mane ; The adventure of the veiled lodger ; The adventure of Shoscombe old place ; The adventure of the retired colourman.]]> 1796 Arthur Conan Doyle Robyn 0 currently-reading 4.50 1915 The Complete Sherlock Holmes
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1915
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/06/13
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)]]> 7260188 My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.]]> 390 Suzanne Collins 0439023513 Robyn 0 4.10 2010 Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/06/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)]]> 6148028 Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 391 Suzanne Collins 0439023491 Robyn 0 4.34 2009 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2012/06/13
date added: 2012/06/13
shelves:
review:

]]> Sean & David's Long Drive 688629 296 Sean Condon 0864423713 Robyn 2


Perhaps the problem is that the book has simply not dated particularly well. Generation X has been and gone, and even the "sub x-ers" he refers to are now mostly married with children and living in the suburbs. I found myself frustrated and disappointed with his lack of awareness, and angry that he could take for granted an opportunity that many people would be unbelievably grateful to receive. The towns he visits are referenced so briefly as to be barely recognisable as sentences, and he doesn't seem to realise how lucky he is. His self-deprecation is wafer-thin and serves to make us like him less, not more. The irony, deliberate mopiness and contant hypochondria are short-term jokes, funny the first time but quickly worn thin and hammered out until they can literally be told no more.



The premise of being bored by a road trip, the ironic take on travelling and the contant cliches would be a lot funnier if we actually got a sense of the places he visited, and felt as if we were taken along for the ride. Scattered throughout the prose are occasional italicised paragraphs of a descriptive nature, referencing the colour of a sunset or the rain on the road. If the purpose behind these was to inject interest into Sean's otherwise flat writing, it failed. I saw them as a desperate attempt to make us believe that behind the ironic, miserable facade lay a deep, creative, intellectual artist with a genuine appreciate for the beauty of nature surrounding him. But it's too little, too late, and I don't believe him. Eulogising on the beauty of a raindrop is not enough to make me remember whether or not he ever went to Sydney. Because I literally have no idea. And I'm not planning on reading it again to find out.]]> 3.59 1996 Sean & David's Long Drive
author: Sean Condon
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1996
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2012/05/24
shelves:
review:
Part of the wave of "alternative" travel books which sprung up during the 1990s, Sean Condon's take on the road trip is to positively not want to be on it. From the moment he sets off from his hometown of Melbourne, through every second of driving around Australia and right until the minute he returns, he is in turns bored, terrified, disinterested and unimpressed. This, of course, is the main premise of the book; travelling for those who hate travelling. It's certainly different from your standard travelogue and in that at least it is worth a read. But it gets very boring, very quickly, and misses the entire point of travel writing. The reader wants to feel as if they have visited the destinations being described by the author, but it is impossible to live vicariously through Sean's superficial mutterings. His constant references to being a member of Generation X do not make his two-dimensional narrative any more worthwhile, and the irony fast wears thin.



Perhaps the problem is that the book has simply not dated particularly well. Generation X has been and gone, and even the "sub x-ers" he refers to are now mostly married with children and living in the suburbs. I found myself frustrated and disappointed with his lack of awareness, and angry that he could take for granted an opportunity that many people would be unbelievably grateful to receive. The towns he visits are referenced so briefly as to be barely recognisable as sentences, and he doesn't seem to realise how lucky he is. His self-deprecation is wafer-thin and serves to make us like him less, not more. The irony, deliberate mopiness and contant hypochondria are short-term jokes, funny the first time but quickly worn thin and hammered out until they can literally be told no more.



The premise of being bored by a road trip, the ironic take on travelling and the contant cliches would be a lot funnier if we actually got a sense of the places he visited, and felt as if we were taken along for the ride. Scattered throughout the prose are occasional italicised paragraphs of a descriptive nature, referencing the colour of a sunset or the rain on the road. If the purpose behind these was to inject interest into Sean's otherwise flat writing, it failed. I saw them as a desperate attempt to make us believe that behind the ironic, miserable facade lay a deep, creative, intellectual artist with a genuine appreciate for the beauty of nature surrounding him. But it's too little, too late, and I don't believe him. Eulogising on the beauty of a raindrop is not enough to make me remember whether or not he ever went to Sydney. Because I literally have no idea. And I'm not planning on reading it again to find out.
]]> <![CDATA[The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins 0439023483 Robyn 4
But then came The Hunger Games.

I didn't want to like it. Or, more precisely, I presumed that I wouldn't. But, having resisted the persuasive wheedlings of various friends for several months, I finally downloaded the novel to my Kindle one afternoon (less embarassing than sitting in office get-up on the tube with a teenage paperback in hand) and suspiciously got down to reading.

It wasn't until a couple of days later when, mid-conversation with a friend, my mind kept flitting away to the whereabouts of Katniss in the arena that I realised how deeply involved I actually was. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I welcomed my train being delayed because it meant I had more time to read before reaching my destination. I survived on five hours' sleep for three days because I couldn't put it down. That in itself is an incredible feat for any author.

Having said that, the book is far from perfect. The environment that Suzanne Collins has created is good, but neither as complex nor as original as those of her contemporaries. But then her aim doesn't appear to be to create a fantastically detailed new universe, but more to comment upon western society's obsession with superficiality, reality TV shows and lack of awareness of the developing world. As a concept, it's thumpingly delivered without a great deal of tact or subtlety, but it's nonetheless effective. Katniss is a flawed, frequently frustrating heroine but far more likeable than the vapid Bella Swann. Supporting characters are well-drawn and help carry the plot, which covers depression, megalomania, poverty and oppression. The inevitable love triangle (required reading for any YA novel) is believable and occasionally heartbreaking. Twists, however, are frequently too well-signposted and Katniss's stubbornness does verge on the irritating.

It's easy to dismiss this sort of novel as trashy easy reading for the videogame generation. But if you can get past the genre, and accept that this is a book written for young adults, not creaky literary snobs, then it's a cracking novel which is at times shockingly graphic and at others surprisingly emotional. Yes, the writing is simplistic and the background occasionally sketchy, but it sets out what it intends to do. I couldn't start reading the next installment fast enough.]]> 4.34 2008 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2012/05/01
date added: 2012/05/24
shelves:
review:
From my youth and throughout my angst-ridden teenage years, I practically inhaled YA fantasy fiction. Fast forward a few years, through university and a few steps up the career ladder, I presumed that my reading tastes had evolved along with my personality and lifestyle. So when my sister persuaded me to attempt Twilight, I took her copy grudgingly and with low expectations. Indeed, a few pages in and I was furious with everything about it; the characters, the settings, the descriptions, the conversations. I could only assume that it was me: my adult brain had finally shrugged off the shackles of the entire YA fantasy fiction genre, and I would never again find myself as enthralled and immersed in a new world as I had once been.

But then came The Hunger Games.

I didn't want to like it. Or, more precisely, I presumed that I wouldn't. But, having resisted the persuasive wheedlings of various friends for several months, I finally downloaded the novel to my Kindle one afternoon (less embarassing than sitting in office get-up on the tube with a teenage paperback in hand) and suspiciously got down to reading.

It wasn't until a couple of days later when, mid-conversation with a friend, my mind kept flitting away to the whereabouts of Katniss in the arena that I realised how deeply involved I actually was. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I welcomed my train being delayed because it meant I had more time to read before reaching my destination. I survived on five hours' sleep for three days because I couldn't put it down. That in itself is an incredible feat for any author.

Having said that, the book is far from perfect. The environment that Suzanne Collins has created is good, but neither as complex nor as original as those of her contemporaries. But then her aim doesn't appear to be to create a fantastically detailed new universe, but more to comment upon western society's obsession with superficiality, reality TV shows and lack of awareness of the developing world. As a concept, it's thumpingly delivered without a great deal of tact or subtlety, but it's nonetheless effective. Katniss is a flawed, frequently frustrating heroine but far more likeable than the vapid Bella Swann. Supporting characters are well-drawn and help carry the plot, which covers depression, megalomania, poverty and oppression. The inevitable love triangle (required reading for any YA novel) is believable and occasionally heartbreaking. Twists, however, are frequently too well-signposted and Katniss's stubbornness does verge on the irritating.

It's easy to dismiss this sort of novel as trashy easy reading for the videogame generation. But if you can get past the genre, and accept that this is a book written for young adults, not creaky literary snobs, then it's a cracking novel which is at times shockingly graphic and at others surprisingly emotional. Yes, the writing is simplistic and the background occasionally sketchy, but it sets out what it intends to do. I couldn't start reading the next installment fast enough.
]]> Anna Karenina 152
«Nos capítulos iniciais de Anna Karénina, somos conduzidos, uma e outra vez, a um sentido de analogia musical. Há efeitos de contraponto e harmonia no desenvolvimento das principais tramas do “prelúdio Oblonski� (o acidente na estação ferroviária, a zombadora discussão sobre o divórcio entre Vronski e a baronesa Chilton, o deslumbramento do fogo vermelho diante dos olhos de Anna). O método de Tolstoi é polifónico; mas as harmonias principais desen- volvem-se com uma tremenda força e amplitude. As técnicas musicais e linguísticas não podem comparar-se de um modo exato. Mas como poderíamos elucidar de outro modo o sentimento de que as novelas de Tolstoi surgem de um princípio interior de ordem e vitalidade, enquanto as dos escritores menos importantes parecem alinhavadas?»

«Anna Karénina morre no mundo do romance; mas cada vez que lemos o livro ela ressuscita, e mesmo depois de o termos acabado adquire outra vida na nossa recordação. Em cada personagem literária existe algo da Fénix imortal. Através das vidas perduráveis das suas personagens, a própria existência de Tolstoi teve a sua eternidade.» [George Steiner, Tolstoi ou Dostoievski]]]> 960 Leo Tolstoy Robyn 0 to-read 3.96 1878 Anna Karenina
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1878
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/05/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)]]> 241798
It's a wildly funny novel about the end of the world and the happy-go-lucky days that follow it...

About the worst Thursday that ever happened, and why the Universe is a lot safer if you bring a towel...
--back cover]]> 215 Douglas Adams 0671527215 Robyn 0 4.21 1979 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)
author: Douglas Adams
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1979
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/03/24
shelves:
review:

]]> The Second Coming 10420713 GOD'S COMING - LOOK BUSY!

God really is coming, and he is going to be pissed. Having left his son in charge, God treated himself to a well-earned break around the height of the Renaissance. A good time to go fishing. He returns in 2011 to find things on earth haven't gone quite to plan...

The world has been rendered a human toilet: genocide; starvation; people obsessed with vacuous celebrity culture; 'and,' God points out, 'there are fucking Christians everywhere.' God hates Christians. There's only one thing for it. They're sending the kid back.

JC, reborn, is a struggling musician in New York City helping people as best as he can. Gathering disciples along the way - a motley collection of basket cases, stoners and alcoholics - he realises his best chance to win hearts and minds may lie in a TV talent contest. American Pop Star is the number one show in America, the unholy creation of English record executive Steven Stelfox... a man who's more than a match for the Son of God.]]> 376 John Niven 0434019569 Robyn 0 4.01 2011 The Second Coming
author: John Niven
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2012/03/08
date added: 2012/03/08
shelves:
review:

]]> A Card from Angela Carter 13045052
Angela Carter sent her friend Susannah Clapp postcards from all over the world, missives which form a paper trail through her life. The pictures she chose were sometimes domestic, sometimes flights of fantasy and surrealism. The messages were always pungent.

Here, Susannah Clapp uses postcards � the emails of the twentieth century � to travel through Angela Carter's life, and to evoke her anarchic intelligence, fierce politics, rich language and ribaldry, and the great swoops of her imagination.]]> 112 Susannah Clapp 1408826909 Robyn 0 3.71 2012 A Card from Angela Carter
author: Susannah Clapp
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2012/03/05
date added: 2012/03/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time]]> 46190 224 Rob Sheffield 1400083028 Robyn 0 3.87 2007 Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time
author: Rob Sheffield
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at: 2012/02/17
date added: 2012/02/17
shelves:
review:

]]> The Carhullan Army 777570
But up in the far north of Cumbria, Jackie and a group of fellow rebel women have escaped The Authority's repressive regime and formed their own militia. Sister, brought to breaking point by the restrictions imposed on her own life, decides to join them. Though her journey is frightening and dangerous, she believes her struggle will soon be over. But Jackie's single-minded vision for the army means that Sister must decide all over again what freedom is, and whether she is willing to fight for it.]]> 224 Sarah Hall 0571236596 Robyn 0 3.48 2007 The Carhullan Army
author: Sarah Hall
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at: 2012/02/15
date added: 2012/02/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Alchemy of Murder (Nellie Bly, #1)]]> 6777990
The world's most famous reporter - the intrepid Nellie Bly - is convinced that the killings are connected to the epidemic. Hot off another sensational expose, she travels to Paris to hunt down the mysterious man she calls "the Alchemist." Along the way she enlists the help of a band of colorful characters: science fiction genius Jules Verne, notorious wit and outrageous rogue Oscar Wilde, and the greatest microbe-hunter in history, Louis Pasteur.

This dazzling historical adventure pits Nellie and her friends against one of the most notorious murderers in history. Together they must solve the crime of the century.]]> 368 Carol McCleary 076532203X Robyn 0 3.37 2009 The Alchemy of Murder (Nellie Bly, #1)
author: Carol McCleary
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/01/29
shelves:
review:

]]> War Horse (War Horse, #1) 792161
In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him and he is able to find warmth and hope. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?]]> 165 Michael Morpurgo 0439796636 Robyn 5
Luckily Michael Morpurgo knows exactly how to write for them. Treading the fine line between too much information and not enough, he manages to keep the imagination firmly in his grip. Without going into excessively gory detail when describing the horrors of the First World War, he nonetheless manages to convey the universal pain and suffering, the pointlessness and the tragedy. And all this whilst narrating solely through the medium of a horse.

Perhaps because the storyteller is a dumb animal, the observation is that much more finely tuned and applicable for children. Just like any young person, Joey the horse sees things as they are, with no understanding of the machinations of the powerful men who got him into this mess in the first place.

In the programme which accompanies the fantastic theatrical adaptation of the book, there is a statistic that over 8 million horses died in the Great War. There are no such numbers quoted in the original book, but having seen the play first, it hung over me like a bad smell, and was impossible to shake. This was a good thing. I'm not a child, and simplistic versions of things maybe don't hit home quite as hard as they once did; but coming at it from this perspective, I couldn't help but think of the wider impact of the war, which isn't really the focus of the novel, and understandably so.

Of course, this rambling review is at odds with the pared down honesty of the book, so maybe I should summarise it somewhat more succinctly. Never before has a novel about World War 1 struck me with such force as this. It may be a children's book narrated by a horse, but it had me crying on the Tube. Everybody, young and old, should be aware of the hideous and gigantic sacrifices made by our grandparents' generation; every child, and every adult, should read this book.]]> 4.13 1982 War Horse (War Horse, #1)
author: Michael Morpurgo
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1982
rating: 5
read at: 2012/01/01
date added: 2012/01/25
shelves:
review:
Children's books are often the hardest to write. They're harsh critics, kids; if they don't like something, they'll tell you. No beating about the bush, no euphemistic comments starting "It was interesting" . . . just "I liked it" or "Can I watch tv now?"

Luckily Michael Morpurgo knows exactly how to write for them. Treading the fine line between too much information and not enough, he manages to keep the imagination firmly in his grip. Without going into excessively gory detail when describing the horrors of the First World War, he nonetheless manages to convey the universal pain and suffering, the pointlessness and the tragedy. And all this whilst narrating solely through the medium of a horse.

Perhaps because the storyteller is a dumb animal, the observation is that much more finely tuned and applicable for children. Just like any young person, Joey the horse sees things as they are, with no understanding of the machinations of the powerful men who got him into this mess in the first place.

In the programme which accompanies the fantastic theatrical adaptation of the book, there is a statistic that over 8 million horses died in the Great War. There are no such numbers quoted in the original book, but having seen the play first, it hung over me like a bad smell, and was impossible to shake. This was a good thing. I'm not a child, and simplistic versions of things maybe don't hit home quite as hard as they once did; but coming at it from this perspective, I couldn't help but think of the wider impact of the war, which isn't really the focus of the novel, and understandably so.

Of course, this rambling review is at odds with the pared down honesty of the book, so maybe I should summarise it somewhat more succinctly. Never before has a novel about World War 1 struck me with such force as this. It may be a children's book narrated by a horse, but it had me crying on the Tube. Everybody, young and old, should be aware of the hideous and gigantic sacrifices made by our grandparents' generation; every child, and every adult, should read this book.
]]> The Tie That Binds 126862 Eventide,ĚýThe Tie That BindsĚýis a powerfully eloquent tribute to the arduous demands of rural America, and of the tenacity of the human spirit.

Colorado, January 1977. Eighty-year-old Edith Goodnough lies in a hospital bed, IV taped to the back of her hand, police officer at her door. She is charged with murder. The clues: a sack of chicken feed slit with a knife, a milky-eyed dog tied outdoors one cold afternoon. The motives: the brutal business of farming and a family code of ethics as unforgiving as the winter prairie itself. Here, Kent Haruf delivers the sweeping tale of a woman of the American High Plains, as told by her neighbor, Sanders Roscoe. As Roscoe shares what he knows, Edith's tragedies unfold: a childhood of pre-dawn chores, a mother's death, a violence that leaves a father dependent on his children, forever enraged. Here is the story of a woman who sacrifices her happiness in the name of family—and then, in one gesture, reclaims her freedom.]]> 246 Kent Haruf 0375724389 Robyn 4 4.06 1984 The Tie That Binds
author: Kent Haruf
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1984
rating: 4
read at: 2012/01/04
date added: 2012/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]> A Single Man 16842 186 Christopher Isherwood 0816638624 Robyn 0 4.08 1964 A Single Man
author: Christopher Isherwood
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1964
rating: 0
read at: 2011/12/04
date added: 2011/12/04
shelves:
review:

]]> A Bend in the Yellow River 710646 260 Justin Hill 0753801140 Robyn 2 travel, non-fiction 3.52 1997 A Bend in the Yellow River
author: Justin Hill
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.52
book published: 1997
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2011/11/28
shelves: travel, non-fiction
review:

]]> The Master and Margarita 117833 The first complete, annotated English Translation of Mikhail Bulgakov's comic masterpiece.

An audacious revision of the stories of Faust and Pontius Pilate, The Master and Margarita is recognized as one of the essential classics of modern Russian literature. The novel's vision of Soviet life in the 1930s is so ferociously accurate that it could not be published during its author's lifetime and appeared only in a censored edition in the 1960s. Its truths are so enduring that its language has become part of the common Russian speech.

One hot spring, the devil arrives in Moscow, accompanied by a retinue that includes a beautiful naked witch and an immense talking black cat with a fondness for chess and vodka. The visitors quickly wreak havoc in a city that refuses to believe in either God or Satan. But they also bring peace to two unhappy Muscovites: one is the Master, a writer pilloried for daring to write a novel about Christ and Pontius Pilate; the other is Margarita, who loves the Master so deeply that she is willing literally to go to hell for him. What ensues is a novel of inexhaustible energy, humor, and philosophical depth, a work whose nuances emerge for the first time in Diana Burgin's and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor's splendid English version.]]> 372 Mikhail Bulgakov 0679760806 Robyn 0 to-read 4.31 1967 The Master and Margarita
author: Mikhail Bulgakov
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1967
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/11/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Number9Dream 6820 Ghostwritten, with a work that is in its way even more ambitious. In outward form, number9dream is a Dickensian coming-of-age journey: Young dreamer Eiji Miyake, from remote rural Japan, thrust out on his own by his sister’s death and his mother’s breakdown, comes to Tokyo in pursuit of the father who abandoned him. Stumbling around this strange, awesome city, he trips over and crosses—through a hidden destiny or just monstrously bad luck—a number of its secret power centers. Suddenly, the riddle of his father’s identity becomes just one of the increasingly urgent questions Eiji must answer. Why is the line between the world of his experiences and the world of his dreams so blurry? Why do so many horrible things keep happening to him? What is it about the number 9? To answer these questions, and ultimately to come to terms with his inheritance, Eiji must somehow acquire an insight into the workings of history and fate that would be rare in anyone, much less in a boy from out of town with a price on his head and less than the cost of a Beatles disc to his name.]]> 401 David Mitchell 0812966929 Robyn 0 3.88 2001 Number9Dream
author: David Mitchell
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/11/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Black Swan Green 14316
Black Swan Green tracks a single year in what is, for thirteen-year-old Jason Taylor, the sleepiest village in muddiest Worcestershire in a dying Cold War England, 1982. But the thirteen chapters, each a short story in its own right, create an exquisitely observed world that is anything but sleepy. A world of Kissingeresque realpolitik enacted in boys� games on a frozen lake; of “nightcreeping� through the summer backyards of strangers; of the tabloid-fueled thrills of the Falklands War and its human toll; of the cruel, luscious Dawn Madden and her power-hungry boyfriend, Ross Wilcox; of a certain Madame Eva van Outryve de Crommelynck, an elderly bohemian emigré who is both more and less than she appears; of Jason’s search to replace his dead grandfather’s irreplaceable smashed watch before the crime is discovered; of first cigarettes, first kisses, first Duran Duran LPs, and first deaths; of Margaret Thatcher’s recession; of Gypsies camping in the woods and the hysteria they inspire; and, even closer to home, of a slow-motion divorce in four seasons.

Pointed, funny, profound, left-field, elegiac, and painted with the stuff of life, Black Swan Green is David Mitchell’s most subtlest and effective achievement to date.]]> 296 David Mitchell 0812974018 Robyn 0 to-read 3.97 2006 Black Swan Green
author: David Mitchell
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/11/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Perfume: The Story of a Murderer]]> 343 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind's classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man's indulgence in his greatest passion—his sense of smell—leads to murder.

In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift—an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and fresh-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume"—the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brilliance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.]]> 263 Patrick Süskind Robyn 4 4.05 1985 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
author: Patrick SĂĽskind
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at: 2011/10/29
date added: 2011/10/29
shelves:
review:

]]> The Bonfire of the Vanities 2666 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780553381344.

The Bonfire of the Vanities is a 1987 satirical novel by Tom Wolfe. The story is a drama about ambition, racism, social class, politics, and greed in 1980s New York City, and centers on three main characters: WASP bond trader Sherman McCoy, Jewish assistant district attorney Larry Kramer, and British expatriate journalist Peter Fallow.

The novel was originally conceived as a serial in the style of Charles Dickens' writings: It ran in 27 installments in Rolling Stone starting in 1984. Wolfe heavily revised it before it was published in book form. The novel was a bestseller and a phenomenal success, even in comparison with Wolfe's other books. It has often been called the quintessential novel of the 1980s.]]> 690 Tom Wolfe Robyn 3 3.89 1987 The Bonfire of the Vanities
author: Tom Wolfe
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1987
rating: 3
read at: 2011/10/10
date added: 2011/10/10
shelves:
review:

]]> Interesting Times: The Play 34508 A new stage adaptation of one of Pratchett's best-selling novels

The Discworld's most inept wizard has been sent from Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork to the oppressive Agatean Empire to help some well-intentioned rebels overthrow the Emperor.

He's assisted by toy-rabbit-wielding rebels, an army of terracotta warriors, a tax gatherer and a group of seven very elderly barbarian heroes lead by Cohen the Barbarian. Opposing him, though, is the evil and manipulative Lord Hong and his army of 750,000 men.

Oh?Rincewind is also aided by Twoflower - Discworld's first tourist and the author of a subversive book, about his visit to Ankh-Morpork, which has inspired the rebels in their struggle for freedom.

The book is called "What I Did On My Holidays".


Ěý


]]> 102 Stephen Briggs 0413772195 Robyn 0 4.23 1995 Interesting Times: The Play
author: Stephen Briggs
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at: 2011/09/14
date added: 2011/09/14
shelves:
review:

]]> Nothing to Fear 6080838 288 Matthew d'Ancona 0340828498 Robyn 2
Sadly, I was to be disappointed. Matthew D'Ancona isn't a bad writer as such, he's just uninspiringly mediocre. His background as a journalist is perhaps to blame, and although he is down on hacks and bad writers in general, he unfortunately lacks enough charisma to pull off this self-deprecation to the extend he intended.

The "twists" are obvious and easy to predict, lacking the necessary suspense and far too heavy-handed in their not-so-subtle preliminary hints. The action is haphazard, moving too fast to form a realistic storyline and yet too slowly to create dramatic tension. The characters are underdeveloped and struggled to inspire sympathy. Perhaps, had the book been twice as long, I would have been more inclined to care about their fates . . . but on the other hand, I doubt that D'Acona could have stretched out the story any longer than he managed to here.

At best, this reads like the synopsis for a not particularly interesting episode of a generic crime drama. At worst, it is the underwhelming, unidentifiable spewings of a bored journalist, wishing to expand his repertoire but not doing so with particular aplomb. Just because you can edit a newspaper doesn't mean that you can write a novel. D'Ancona, stick to editorial in the future.]]> 3.36 2008 Nothing to Fear
author: Matthew d'Ancona
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 2008/01/01
date added: 2011/08/18
shelves:
review:
I tend to avoid thrillers. Experience has shown that I find them distinctly lacking in the promised thrills. However, I'd been given a free copy of Nothing To Fear and it seemed ungrateful not to give it a go so, with an open mind and an optimistic attitude, I set about widening my horizons.

Sadly, I was to be disappointed. Matthew D'Ancona isn't a bad writer as such, he's just uninspiringly mediocre. His background as a journalist is perhaps to blame, and although he is down on hacks and bad writers in general, he unfortunately lacks enough charisma to pull off this self-deprecation to the extend he intended.

The "twists" are obvious and easy to predict, lacking the necessary suspense and far too heavy-handed in their not-so-subtle preliminary hints. The action is haphazard, moving too fast to form a realistic storyline and yet too slowly to create dramatic tension. The characters are underdeveloped and struggled to inspire sympathy. Perhaps, had the book been twice as long, I would have been more inclined to care about their fates . . . but on the other hand, I doubt that D'Acona could have stretched out the story any longer than he managed to here.

At best, this reads like the synopsis for a not particularly interesting episode of a generic crime drama. At worst, it is the underwhelming, unidentifiable spewings of a bored journalist, wishing to expand his repertoire but not doing so with particular aplomb. Just because you can edit a newspaper doesn't mean that you can write a novel. D'Ancona, stick to editorial in the future.
]]> <![CDATA[Lonely Planet China (Lonely Planet Guide)]]> 178790 1028 Damian Harper 1740599152 Robyn 5
Although . . . it didn't fail for me. Perhaps it's gone deeply downhill since my version, purchased and used in 2003. Maybe upheaval caused by the Olympics has affected prices, locations and quality, none of which have been updated or explained in later editions. Or it might well be subjective after all. All I know is that the China Lonely Planet was nothing short of essential during my year in the Middle Kingdom and now, with its copious annotations, dogeared corners and whiff of multiple food spillages, one of my favourite and most cherished posessions.

I love the Lonely Planet. I've used Rough Guide and found it too vague - which is obviously the idea, albeit not mine - and other guides whose names now escape me, it was so so long ago, but I always return to this. Guide to guide, they vary wildly, largely because the authors (different for each country) are extremely influential on the literary style and ratings are based on their opinions rather than facts. But their general layout is always the same and once you've used one, you know exactly how to refer to them all.

In my experience, LP gives you enough information to be going on with, but never feels like it is telling you what you must or must not do. Suggestions are open-ended and (unlike RG), the authors don't write sneeringly when they mention upmarket joints or touristy locations. They'll always give alternatives, but splashing out or going for the easy option is neither derided nor encouraged. It's your trip; it's up to you.

Prices are inevitably wrong but that's because hotels and restaurants rarely set them in stone in the first place; plus, no doubt, the Olympics will have hiked up everything in sight. I use them as a general guide and never expect to pay exactly what they mention but I trust their opinions and the maps are always accurate. Photos are beautiful, background information fascinating, practical advice invaluable. The opening chapter descriptions of each province used to give me goosebumps when I was planning my trip and now they bring back searingly sharp memories of my experiences. I would read it again now, just for entertainment.

China is not a country to which I would advise the first-time backpacker to venture. It's tough, it's alien, it's more brain-achingly vast than you can possibly imagine, but it's also incredibly rewarding, fascinating and in my opinion, having covered most of the country and used this wonderful (heavy) book whilst doing so, absolutely worth it.

I'm about to visit Argentina and one of the first things I bought was a Lonely Planet. Despite this imminent trip lasting a mere fortnight, I can't imagine leaving home without my trusty reference guide. Book to book, writers change and opinions may vary but one thing you can't accuse them of is lack of heart. The enthusiasm for travelling and their country of choice is palpable and infectious. Never make the mistake of idly picking up a Lonely Planet in a Waterstones to kill time or you'll be perusing the British Airways website before you even realise what's happened. (That happened to me once . . . I ended up in Fiji). If I could write for LP, I would. As it is, I'm going to settle for reading; as second-best options go, I've experienced an awful lot worse.]]> 3.94 1984 Lonely Planet China (Lonely Planet Guide)
author: Damian Harper
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1984
rating: 5
read at: 2004/08/26
date added: 2011/08/18
shelves:
review:
Oh dear. This book does have an awful lot of bad reviews. And unlike a fictional novel, this is hardly subjective; if the facts are wrong or the information isn't there, a guidebook fails in its most basic purpose.

Although . . . it didn't fail for me. Perhaps it's gone deeply downhill since my version, purchased and used in 2003. Maybe upheaval caused by the Olympics has affected prices, locations and quality, none of which have been updated or explained in later editions. Or it might well be subjective after all. All I know is that the China Lonely Planet was nothing short of essential during my year in the Middle Kingdom and now, with its copious annotations, dogeared corners and whiff of multiple food spillages, one of my favourite and most cherished posessions.

I love the Lonely Planet. I've used Rough Guide and found it too vague - which is obviously the idea, albeit not mine - and other guides whose names now escape me, it was so so long ago, but I always return to this. Guide to guide, they vary wildly, largely because the authors (different for each country) are extremely influential on the literary style and ratings are based on their opinions rather than facts. But their general layout is always the same and once you've used one, you know exactly how to refer to them all.

In my experience, LP gives you enough information to be going on with, but never feels like it is telling you what you must or must not do. Suggestions are open-ended and (unlike RG), the authors don't write sneeringly when they mention upmarket joints or touristy locations. They'll always give alternatives, but splashing out or going for the easy option is neither derided nor encouraged. It's your trip; it's up to you.

Prices are inevitably wrong but that's because hotels and restaurants rarely set them in stone in the first place; plus, no doubt, the Olympics will have hiked up everything in sight. I use them as a general guide and never expect to pay exactly what they mention but I trust their opinions and the maps are always accurate. Photos are beautiful, background information fascinating, practical advice invaluable. The opening chapter descriptions of each province used to give me goosebumps when I was planning my trip and now they bring back searingly sharp memories of my experiences. I would read it again now, just for entertainment.

China is not a country to which I would advise the first-time backpacker to venture. It's tough, it's alien, it's more brain-achingly vast than you can possibly imagine, but it's also incredibly rewarding, fascinating and in my opinion, having covered most of the country and used this wonderful (heavy) book whilst doing so, absolutely worth it.

I'm about to visit Argentina and one of the first things I bought was a Lonely Planet. Despite this imminent trip lasting a mere fortnight, I can't imagine leaving home without my trusty reference guide. Book to book, writers change and opinions may vary but one thing you can't accuse them of is lack of heart. The enthusiasm for travelling and their country of choice is palpable and infectious. Never make the mistake of idly picking up a Lonely Planet in a Waterstones to kill time or you'll be perusing the British Airways website before you even realise what's happened. (That happened to me once . . . I ended up in Fiji). If I could write for LP, I would. As it is, I'm going to settle for reading; as second-best options go, I've experienced an awful lot worse.
]]> Kiss Chase 1821826 600 Fiona Walker 0340723432 Robyn 1


I was travelling around New Zealand in 2007 and searching for a read which would require minimum brain power and still provide a few laughs when I found Fiona Walker’s depressingly awful offering lingering on a stand outside a charity shop. Costing the equivalent of about 40p, it seemed bad manners not to give it a go, so I parted with my cash and eagerly set about starting. It didn’t take long before I was weary of Walker’s repetitive writing style and uninspiring characters, predictable scenes and tired relationships. You can’t feel empathy for the character of Saskia, who deserves a good slapping, nor for Phoebe, her bizarrely long-suffering “friend�. Rather than coming across as loyal, she appears spineless, dull and stupid, causing me to lose interest in her before the main plot line had even kicked off. It also irritated me profusely that Walker continually referenced the fact that Saskia was fat, as if this in itself was evidence of her emotional problems, and implying that once she had lost the weight she would be magically cured. Never mind the depression or the fact that she is a psychotic bitch, Saskia’s a size 16! Holy mother of god, it’s a national crisis! Do only beautiful people have happy lives in Walker’s plastic world? Why is it that those who do not possess supernatural beauty (apart from Saskia in her “Mental Period�, only peripheral characters with little impact or relevance) are deeply unattractive, sad, grey creatures who paw after the blissful, fabulous, beautiful, adored brilliance of the two central characters, Phoebe and the interminable Felix, but can never hope to achieve their greatness? Apparently if you don’t have legs as long as a redwood and cheekbones that could shave a dormouse, you don’t deserve happiness or a loving relationship; and more to the point, nobody would care even if you did.



Hello, Fiona? Remember Bridget Jones? Helen Fielding’s characters aren’t exactly realistic but they’re a damn sight more down-to-earth than these ones; and when their experiences and reactions are over the top, unlikely and ridiculous, we know full well that Fielding has her tongue lodged firmly in her cheek. Walker, however, seems to take herself far too seriously, which is probably her downfall. She needs to lighten up � at the appropriate moments � and try having a heroine with dodgy hair, or a hero whose six-pack is more likely to be kept in the fridge.



Why is it that so many chick lit authors feel the need to have a heroine who doesn’t think she’s that special to look at, but according to the rest of the world, is stunningly beautiful? Why are they inspired to make her act like someone with special needs? A decent author should be able to create comedy out of any situation, without needing to have a character fall tit over arse down some stairs and wind up with a pair of knickers on her head. Why does every book end “happily ever after� when they get their man? What happened to female emancipation?



Fiona Walker wanders blindly into all of these literary chick-lit clichés, and adds a few of her own for good measure. It should be a stone-carved rule that if an author insists on using slang terms, they must be varied regularly. Once a colloquialism has been used once, it is far more noticeable the second time; and by the fourth or fifth, the reader is begging for a thesaurus. The phrase which springs to mind is the use of “tight� for “drunk�. Although the deliberate misinterpretation of this word is ruminated upon at one point, that is no excuse to use it EVERY SINGLE TIME someone is tipsy, rat-arsed, or three sheets to the wind. For god’s sake, being drunk is surely a phrase with more euphemisms than any other in the English language (except, perhaps, sex). If she’d simply said “drunk� without variation, I doubt I would have noticed. But a little bit of slang goes a long, long way; especially something as old-fashioned as “tight�, which now serves simply as a regular milestone for Walker’s lack of range and cringingly dates the novel. A little imagination please, I beg of you! The same goes for espadrilles; a shoe in which, according to Walker, every woman in the UK encases her warm-weather tootsies. Whenever there’s a mention of shoes, they’re always bloody espadrilles! Ok, so it’s the summer, and Phoebe’s a casual, breezy kook: WE GET IT. But couldn’t she please slip her feet into a pair of sandals? Find some flats? Stagger in stilettos? Fling on some flip-flops? Whack on some wedges? It may be a petty complaint, but it sums up the rest of the novel, and was largely responsible for my increasing desire to chuck the dreary tome at the wall.



Walker’s characters are two-dimensional, ridiculous stereotypes, underdeveloped and, honestly, quite boring. The book is far too long and clearly has an incompetent editor. The language is limited and the storyline reeks of desperation. I anticipated that this bumper novel would be an enjoyable holiday read. It wasn’t. I persevered with it in the naïve, optimistic hope that it would get better towards the end. It didn’t. It leaves me with no question as to why this genre is viewed with such contempt when authors like Fiona Walker are championed in its ranks as literary royalty. Excuse me, but I’d like my 40p back.

]]> 4.15 1998 Kiss Chase
author: Fiona Walker
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1998
rating: 1
read at: 2007/12/01
date added: 2011/08/16
shelves:
review:
My literary tastes are wide and varied, and I am a fan of the unfortunately named “chick lit� as much as the next girl in search of a mindless, trashy read. But there’s chick lit and there’s chick lit. It’s a term which, unfairly, widely encompasses pretty much every novel written by women, for women, including wonderful authors such as Marian Keyes and Joanne Harris, right through to the pitiful offerings from ex-page 3 girls and the archaic Mills & Boon. Reading the worst of it is like eating a McDonalds whilst staggering home from a night out on the tiles. At first it seems like the only thing that will satisfy your craving. After a few tasty mouthfuls, the flavour dulls and the juice leaks out. Half way through, it’s only the fact that you’ve made it this far that forces you to persevere and finish the blasted thing. Five minutes after forcing the final crumbs into your protesting body, you feel utterly empty and wonder why you even bothered. Still, at least you can blame the booze.



I was travelling around New Zealand in 2007 and searching for a read which would require minimum brain power and still provide a few laughs when I found Fiona Walker’s depressingly awful offering lingering on a stand outside a charity shop. Costing the equivalent of about 40p, it seemed bad manners not to give it a go, so I parted with my cash and eagerly set about starting. It didn’t take long before I was weary of Walker’s repetitive writing style and uninspiring characters, predictable scenes and tired relationships. You can’t feel empathy for the character of Saskia, who deserves a good slapping, nor for Phoebe, her bizarrely long-suffering “friend�. Rather than coming across as loyal, she appears spineless, dull and stupid, causing me to lose interest in her before the main plot line had even kicked off. It also irritated me profusely that Walker continually referenced the fact that Saskia was fat, as if this in itself was evidence of her emotional problems, and implying that once she had lost the weight she would be magically cured. Never mind the depression or the fact that she is a psychotic bitch, Saskia’s a size 16! Holy mother of god, it’s a national crisis! Do only beautiful people have happy lives in Walker’s plastic world? Why is it that those who do not possess supernatural beauty (apart from Saskia in her “Mental Period�, only peripheral characters with little impact or relevance) are deeply unattractive, sad, grey creatures who paw after the blissful, fabulous, beautiful, adored brilliance of the two central characters, Phoebe and the interminable Felix, but can never hope to achieve their greatness? Apparently if you don’t have legs as long as a redwood and cheekbones that could shave a dormouse, you don’t deserve happiness or a loving relationship; and more to the point, nobody would care even if you did.



Hello, Fiona? Remember Bridget Jones? Helen Fielding’s characters aren’t exactly realistic but they’re a damn sight more down-to-earth than these ones; and when their experiences and reactions are over the top, unlikely and ridiculous, we know full well that Fielding has her tongue lodged firmly in her cheek. Walker, however, seems to take herself far too seriously, which is probably her downfall. She needs to lighten up � at the appropriate moments � and try having a heroine with dodgy hair, or a hero whose six-pack is more likely to be kept in the fridge.



Why is it that so many chick lit authors feel the need to have a heroine who doesn’t think she’s that special to look at, but according to the rest of the world, is stunningly beautiful? Why are they inspired to make her act like someone with special needs? A decent author should be able to create comedy out of any situation, without needing to have a character fall tit over arse down some stairs and wind up with a pair of knickers on her head. Why does every book end “happily ever after� when they get their man? What happened to female emancipation?



Fiona Walker wanders blindly into all of these literary chick-lit clichés, and adds a few of her own for good measure. It should be a stone-carved rule that if an author insists on using slang terms, they must be varied regularly. Once a colloquialism has been used once, it is far more noticeable the second time; and by the fourth or fifth, the reader is begging for a thesaurus. The phrase which springs to mind is the use of “tight� for “drunk�. Although the deliberate misinterpretation of this word is ruminated upon at one point, that is no excuse to use it EVERY SINGLE TIME someone is tipsy, rat-arsed, or three sheets to the wind. For god’s sake, being drunk is surely a phrase with more euphemisms than any other in the English language (except, perhaps, sex). If she’d simply said “drunk� without variation, I doubt I would have noticed. But a little bit of slang goes a long, long way; especially something as old-fashioned as “tight�, which now serves simply as a regular milestone for Walker’s lack of range and cringingly dates the novel. A little imagination please, I beg of you! The same goes for espadrilles; a shoe in which, according to Walker, every woman in the UK encases her warm-weather tootsies. Whenever there’s a mention of shoes, they’re always bloody espadrilles! Ok, so it’s the summer, and Phoebe’s a casual, breezy kook: WE GET IT. But couldn’t she please slip her feet into a pair of sandals? Find some flats? Stagger in stilettos? Fling on some flip-flops? Whack on some wedges? It may be a petty complaint, but it sums up the rest of the novel, and was largely responsible for my increasing desire to chuck the dreary tome at the wall.



Walker’s characters are two-dimensional, ridiculous stereotypes, underdeveloped and, honestly, quite boring. The book is far too long and clearly has an incompetent editor. The language is limited and the storyline reeks of desperation. I anticipated that this bumper novel would be an enjoyable holiday read. It wasn’t. I persevered with it in the naïve, optimistic hope that it would get better towards the end. It didn’t. It leaves me with no question as to why this genre is viewed with such contempt when authors like Fiona Walker are championed in its ranks as literary royalty. Excuse me, but I’d like my 40p back.


]]> In Patagonia 79909 199 Bruce Chatwin 0142437190 Robyn 4 travel, non-fiction
He may not be laugh-out-loud funny, in the manner of Bill Bryson; he does not probe everyone he meets for information, like Paul Theroux. He relies on his observation, and the old-fashioned, reigned-in wonder of new experiences, delighting in silent appreciation and calm understanding. Of all the countries in the world that I wish to visit, those in South America are not top of my list. But it's only thanks to old Bruce that they are there at all.]]> 3.69 1977 In Patagonia
author: Bruce Chatwin
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1977
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/08/16
shelves: travel, non-fiction
review:
Bruce Chatwin has a style of travel-writing which I envy because I will never achieve it; he is, fundamentally, a man of very few words. Yet despite this, he manages to write a book on a subject of his choosing, fill it with more detail than his peers cram into something ten times as long, and not waste a single letter. His perfunctory style is not unsatisfactory, though, and rather than skimping on description, he simply chooses his words extremely carefully. Sometimes, barely a sentence is needed. The rest is up to the reader. Chatwin encourages imagination and exploration; he does all the hard work, chugging from one country to the next and risking life and limb, but after having read his books, you still feel as though you have achieved something too.

He may not be laugh-out-loud funny, in the manner of Bill Bryson; he does not probe everyone he meets for information, like Paul Theroux. He relies on his observation, and the old-fashioned, reigned-in wonder of new experiences, delighting in silent appreciation and calm understanding. Of all the countries in the world that I wish to visit, those in South America are not top of my list. But it's only thanks to old Bruce that they are there at all.
]]> The Missing 5631674
Sam Simoneaux’s troopship docked in France just as World War I came to an end. Still, what he saw of the devastation there sent him back to New Orleans eager for a normal life and a job as a floorwalker in the city’s biggest department store, and to start anew with his wife years after losing a son to illness. But when a little girl disappears from the store on his shift, he loses his job and soon joins her parents working on a steamboat plying the Mississippi and providing musical entertainment en route. Sam comes to suspect that on the downriver journey someone had seen this magical child and arranged to steal her away, and this quest leads him not only into this raucous new life on the river and in the towns along its banks but also on a journey deep into the Arkansas wilderness. Here he begins to piece together what had happened to the girl—a discovery that endangers everyone involved and sheds new light on the massacre of his own family decades before.

Tim Gautreaux brings to vivid life the exotic world of steamboats and shifting currents and rough crowds, of the music of the twenties, of a nation lurching away from war into an uneasy peace at a time when civilization was only beginning to penetrate a hinterlands in which law was often an unknown force. The Missing is the story of a man fighting to redeem himself, of parents coping with horrific loss with only a whisper of hope to sustain them, of others for whom kidnapping is either only a job or a dream come true. The suspense—and the complicated web of violence that eventually links Sam to complete strangers—is relentless, urgently engaging and, ultimately, profoundly moving, the finest demonstration yet of Gautreaux’s understanding of landscape, history, human travail, and hope.]]> 375 Tim Gautreaux 0307270157 Robyn 5 3.88 2009 The Missing
author: Tim Gautreaux
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass]]> 4971790 256 Lewis Carroll 0785824464 Robyn 5 4.11 1871 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass
author: Lewis Carroll
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1871
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/13
shelves:
review:

]]> Macbeth 58031 192 William Shakespeare 0521606861 Robyn 5 3.84 1623 Macbeth
author: William Shakespeare
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1623
rating: 5
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date added: 2011/08/13
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]]> Hotel Honolulu 126120 448 Paul Theroux 014029936X Robyn 3 3.40 2001 Hotel Honolulu
author: Paul Theroux
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/08/13
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet]]> 7764150
But Jacob’s original intentions are eclipsed after a chance encounter with Orito Aibagawa, the disfigured daughter of a samurai doctor and midwife to the city’s powerful magistrate. The borders between propriety, profit, and pleasure blur until Jacob finds his vision clouded, one rash promise made and then fatefully broken. The consequences will extend beyond Jacob’s worst imaginings. As one cynical colleague asks, “Who ain’t a gambler in the glorious Orient, with his very life?�

A magnificent mix of luminous writing, prodigious research, and heedless imagination, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is the most impressive achievement of its eminent author.]]> 469 David Mitchell 0340921579 Robyn 3 3.93 2010 The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
author: David Mitchell
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2011/08/13
date added: 2011/08/13
shelves:
review:

]]> Miss Mackenzie 2912326 416 Anthony Trollope 0140438181 Robyn 4


Miss Mackenzie tells the story of a middle-aged woman who, having nursed her sick brother for her entire life, finds herself to be the recipient of his fortune when he dies. As she attempts to navigate the social whirl to which she has never before been exposed, the unexpected heiress is soon being pursued by several men claiming varying degrees of honesty and affection towards our heroine. Miss Mackenzie must learn to identify who cares for her rather than her fortune, exactly where she fits into society, and whom she can trust when everything comes crashing down around her ears.



Considering this book was written in 1865, the language is easy to understand - even surprisingly modern in parts - whilst remaining sharp and succinct. The watertight prose is deliciously acerbic, summing up a character in just a handful of words and painting a scene with a couple of pointed observations. Despite being steeped in the culture and social mores of the time - fashions, habits and expectations are well-documented throughout - the overall theme is relevant and identifiable as it focuses on the misunderstandings between the genders, plus the timeless question of love versus money and right versus wrong.



Miss Mackenzie herself is a likable character, sweet without being saccharine and in posession of a pleasingly tough streak, whilst her fellow cast-members are satisfyingly fleshed out, even if they appear for no more than a few lines. Trollope as a storyteller make biting, ironic asides and offers helpful hints and opinions, offering us an insight into his delightfully witty mind. At times, it's hard to believe the modernity of his references and assorted backstories, and his accuracy in describing the wide-ranging selection of classes, genders and personalities.



Despite being written well over 100 years ago, Trollope's novel is accessible, familiar (both in emotion and, to any Londoners, the geographical location) and ultimately, very fun. The story is slow, but blessedly so; it's not about the twists and turns, but the character development, and the intriguing insight into a world which, for better or worse, is slowly being forgotten.]]> 4.31 1865 Miss Mackenzie
author: Anthony Trollope
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1865
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
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review:
Sadly overlooked in the 21st century, Anthony Trollope is a gem of the British literary establishment whose books, whilst less enduringly popular than Austen or the Brontes, are every bit as witty, intelligent and timeless.



Miss Mackenzie tells the story of a middle-aged woman who, having nursed her sick brother for her entire life, finds herself to be the recipient of his fortune when he dies. As she attempts to navigate the social whirl to which she has never before been exposed, the unexpected heiress is soon being pursued by several men claiming varying degrees of honesty and affection towards our heroine. Miss Mackenzie must learn to identify who cares for her rather than her fortune, exactly where she fits into society, and whom she can trust when everything comes crashing down around her ears.



Considering this book was written in 1865, the language is easy to understand - even surprisingly modern in parts - whilst remaining sharp and succinct. The watertight prose is deliciously acerbic, summing up a character in just a handful of words and painting a scene with a couple of pointed observations. Despite being steeped in the culture and social mores of the time - fashions, habits and expectations are well-documented throughout - the overall theme is relevant and identifiable as it focuses on the misunderstandings between the genders, plus the timeless question of love versus money and right versus wrong.



Miss Mackenzie herself is a likable character, sweet without being saccharine and in posession of a pleasingly tough streak, whilst her fellow cast-members are satisfyingly fleshed out, even if they appear for no more than a few lines. Trollope as a storyteller make biting, ironic asides and offers helpful hints and opinions, offering us an insight into his delightfully witty mind. At times, it's hard to believe the modernity of his references and assorted backstories, and his accuracy in describing the wide-ranging selection of classes, genders and personalities.



Despite being written well over 100 years ago, Trollope's novel is accessible, familiar (both in emotion and, to any Londoners, the geographical location) and ultimately, very fun. The story is slow, but blessedly so; it's not about the twists and turns, but the character development, and the intriguing insight into a world which, for better or worse, is slowly being forgotten.
]]> My Sister’s Keeper 10917 New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age 13 she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate—a life and a role that she has never challenged ... until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister—and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.]]> 423 Jodi Picoult 0743454537 Robyn 2


My Sister's Keeper follows the lives of a family whose eldest daughter, Kate, suffers from a rare strain of leukemia. With no relatives compatible with Kate, the parents choose to "create" the perfect match; Anna, a sister with the same biological makeup and a guaranteed source of future transplants and donations. However, they forgot one vital element. What happens when Anna decides that she no longer wishes to exist solely as Kate's external life-force? Who has the rights over her body? And when will it all end?



The questions and issues raised in this book are vital, heart-wrenchingly poignant and deeply relevant. It is a current-day situation and one which readers will recognise from the papers. Stem-cell research and the Human Genome Project are terms which are bandied about with regularity and controversy, and Picoult does well to take these extremely controversial issues and ground them in a comparatively recognisable situation.



Unfortunately, the characters are hypocritical and under-developed. The mother, Sara, is given most of the hypothesising but doesn't really offer a balanced argument. Since Picoult claims to have been through a similar experience with her son, one would expect Sara to be the most well-thought-out and "real" character; but instead she becomes a caricature of herself, and loses the humanity which is so vital to her case. Jesse, the tearaway brother, is irritatingly cliched and despite feeling that I should identify - or at least sympathise - with the family, I felt quite cold towards them, not least the mother.



The storyline between Anna's lawyer and his on-off girlfriend was utterly superfluous and completely ridiculous. Perhaps concerned that she hadn't "sexed up" the novel enough, Picoult apparently felt the need to cram in a love scene just to keep it balanced. It was clunky and out of place, destroying what small amount of tenderness and tension she had managed to build up within the family dynamics. Plus, having been strung along for so long as to the reason behind his guide dog, the final explanation is a gigantic let-down and totally baffling. It's so trivial as to completely undermine the importance of the rest of the book. I have no idea what the author was thinking.



Like Dan Brown and the dire Phillipa Gregory, Picoult astonishes me in her ability to take what should, by all accounts, be a wonderful story and yet make it so dull, cliched and uninspired. What starts off so promisingly descends into predictability and boredom. Picoult is not always a bad writer, but she is unreliable and not quite as good as she thinks she is. Whenever she descends into condescending, trite descriptions of clouds and constellations, I found myself thinking "Oh god, how tragically American". Naff doesn't even being to describe it. A good writer shouldn't need to rely on analogies and wispy thoughts about Mother Nature versus human nature (although I'm not sure she ever put it as concisely as that). Picoult had a great basis but sadly the novel does not live up to expectations. Stick it out for the film; at least naff fluffiness is expected from Hollywood.]]> 4.10 2004 My Sister’s Keeper
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
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review:
Jodi Picoult suffers from Dan Brown Syndrome. That is to say, she has the ability to come up with a fantastic concept, but sadly lacks the writing talent necessary for turning it into the brilliant novel it deserves to be.



My Sister's Keeper follows the lives of a family whose eldest daughter, Kate, suffers from a rare strain of leukemia. With no relatives compatible with Kate, the parents choose to "create" the perfect match; Anna, a sister with the same biological makeup and a guaranteed source of future transplants and donations. However, they forgot one vital element. What happens when Anna decides that she no longer wishes to exist solely as Kate's external life-force? Who has the rights over her body? And when will it all end?



The questions and issues raised in this book are vital, heart-wrenchingly poignant and deeply relevant. It is a current-day situation and one which readers will recognise from the papers. Stem-cell research and the Human Genome Project are terms which are bandied about with regularity and controversy, and Picoult does well to take these extremely controversial issues and ground them in a comparatively recognisable situation.



Unfortunately, the characters are hypocritical and under-developed. The mother, Sara, is given most of the hypothesising but doesn't really offer a balanced argument. Since Picoult claims to have been through a similar experience with her son, one would expect Sara to be the most well-thought-out and "real" character; but instead she becomes a caricature of herself, and loses the humanity which is so vital to her case. Jesse, the tearaway brother, is irritatingly cliched and despite feeling that I should identify - or at least sympathise - with the family, I felt quite cold towards them, not least the mother.



The storyline between Anna's lawyer and his on-off girlfriend was utterly superfluous and completely ridiculous. Perhaps concerned that she hadn't "sexed up" the novel enough, Picoult apparently felt the need to cram in a love scene just to keep it balanced. It was clunky and out of place, destroying what small amount of tenderness and tension she had managed to build up within the family dynamics. Plus, having been strung along for so long as to the reason behind his guide dog, the final explanation is a gigantic let-down and totally baffling. It's so trivial as to completely undermine the importance of the rest of the book. I have no idea what the author was thinking.



Like Dan Brown and the dire Phillipa Gregory, Picoult astonishes me in her ability to take what should, by all accounts, be a wonderful story and yet make it so dull, cliched and uninspired. What starts off so promisingly descends into predictability and boredom. Picoult is not always a bad writer, but she is unreliable and not quite as good as she thinks she is. Whenever she descends into condescending, trite descriptions of clouds and constellations, I found myself thinking "Oh god, how tragically American". Naff doesn't even being to describe it. A good writer shouldn't need to rely on analogies and wispy thoughts about Mother Nature versus human nature (although I'm not sure she ever put it as concisely as that). Picoult had a great basis but sadly the novel does not live up to expectations. Stick it out for the film; at least naff fluffiness is expected from Hollywood.
]]> <![CDATA[J.R.R. Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings]]> 30
19 CDs. 17 hrs 30 mins.]]> 1728 J.R.R. Tolkien 0345538374 Robyn 0 4.61 1954 J.R.R. Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.61
book published: 1954
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> Mrs. Dalloway 290307 302 Virginia Woolf 0828899290 Robyn 0 3.62 1925 Mrs. Dalloway
author: Virginia Woolf
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1925
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[His Dark Materials (His Dark Materials #1-3)]]> 18116
These thrilling adventures tell the story of Lyra and Will—two ordinary children on a perilous journey through shimmering haunted otherworlds. They will meet witches and armored bears, fallen angels and soul-eating specters. And in the end, the fate of both the living—and the dead—will rely on them.

Phillip Pullman’s spellbinding His Dark Materials trilogy has captivated readers for over twenty years and won acclaim at every turn. It will have you questioning everything you know about your world and wondering what really lies just out of reach.]]> 1088 Philip Pullman 0440238609 Robyn 0 4.26 2000 His Dark Materials (His Dark Materials #1-3)
author: Philip Pullman
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2000
rating: 0
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date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)]]> 136251
In this final, seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited.]]> 759 J.K. Rowling Robyn 0 4.61 2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2007
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time]]> 1618 226 Mark Haddon 1400032717 Robyn 0 3.89 2003 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
author: Mark Haddon
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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]]> Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure 3858
But eleven years later, the prophecy comes true. When the love of Sarah’s life is posted to India, she quits her dream job to move to the most polluted city on earth, New Delhi. For Sarah this seems like the ultimate sacrifice for love, and it almost kills her, literally. Just settled, she falls dangerously ill with double pneumonia, an experience that compels her to face some serious questions about her own fragile mortality and inner spiritual void. “I must find peace in the only place possible in India,� she concludes. “Within.� Thus begins her journey of discovery through India in search of the meaning of life and death.

Holy Cow is Macdonald’s often hilarious chronicle of her adventures in a land of chaos and contradiction, of encounters with Hinduism, Islam and Jainism, Sufis, Sikhs, Parsis and Christians and a kaleidoscope of yogis, swamis and Bollywood stars. From spiritual retreats and crumbling nirvanas to war zones and New Delhi nightclubs, it is a journey that only a woman on a mission to save her soul, her love life—and her sanity—can survive.]]> 291 Sarah Macdonald 0767915747 Robyn 0 3.53 2002 Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure
author: Sarah Macdonald
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2002
rating: 0
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]]> Sushi for Beginners 82748 Lisa Edwards
This Prada-wearing magazine editor thinks her life is over when her "fabulous" new job turns out to be a deportation to Dublin to launch Colleen magazine. The only saving grace is that her friends aren't there to witness her downward spiral. Might her new boss, the disheveled and moody Jack Devine, save her from a fate worse than hell?

Ashling Kennedy
Ashling, Colleen's assistant editor, is an award-winning worrier, increasingly aware that something fundamental is missing from her life -- apart from a boyfriend and a waistline.

Clodagh "Princess" Kelly
Ashling's best friend, Clodagh, lives the domestic dream in a suburban castle. So why, lately, has she had the recurring urge to kiss a frog -- or sleep with a frog, if truth be told? As these three women search for love, success, and happiness, they will discover that if you let things simmer under the surface for too long, sooner or later they'll boil over.]]> 448 Marian Keyes 0060555955 Robyn 0 3.72 2000 Sushi for Beginners
author: Marian Keyes
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2000
rating: 0
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]]> The Magic Toyshop 81026
"Beneath its contemporary surface, this novel shimmers with blurred echoes—from Lewis Carroll, from 'Giselle' and 'Coppelia,' Harlequin and Punch� It leave behind it a flavor, pungent and unsettling" �The New York Times Book Review]]> 200 Angela Carter 0140256407 Robyn 0 to-read 3.84 1967 The Magic Toyshop
author: Angela Carter
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1967
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia]]> 63689 342 Paul Theroux 0618658947 Robyn 0 to-read 3.92 1975 The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia
author: Paul Theroux
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1975
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #2)]]> 8695 alternate edition for ISBN 0345418921/9780345418920

Facing annihilation at the hands of the warlike Vogons is a curious time to have a cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his curious comrades in arms as they hurtle through space powered by pure improbability - and desperately in search of a place to eat. Among Arthur's motley shipmates are Ford Prefect, a long-time friend and contributor to the The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Zaphod Beeblebrox, the three-armed, two-headed ex-president of the galaxy; Tricia McMilan, a fellow Earth refuge who's gone native (her name is Trillian now); and Marvin, who suffers nothing and no one gladly.

Source: douglasadams.com]]> 250 Douglas Adams Robyn 0 to-read 4.22 1980 The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #2)
author: Douglas Adams
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1980
rating: 0
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date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> Wise Children 873921 234 Angela Carter 0099981106 Robyn 0 3.87 1991 Wise Children
author: Angela Carter
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1991
rating: 0
read at:
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]]> <![CDATA[Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China]]> 174454 480 Paul Theroux 0618658971 Robyn 0 4.01 1988 Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China
author: Paul Theroux
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1988
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> <![CDATA[The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1)]]> 533613
The Color of Magic is Terry Pratchett's maiden voyage through the now-legendary land of Discworld. This is where it all begins--with the tourist Twoflower and his wizard guide, Rincewind.]]> 210 Terry Pratchett 0061020710 Robyn 0 3.75 1983 The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1983
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> <![CDATA[The Fifth Elephant (Discworld, #24)]]> 567653 Everyone knows that the world is flat, and supported on the backs of four elephants. But weren't there supposed to be five? Indeed there were. So where is it?...

When duty calls. Commander Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork constabulary answers. Even when he doesn't want to. He's been "invited" to attend a royal function as both detective and diplomat. The one role he relishes; the other requires, well, ruby tights. Of course where cops (even those clad in tights) go, alas, crime follows. An attempted assassination and a theft soon lead to a desperate chase from the low halls of Discworld royalty to the legendary fat mines of Uberwald, where lard is found in underground seams along with tusks and teeth and other precious ivory artifacts. It's up to the dauntless Vimes -- bothered as usual by a familiar cast of Discworld inhabitants (you know, trolls, dwarfs, werewolves, vampires and such) -- to solve the puzzle of the missing pachyderm. Which of course he does. After all, solving mysteries is his job.]]> 370 Terry Pratchett 0061020400 Robyn 0 4.18 1999 The Fifth Elephant (Discworld, #24)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> Nights at the Circus 873920
Courted by the Prince of Wales and painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, she is an aerialiste extraordinaire and star of Colonel Kearney's circus. She is also part woman, part swan. Jack Walser, an American journalist, is on a quest to discover the truth behind her identity. Dazzled by his love for her, and desperate for the scoop of a lifetime, Walser has no choice but to join the circus on its magical tour through turn-of-the-nineteenth-century London, St Petersburg and Siberia.]]> 350 Angela Carter 0099388618 Robyn 0 3.77 1984 Nights at the Circus
author: Angela Carter
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1984
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> The Complete Fairy Tales 46306
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales, a literary genre he so mastered that he himself has become as mythical as the tales he wrote. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories - called eventyrs, or "fantastic tales" - express themes that transcend age and nationality.

During his lifetime he was acclaimed for having delighted children worldwide and was feted by royalty. Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature listeners/readers as well. They have inspired motion pictures, plays, ballets, and animated films.]]> 803 Hans Christian Andersen 0517092913 Robyn 0 4.29 1850 The Complete Fairy Tales
author: Hans Christian Andersen
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1850
rating: 0
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]]> Pyramids (Discworld, #7) 386373 380 Terry Pratchett 0552134619 Robyn 0 3.89 1989 Pyramids (Discworld, #7)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1989
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> <![CDATA[Guards! Guards! (Discworld, #8; City Watch, #1)]]> 64216 376 Terry Pratchett 0061020648 Robyn 0 4.33 1989 Guards! Guards! (Discworld, #8; City Watch, #1)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1989
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> <![CDATA[Lords and Ladies (Discworld, #14; Witches, #4)]]> 833430
Granny Weatherwax and her tiny coven are up against real elves.

It's Midsummer Night.

No time for dreaming...

With full supporting cast of dwarfs, wizards, trolls, Morris dancers and one orang-utan. And lots of hey-nonny-nonny and blood all over the place.]]> 382 Terry Pratchett 0552138916 Robyn 0 4.17 1992 Lords and Ladies (Discworld, #14; Witches, #4)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> <![CDATA[The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales]]> 847567 704 Jacob Grimm 051709293X Robyn 0 4.28 1812 The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
author: Jacob Grimm
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1812
rating: 0
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date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> <![CDATA[The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)]]> 4248 The da Vinci Code, The da Vinci Code, and, The da Vinci Code

An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci.
A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe.
An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.

As millions of readers around the globe have already discovered, The Da Vinci Code is a reading experience unlike any other. Simultaneously lightning-paced, intelligent, and intricately layered with remarkable research and detail, Dan Brown's novel is a thrilling masterpiece—from its opening pages to its stunning conclusion.]]> 597 Dan Brown 1400079179 Robyn 0 3.67 2003 The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)
author: Dan Brown
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> And Then There Were None 16299
"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."

When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.]]> 264 Agatha Christie 0312330871 Robyn 0 to-read 4.28 1939 And Then There Were None
author: Agatha Christie
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1939
rating: 0
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]]> Gone with the Wind 545641 959 Margaret Mitchell 1416548890 Robyn 0 to-read 4.34 1936 Gone with the Wind
author: Margaret Mitchell
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1936
rating: 0
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date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> <![CDATA[Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch]]> 12067
People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. This time though, the armies of Good and Evil really do appear to be massing. The four Bikers of the Apocalypse are hitting the road. But both the angels and demons � well, one fast-living demon and a somewhat fussy angel � would quite like the Rapture not to happen.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist…]]> 491 Terry Pratchett Robyn 0 4.27 1990 Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1990
rating: 0
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]]> A Clockwork Orange 227463 A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. And when the state undertakes to reform Alex to "redeem" him, the novel asks, "At what cost?"

This edition includes the controversial last chapter not published in the first edition and Burgess's introduction "A Clockwork Orange Resucked."]]> 192 Anthony Burgess Robyn 0 to-read 3.98 1962 A Clockwork Orange
author: Anthony Burgess
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1962
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/08/11
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]]> The Great Gatsby 4671 The only edition of the beloved classic that is authorized by Fitzgerald’s family and from his lifelong publisher.

This edition is the enduring original text, updated with the author’s own revisions, a foreword by his granddaughter, and with a new introduction by National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. First published by Scribner in 1925, this quintessential novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.]]> 180 F. Scott Fitzgerald 0743273567 Robyn 0 to-read 3.93 1925 The Great Gatsby
author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
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average rating: 3.93
book published: 1925
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]]> Catch-22 168668
Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.

This fiftieth-anniversary edition commemorates Joseph Heller’s masterpiece with a new introduction by Christopher Buckley; a wealth of critical essays and reviews by Norman Mailer, Alfred Kazin, Anthony Burgess, and others; rare papers and photos from Joseph Heller’s personal archive; and much more. Here, at last, is the definitive edition of a classic of world literature.]]> 453 Joseph Heller 0684833395 Robyn 0 to-read 3.99 1961 Catch-22
author: Joseph Heller
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.99
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]]> The Crucible 17250
Written in 1953, The Crucible is a mirror Miller uses to reflect the anti-communist hysteria inspired by Senator Joseph McCarthy's "witch-hunts" in the United States. Within the text itself, Miller contemplates the parallels, writing, "Political opposition... is given an inhumane overlay, which then justifies the abrogation of all normally applied customs of civilized behavior. A political policy is equated with moral right, and opposition to it with diabolical malevolence."

WIth an introduction by Christopher Bigsby.
(back cover)]]> 143 Arthur Miller 0142437336 Robyn 0 to-read 3.60 1953 The Crucible
author: Arthur Miller
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1953
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]]> Atonement 6867
On a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses the flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives and her precocious imagination bring about a crime that will change all their lives, a crime whose repercussions Atonement follows through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century.]]> 351 Ian McEwan 038572179X Robyn 0 to-read 3.94 2001 Atonement
author: Ian McEwan
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2001
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]]> The English Patient 231584 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here

With unsettling beauty and intelligence, Michael Ondaatje's Booker Prize-winning novel traces the intersection of four damaged lives in an abandoned Italian villa at the end of World War II. The nurse Hana, exhausted by death, obsessively tends to her last surviving patient. Caravaggio, the thief, tries to reimagine who he is, now that his hands are hopelessly maimed. The Indian sapper Kip searches for hidden bombs in a landscape where nothing is safe but himself. And at the center of his labyrinth lies the English patient, nameless and hideously burned, a man who is both a riddle and a provocation to his companions—and whose memories of suffering, rescue, and betrayal illuminate this book like flashes of heat lightning.]]> 305 Michael Ondaatje 0679745203 Robyn 0 to-read 3.79 1992 The English Patient
author: Michael Ondaatje
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average rating: 3.79
book published: 1992
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]]> The Kite Runner 77203 371 Khaled Hosseini 159463193X Robyn 0 to-read 4.34 2003 The Kite Runner
author: Khaled Hosseini
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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]]> Skellig (Skellig, #1) 24271 208 David Almond 0440229081 Robyn 0 3.78 1998 Skellig (Skellig, #1)
author: David Almond
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1998
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]]> The Welsh Girl 2015240 A Richard & Judy Book Club choice

'A beautiful, ambitious novel . . . Emotionally resonant and perfectly rendered, I believed in every character, every sheep, every last blade of grass.' - Ann Patchett

In 1944, a German Jewish refugee is sent to Wales to interview Rudolf Hess; in Snowdonia, a seventeen-year-old girl, the daughter of a fiercely nationalistic shepherd, dreams of the bright lights of an English city; and in a nearby POW camp, a German soldier struggles to reconcile his surrender with his sense of honour. As their lives intersect, all three will come to question where they belong and where their loyalties lie.

Peter Ho Davies's thought-provoking and profoundly moving first novel traces a perilous wartime romance as it explores the bonds of love and duty that hold us to family, country, and ultimately our fellow man. Vividly rooted in history and landscape, THE WELSH GIRL reminds us anew of the pervasive presence of the past, and the startling intimacy of the foreign.]]> 343 Peter Ho Davies 0340938277 Robyn 0 3.29 2007 The Welsh Girl
author: Peter Ho Davies
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.29
book published: 2007
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]]> <![CDATA[Minion (Vampire Huntress Legend, #1)]]> 39305 There is one woman who is all that stands between us and the eternal night. Here is an account of her legend�

All Damali Richards ever wanted to do was create music and bring it to the people. Now she is a spoken word artist and the top act for Warriors of Light Records. But come nightfall, she hunts vampires and demons—predators that people tend to dismiss as myth or fantasy. Damali and her Guardian team cannot afford such delusions, especially now, when a group of rogue vampires has been killing the artists of Warriors of Light and their rival, Blood Music.

When strange attacks erupt within the club drug-trafficking network and draw the attention of the police, Damali realizes these killings are a bit out of the ordinary, even for vampires. Instead of neat puncture marks in the neck showing where the blood has been drained from the body, these corpses are mutilated beyond recognition, indicating a blood lust and thirst for destruction that surpasses any Damali has encountered before. Soon she discovers that behind these brutal murders is the most powerful vampire Damali has ever met—a seductive beast who is coming for her next…]]> 286 L.A. Banks 0312987013 Robyn 0 3.48 2003 Minion (Vampire Huntress Legend, #1)
author: L.A. Banks
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2003
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]]> A Room of One’s Own 340793 This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN 0156787334.

In A Room of One's Own, Virginia Woolf imagines that Shakespeare had a sister. A sister equal to Shakespeare in talent, and equal in genius, but whose legacy is radically different. This imaginary woman never writes a word and dies by her own hand, her genius unexpressed. If only she had found the means to create, argues Woolf, she would have reached the same heights as her immortal sibling. In this classic essay, Virginia Woolf takes on the establishment, using her gift of language to dissect the world around her and give voice to those who are without. Her message is a simple one: women must have some money and a room of their own in order to have the freedom to create.]]> 114 Virginia Woolf Robyn 0 to-read 4.07 1929 A Room of One’s Own
author: Virginia Woolf
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1929
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]]> Schindler's List 77247 400 Thomas Keneally 0671880314 Robyn 0 to-read 4.18 1982 Schindler's List
author: Thomas Keneally
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1982
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]]> Tom Bedlam 3101470 456 George Hagen 0340752076 Robyn 0 3.28 2005 Tom Bedlam
author: George Hagen
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2005
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]]> <![CDATA[Stalin's Children: Three Generations of Love, War, and Survival]]> 4161449 A transcendent history/memoir of one family's always passionate, sometimes tragic connection to Russia.

On a midsummer day in 1937, a black car pulled up to a house in Chernigov, in the heart of the Ukraine. Boris Bibikov—Owen Matthews's grandfather—kissed his wife and two young daughters good-bye and disappeared inside the car. His family never saw him again. His wife would soon vanish as well, leaving Lyudmila and Lenina alone to drift across the vast Russian landscape during World War II. Separated as the Germans advanced in 1941, they were miraculously reunited against all odds at the war's end.

Some twenty-five years later, in the early 1960s, Mervyn Matthews—Owen's father—followed a lifelong passion for Russia and moved to Moscow to work for the British embassy. He fell in and out with the KGB, and despite having fallen in love with Lyudmila, he was summarily deported. For the next six years, Mervyn worked day and night to get Lyudmila out of Russia, and when he finally succeeded, they married.

Decades on from these events, Owen Matthews—then a young journalist himself in Russia—came upon his grandfather's KGB file recording his "progress from life to death at the hands of Stalin's secret police." Stimulated by its revelations, he has pieced together the tangled and dramatic threads of his family's past and present, making sense of the magnetic pull that has drawn him back to his mother's homeland. Stalin's Children is an indelible portrait of Russia over seven decades and an unforgettable memoir about how we struggle to define ourselves in opposition to our ancestry only to find ourselves aligning with it.

"I came to Russia to get away from my parents," writes Matthews. "Instead I found them there, though for a long time I didn't know it or refused to see it. This is a story about Russia and my family, about a place which made us and freed us and inspired us and very nearly broke us. And it's ultimately a story about escape, about how we all escaped from Russia, even though all of us—even my father, a Welshman, who has no Russian blood, even me, who grew up in England—still carry something of Russia inside ourselves, infecting our blood like a fever."]]> 320 Owen Matthews 0802717144 Robyn 0 to-read 3.92 2008 Stalin's Children: Three Generations of Love, War, and Survival
author: Owen Matthews
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average rating: 3.92
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]]> All Our Worldly Goods 2945226 204 Irène Némirovsky 070118213X Robyn 0 3.71 1947 All Our Worldly Goods
author: Irène Némirovsky
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1947
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]]> <![CDATA[Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States]]> 10541
Exploding much of America's self-created self-image, Bryson de-mythologises his native land - explaining how a dusty desert hamlet with neither woods nor holly became Hollywood, how the Wild West wasn't won, why Americans say "lootenant" and "Toosday", how Americans were eating junk food long before the word itself was cooked up - as well as exposing the true origins of the G-string, the original $64,000 question and Dr Kellogg of cornflakes fame.]]> 364 Bill Bryson Robyn 0 to-read 3.91 1994 Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States
author: Bill Bryson
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1994
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]]> <![CDATA[A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail]]> 9791 A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).]]> 397 Bill Bryson 0307279464 Robyn 0 to-read 4.07 1998 A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
author: Bill Bryson
name: Robyn
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1998
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]]> Notes from a Small Island 28 "Suddenly, in the space of a moment, I realized what it was that I loved about Britain-which is to say, all of it."

After nearly two decades spent on British soil, Bill Bryson - bestselling author of The Mother Tongue and Made in America-decided to return to the United States. ("I had recently read," Bryson writes, "that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, so it was clear that my people needed me.") But before departing, he set out on a grand farewell tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home.

Veering from the ludicrous to the endearing and back again, Notes from a Small Island is a delightfully irreverent jaunt around the unparalleled floating nation that has produced zebra crossings, Shakespeare, Twiggie Winkie's Farm, and places with names like Farleigh Wallop and Titsey. The result is an uproarious social commentary that conveys the true glory of Britain, from the satiric pen of an unapologetic Anglophile.]]> 324 Bill Bryson 0380727501 Robyn 0 to-read 3.93 1995 Notes from a Small Island
author: Bill Bryson
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1995
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]]> King Solomon's Carpet 459421 A Fatal Inversion for this updating of Conrad's novel of terrorist conspiracy, The Secret Agent.

Tom Murray is a promising musician reduced to illegal busking in Underground stations and a sad little love affair with his accompanist Alice, who left her husband and newborn baby, taking only her violin. Together with Jasper Darne, another dropout from his family who likes to ride on the tops of Underground carriages, and Jed Lowrie, a Safeguard volunteer who's left behind his own family to live for his hunting hawk Abelard, they live in a failed schoolhouse--whose bell tolled for the only time in memory when the headmaster hanged himself from its rope.

The school's owned by the old man's grandson, Jarv Stringer, who now passes the time by writing a book on the Underground and taking in waifs and strays while his aunt Cecilia Darne, Jasper's grandmother, quietly declines around the corner under the variously watchful eyes of her relatives and her longtime companion Daphne Bleech-Palmer. The apple of discord in this extended, dysfunctional family is sinister Axel Jonas, who rides the trains with a dancing bear, actually a man named Ivan, until Jasper one day leads him to Jarvis's, where he takes up residence, seduces Alice, and begins to gather details about the operation of the Underground in preparation for a cataclysmic bombing.]]> 355 Barbara Vine 0140156917 Robyn 0 3.75 1991 King Solomon's Carpet
author: Barbara Vine
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1991
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]]> Round Ireland with a Fridge 23316
An international bestseller, Round Ireland with a Fridge is a classic travel adventure in the tradition of Bill Bryson with a dash of Dave Barry.
]]> 248 Tony Hawks 0312274920 Robyn 0 3.81 1997 Round Ireland with a Fridge
author: Tony Hawks
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1997
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]]> Adam and Eve and Pinch Me 37536
Jock Lewis was supposed to have died in that terrible train crash at Paddington. Minty, his girlfriend, received a letter from Great Western telling her so. But, curiously, the police haven't been in touch. And Jock has borrowed all her savings . . .

Zillah also got a letter from the railway company, informing her that her husband, Jerry Leach, was dead. Something about the letter struck her as suspicious, but she chooses not to mention her doubts to the up-and-coming Conservative Member of Parliament who has just proposed a marriage of convenience . . .

Fiona, a successful banker, met Jeff Leigh before the Paddington crash in August. Although he never seemed to have a job, and borrowed money from her, she is utterly devoted to him—and can't understand why he suddenly has disappeared . . .

As this novel gets under way, it is not immediately apparent how the lives of these women might be connected, or how they may figure into a series of vicious stabbing deaths that have shocked and terrified the citizens of London. With consummate skill, Ruth Rendell pulls the colorful strands of this harrowing story ever tighter, increasing the tension page by page.]]> 368 Ruth Rendell 1400031184 Robyn 0 3.62 2001 Adam and Eve and Pinch Me
author: Ruth Rendell
name: Robyn
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2001
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]]>