Bobblybear's Book List - 2013

[chaliepud]

Thanks for the review, I think it's definitely one I'd like to read at some point as I do find The Thames fascinating, as I spent a fair amount of time on and near it as a child with my grandparents, it will be interesting to see if the bits I know are mentioned in there..

[bobblybear]

I think you will probably really enjoy it then if you recognise the places mentioned. But even if you don't, it's still a decent read.

[frankie]

I have that on my laptop Kindle, pretty sure I got it for free last year. I started reading it but never finished it (through no fault of the book's). I wonder would the file load on my Kobo...

 

Well you have to go and try I hope it works!

 

PopCo - Scarlett Thomas

 

(Writing this has made me quite irritable, can you tell?! )

 

No, I couldn't tell at all

 

I'm sorry you disliked it so much, and I'm sorry that you were probably pulling your hair a lot by the end of it (maybe Thomas owes you a wig?), but I couldn't help but giggle at your ranty review. I hope writing about it has made you feel better (not about the book, but of the fact that you got it out of your system)

 

Finished my second book of the year: Three Men In A Boat.

 

Both of them, and the one I'm currently reading are from pre-2012 purchases, so I'm pleased to start reducing that list down finally.

 

Wohoo, good job making a dent on them pre-2012 purchases, keep it up!

[bobblybear]

I'm sorry you disliked it so much, and I'm sorry that you were probably pulling your hair a lot by the end of it (maybe Thomas owes you a wig?), but I couldn't help but giggle at your ranty review. I hope writing about it has made you feel better (not about the book, but of the fact that you got it out of your system)

 

It did make me feel better to have a rant, except I got more and more wound up as I was writing it. I can't remember the last time a book got on my nerves like that.

 

 

Wohoo, good job making a dent on them pre-2012 purchases, keep it up!

 

Thanks. I doubt I'll get through all of them this year, but I'm hoping to get through a fair few. The trouble is, some of them don't really appeal to me at the moment. I guess I'll just wait till I feel like reading those, rather than forcing myself just for the sake of reducing my TBR pile.

[Janet]

This was a Kindle freebie, and there were some formatting errors throughout. It was clearly based on an illustrated version, but though the illustrations were missing the description of them remained. So the beginning of some paragraphs have a little description, before starting the text, such as: “Man reading book I remember going to the British Museum one day….” It threw me to begin with, but after a while it stopped bothering me, though I think the illustrations would be quite nice.

I'm currently reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall on Kindle and I had the same experience as you. I wondered why it suddenly said random things that seemed unconnected to the story - it took me a while to realise it was to do with the missing illustrations!

[bobblybear]

It was very confusing for a while. Still, I can't complain too much as the book was free. It did make me wonder what the illustrations looked like, based on the descriptions. They were probably quite decent actually!

[bobblybear]

Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets - David Simon

 

David Simon was a Baltimore Sun reporter back in the 1980’s, and in 1988 he spent a full year (1st January - 31st December) with the Baltimore Homicide Unit as a ‘police intern' and documented his experiences.

 

It's a mammoth book, and I did have to put it down and read some lighter books in between, as it's heavy going and there not much joy and happiness to be found!

 

It starts with a 'typical Baltimore murder' as an introduction to the area, the detectives and the public they have to deal with. It was a bit slow in the beginning and I was slightly worried it wouldn't hold my interest as it’s nearly 700 pages long. I needn't have worried though! After this introduction, the book focuses on a few specific cases, which run the length of the book, but as the book follows a calendar year it is interspersed with many other cases they come across, while still dipping into the main cases every couple of months or so, to check their progress.

 

It covers all aspects of working in homicide, such as police procedures, forensics, how to check a crime scene, interrogation techniques, autopsies and the judicial process (with a bit of a dig at jurors). It shows the gallows humour, the pecking order, the bickering between the detectives, and the dedication (and sometimes not) they show towards solving the cases.

 

It’s very thorough and detailed, and in a way it’s almost like a textbook (with a bit more personality) because Simon doesn’t involve himself in the scene. He tells it from a very impartial point of view, and you don’t ever see his opinion or involvement, which I think I preferred.

 

It’s a bit dated, but this doesn’t detract from it at all, and the only time I really noticed is when he mentions that there was only one female among 36 detective and sergeants.

 

If you are into true crime books, then definitely read this one. I've always been more interested in the psychological and profiling side of it, so I didn't think it would appeal as much, but I was wrong. It covers everything you could ever want to know about the inner-workings of a homicide unit - fascinating readng indeed!

 

5/6

[Brian.]

I'm glad it turned out to be a good read despite being a bit hard going in places as I'm fairly sure I have a copy of this.

[bobblybear]

I hope you get a chance to read it, Brian. It's well worth it. It's long and sometimes a bit of a slog, but it's never boring, and I can't think of anything that they could/should have omitted. It's very interesting to look on Street View at some of the places they talk about, and where the crimes took place (even though it's years later!). It's a very bleak area and makes me admire the detectives even more for being able to do what they do without sinking into some serious depression.

[bobblybear]

The Drowning Pool - Syd Moore

 

Sarah Grey is a recently widowed thirty-something, with a young son Alfie. After the death of her husband she moves to Leigh-on-Sea in Essex to get away from it all and start over.

 

While there, she and her friends inadvertently hold a séance and she starts having visions of a young woman, obviously in distress and demanding help. Pine cones and cockle shells appear for no reason in her house, mysterious phone calls are made, and her son keeps referring to ‘the burning girl’.

 

The Drowning Pool refers to a place in Leigh-on-Sea which was used to test if women were witches. They would bind these unfortunate women from thumb to toe, and if the woman sank and drowned she was innocent but if she floated she was a witch and was hanged at the gallows. Bit of a rough deal, really!!

 

It started off brilliantly, and I was quite spooked by various happenings in the book. Unfortunately, I felt it somewhat deteriorated into a cross between a cheap romance novel and a second rate investigative thriller. The characters were dull and left undeveloped, with a few obvious red-herrings thrown in there as to what their motives would be.

 

Apparently it’s based (loosely) on an actual local legend of the sea-witch Sarah Moore, from the same town.

 

This is a debut novel, and I probably won’t read any more by this author. From Amazon reviews though, there seem to be more people who like it rather than dislike it.

 

2/6

[Alexi]

Thanks for the review of Homicide bobblybear My bf is really keen to give me this but I wasn't sure, but now I'm quite excited to receive it!

[bobblybear]

I hope you enjoy it Alexi. It's a very riveting read, and quite heavy-going because of the subject matter. It has to be one of the most comprehensive true-crime books I've read.

[Devi]

I've added Homicide on to my wish list!

 

I can recommend two books that you might be interested in checking out bobblybear

 

Tyrants: History's 100 Most Evil Despots & Dictators - Nigel Cawthorne

 

from goodreads:

Tyrants: History's 100 Most Evil Despots & Dictators is a study in depravity. It delves into the darkest recesses of the minds of the most vile men and women ever to seize power. With provocative insights into their shameful deeds, committed under a threadbare cloak of spurious legality, Tyrants confronts history's monsters head on. From the gruesome tale of the real-life Dracula, Vlad Tepes, a man who ate his meals surrounded by his impaled victims, to the gory deeds of latter-day cannibal, Idi Amin, Tyrants is a compelling portrait that recounts the strange and grisly stories behind the world's most infamous autocrats.

Nigel Cawthorne has written, contributed to and edited more than sixty books, including Turning the Tide: Decisive Battles of the Second World War; Vietnam: A War Lost and Won; and A History of Pirates: Blood and Thunder on the High Seas. His work has also appeared in over a hundred and fifty newspapers and magazines including The Sun and theFinancial Times. He lives in London.(less)

 

100 Most Infamous Criminals - Jo Durden Smith

 

from goodreads

From the Publisher 100 Most Infamous Criminals is an astounding compendium of crimes and their perpetrators. The range of crimes is extraordinary, from the bizarre to the horrific, and from the heartbreaking to the ridiculous. The book includes some of history's most infamous criminals and tells in vivid detail the story of the lives they led, the crimes they committed and the destruction and sorrow they left in their wake. From the unsolved horror of Jack the Ripper to the king of the gangsters Al Capone, Ted Bundy to Harold Shipman, each entry is illustrated with fascinating photographs and artwork, and detailed accounts of each terrible crime. 100 Most Infamous Criminals is a gripping and compelling portrait of the darker side of life, and reveals the strange and grisly stories behind the world's most infamous murderers, swindlers and crooks.

 

 

I always dip into both books, often re-reading some of the stories.

Edited January 28, 2013 by Devi

[bobblybear]

Thanks Devi. I have added them to my wishlist as they sound like my kind of books.

[bobblybear]

I'm trying to clear my pre-2012 book purchases, and a few of them were classics so I'm going to tackle one of them next.

 

I'm a bit nervous about it as I haven't found them the easiest to read in the past. I didn't enjoy Pride and Prejudice, even though everyone raves about it.

 

Soooo....from the following list, which would be the most recommended to start with?

 

David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Kidnapped - Robert Louis Stevenson

 

I've looked on the Classics forum, and can't decide as there are opinions going both ways.

 

Any help, pretty please?

[Karsa Orlong]

I didn't enjoy Pride and Prejudice, even though everyone raves about it.

 

Glad I'm not the only one

 

 

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 

Haven't read all of those on your list, but I absolutely loved these two. Treasure Island is great fun, and it doesn't overstay its welcome, either

[Kylie]

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 

I have read and loved all of these. If you're a bit nervous about reading classics, I would probably go with Treasure Island or The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes first. The first is a rollicking good read and the second comprises short stories.

[bobblybear]

Thanks Steve and Kylie! Looks like it's Treasure Island for me then!! After that, then I'll probably make The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes my next classic though it sounds like I can probably read it in between other books.

[Janet]

I read Gulliver's Travels last year (before Mistress Masham's Repose, which was my RC book last Feb). Basically it's in four parts - the first two were really good, but I felt it went downhill rather a lot in parts 3 and 4 and overall it was rather dry so I definitely wouldn't recommend it as a 'first read' from that list.

 

It did have quite a lot of 'toilet humour' in it, which amused me because it was first published in 1726 - I bet it raised a few eyebrows!

[bobblybear]

Thanks Janet, I shall leave Gulliver's Travels for later I think. Toilet humour does make me laugh though, so it might be my kind of book.

[bobblybear]

Six Seconds - Rick Mofina

The lives of three characters intertwine – a woman’s son goes missing, presumably taken by her husband who had been acting strange since returning from Iraq. A Canadian Mountie is involved in a canoe rescue/recovery and follows his hunch that all is not as it seems. A young woman, who’s husband and son were murdered in front of her vows to seek revenge. All three plots hinge around the upcoming papal visit. It all sounds rather predictable, and it is.

 

It’s a (semi) political thriller and there are no real surprises, but it’s still a page turner as you really want to find out what happens next. It needs to be taken with a grain of salt as some parts are a bit implausible, but it’s a quick easy read that you can forget about as soon as you put the book down. Not necessarily a bad thing, as I know I need to read books like that to keep my mojo refreshed.

 

The chapters switch between the three characters, and I have to admit that through some sections I tuned out, but I could still follow where the story went, so it's not the kind of book that you need to dedicate all your attention to.

 

The writing is a bit basic, especially at the beginning. I had to re-read some sections as they were written in a way that conveyed no emotion whatsoever. I found it a tad odd. However it does have some suspenseful parts and did have me on tenterhooks at the end.

 

3/6

[bobblybear]

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

 

I don’t get on well with the Classics, and while I read this one through to the end, I still think I would have preferred a more contemporary tale, though I can’t altogether put my finger on why.

 

Written in 1883, Treasure Island follows a group of buccaneers and ‘privileged gentlemen’ on their journey to Treasure Island and their subsequent search for treasure. The story is mainly narrated by young Jim Hawkins, aside from a few chapters in the middle which are narrated by Doctor Livesey, one of the others on the ship.

 

I enjoyed the beginning (and finally thought I’d met a classic I could get on with), up until they landed on Treasure Island, but then for me it just seemed to drag on a bit. I didn’t find Jim’s adventures particularly exciting or suspenseful; I just kind of wished he would get on with it. Certain sections seemed to take forever (such as when Jim is trying to board the schooner), and Long John Silver just waffled on a bit too much for my liking. The language used was a bit of a barrier for me as well, as it was of course written of the times and just requires that extra bit of effort. This, coupled with the story, made it something that I found a bit of a struggle towards the end.

 

I don’t even know why I want to enjoy the classics, but I feel like I’m missing out on a big literary section if I don’t.

 

2/6

[bree]

bobblybear,

 

I think I know what you mean. Until last year, the only classics I'd read were those we'd studied at school - or abridged versions (Treasure Island was one).

I have mostly been intimated by them.

Last year I started on A Tale of Two Cities - understood almost next to nothing for a good dozen pages and was ready to give up.

I remember frankie encouraging me to carry on - and I did - and it's one of the best books I've read.

It broke my fear of classics - and it's simpler now to pick up one and try it.

 

I think being in the right frame of mind for a classic (I don't really know what that is, though!) will help you get into them and enjoy them.

So don't push yourself to read them when you're not liking them too much.

 

Also, when you do want to read them, maybe reading an abridged version first (so that you know the story more or less) and then tackling the actual book may help.

Or you could start with YA classics which are more entertaining and easier to get into.

 

Either way, don't worry about it too much! It'll fall in place when it has to.

 

Meanwhile there are so many other books to enjoy, correct?

[Karsa Orlong]

Aw, sorry to hear you didn't enjoy it   

 

 

 

I don’t even know why I want to enjoy the classics, but I feel like I’m missing out on a big literary section if I don’t.

 

I don't think anyone should feel they have to enjoy something just because others do

 

Thanks to my studies I had to read The Mill on the Floss and Pride and Prejudice.  Never again!  

 

 

ETA:  Gods, I hate this new quoting system . . . 

Edited February 3, 2013 by Karsa Orlong

[bobblybear]

Karsa, I don't get the new quoting system either, especially when it comes to quoting multiple posts. I've given up trying to quote sections, because either my response appears as a quoted text, or I end up deleting the part I'm quoting!

 

Bree:  Yeah, I think that part of the problem is that I forced myself to read it simply because I'm trying to whittle down my pre-2012 purchases. I didn't wait until I really felt like reading it. I'm still not going to give up, as there are some I really would like to read, such as A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield. Maybe I start off with a slightly negative attitude towards them because of the intimidation factor, which doesn't help.

 

Karsa: True, that I shouldn't feel like I need to like it, but I keep feeling that there must be something I'm missing, like maybe with the right classic a lightbulb will go off in my head and I'll start appreciating them. That sounds really silly, actually. I mean, I don't like bodice-ripping romances, nor do I feel I should like them. It's all very complex, and I really should stop making these rules for myself and just read what I enjoy.