50 books and 2012's challenge - 55!
Well, I said I would keep track of whether I managed to read any more books by the end of the year, and I did - three! That brings my total to 53 for 2011, so I decided to aim for 55 next year, just to keep things interesting. Below the cut are reviews of the final 2011 books:
'Dandy in the Underworld' by Sebastian Horsley
'The Sign of Four' by Arthur Conan Doyle
'Snuff' by Terry Pratchett
'Dandy in the Underworld' by Sebastian Horsley
I didn't like this book. I found the narrator/author (Sebastian Horsley) a thoroughly unlikeable character. At the end of the book he says (I'm paraphrasing) - 'there comes a time in everybody's life when they realise they love me. Your time has come.' Well, it didn't for me. Apart from this, the graphic drug and sex descriptions were a bit much for me, though I don't consider myself particularly prudish. I just don't want to read about someone excavating a dried turd from their ass with a spoon (I had to put the book down and do something else for a while after reading that).
On the other hand, Horsley does manage to create images that its difficult to get out of your head (see above!). You could argue this is a sign of a good writer, and that tackling difficult subjects is all part of pushing boundaries, yada yada. It was also not badly written - there were a couple of sections where it seemed Horsley was trying to hard to get in a certain phrase of turn of speech so he could make a joke, but on the whole it flowed well. My main issue was the subject matter. It took me several months to get through this book (I had a long break halfway through, but I try and finish all books I start), but for some people this will probably be right up their alley. It's definitely gritty and 'real'. I debated one or two out of five, but in the end: 2/5
'The Sign of Four' by Arthur Conan Doyle
The second of Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' series (and the first I've read), this is a short little book that seems to be a typical Holmes mystery. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't blown away. I'll definately read other books by Doyle, mainly as I have one sitting on my shelf already, but I'm not sure I'd avidly seek him out. Having said that, the characters of Holmes and Watson are iconic; I enjoyed the Robert Downey Jr. films and the current BBC adaptation (definately check that out!) and it's interesting to go back to the original source material, if only to then play 'spot the reference' later on! 3/5
'Snuff' by Terry Pratchett
No surprises with me saying I liked this book. I never normally buy hardbacks, but I got this as a Christmas present (and then shocked by mum by announcing I'd finished it three days later. She really should know me by now!)
A Discworld novel focusing on Sam Vimes of the City Watch, I think this is the last Pratchett book. I may have shed a tear. Anyway, to the book itself - Vimes is forced on a holiday by Lady Sybil, so he finds himself in the countryside, where he discovers his first dead body within the day. As fun, knowing and rollicking as ever, this book adds an extra dimension by removing Vimes from his beloved city - we get a lot of 'fish out of water' scenarios, such as the horse riding scene - and introducing a new race of characters; goblins. This is Pratchett back on form after the slightly less enjoyable (in my opinion) 'Unseen Academicals'. 5/5
It being the 8th of January already, I have also read two books towards this year's total. The next in my pile is 'Lord of The Rings', though, so it may be a while before another update!:
'Stacey and the Haunted Masquerade' by Ann M Martin
'White Oleander' by Janet Fitch
'Stacey and the Haunted Masquerade' by Ann M Martin
Yes, I am aware this is a children's book. I was feeling rather delicate after New Year's though, so I rooted this out from it's storage under my bed and read happily! This is part of the series 'The Babysitters Club', a mammoth of a collection spanning well over a hundred stories. This is one of a subset series within that - the Mysteries (no.22)! Stacey, a seventh grader at Stoneybrook Middle School is on the decorating commiting for the upcoming Masquerade Ball when things start to go wrong. Can Stacey solve the mystery before the dance is cancelled, or worse? Heh. Gotta love overly dramatic synopses.
Seriously though, I absolutely adored this series as a child, from about the age of 7 until maybe 11 or 12? If you're looking for a gift for a girl of that age, you can't go far wrong with one (or ten) of these. Having said that, they are showing their age - no one has a mobile phone, they happily rent videos and, of course, there are very few computers! Perhaps that would alienate a child today, who doesn't remember a time before such conveniences, I'm not sure. 3/5 (although 12 yrs ago it would have been 5!)
'White Oleander' by Janet Fitch
Astrid is devoted to her mother, Ingrid. But when Astrid is 11, Ingrid falls in love with a man who betrays her. Enraged, she kills him and is taken away to prison. The rest of the story follows Astrid through her various foster homes, and examines the complicated, tangled relationship between mother and daughter. Deeply engrossing, I found it difficult to put this down; I've been meaning to read it for years, and I'm so glad I finally did. The characters are so real, and you really feel as if you'ree growing up with Astrid - the book spans her life from around 9 or 10 to 18, I think, but never are you actually aware of the passage of time. Astrid matures and changes so subtly, its only when you stop and look back your realise how much is different.
There is no doubt in my mind that Janet Fitch is an incredible author. As well as her wonderful characters, her writing is just beautiful. Several times I would stop and re-read a paragraph or phrase, just for the beauty of it - not something that usually happens! I admit I tend to read more for plot than style, and I don't often notice how good or bad the writing is, as long as the plot is engaging. Here though, even I took note! 5/5
50 Books Total (2011): 53/50
55 Books Total (2012): 2/55