1. What was your favourite book of 2009? If this question seems too hard, feel free to list your three favourite books, or your five favourite, or ten
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I love Kurt Wallander! Henning Mankell's mystery novels are terrific - I especially like the one where his daughter gets involved with his investigation although I can't remember the name of it at the present....
He was my discovery this year, really love him! Linda is a really good character. I think her book is Before the Frost, which I loved.
Have you ever seen the Yellow Bird films with Krister Henriksson? They are EXCELLENT - really fabulous. Definitely worth hunting down, so long as you don't mind subtitles. Linda is wonderful in them, in fact they all are.
I definitely haven't seen them! Are they films or are they a TV series? I don't mind subtitles at all. I'm going deaf and we don't have a TV that allows for closed captioning so we buy/borrow TV series after the fact so that we can put subtitles on for my ease - it's either that or turn up the volume REALLY loud!!
1. Five favourite: November: A Play by David Mamet One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland Reaper Man and Nightwatch by Terry Pratchett The Human Factor by Graham Greene [Books by the same author only count as one in my view!] 2. Five least favourite: Light in August - Wm. Faulkner Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert The Haunted Bookshop - Christopher Morley Killashandra - Anne McCaffrey Mindhunter by John Douglas 3. Books that disappointed - I wasn't expecting Madame Bovary to be such a complete wash, nor Mme. Bovary herself to make me so murderous! And I was utterly scandalized by the anti-black sentiment in F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories in The Tale of Benjamin Button and other Jazz-Age Tales - I know some of it is to be expected given the time period but he goes way over the top. 4. Funniest book - The Complete McAuslan by George McDonald Fraser. 5. Scariest book - Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Not just the scariest this year, but the scariest ever. 6. Most difficult - Light in August
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1. What was your favourite book of 2009? The Giver by Lois Lowry Who Do I Talk To? by Neta Jackson The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer.
2. Same as above, but your least favourite. Deadly Angel by Fred Rosen.
3. Was there a book that disappointed you, or that didn't live up to your expectations? Several unfortunately. The biggest surprise was A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. I'd fully expected to love it.
4. Funniest book that you read in 2009? Not counting Hitch-hikers (which were rereads), probably The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers.
5. Scariest book that you read this year? None really, but the one that comes closest is Pet Semetary by Stephen King.
6. Most difficult book that you read and completed this year. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. It was a decent enough book, but I am almost convinced I missed out on something by not catching any of the symbolism I assume is in it (if not, it's just a really, really weird book!)
7. Any books on your list this year that you
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I really must read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society - I am hearing so many good things about it.
The difference between funniest book and humour book is that "funniest" is the book that made you laugh the most, and "humour" is a genre - like a book of comics, cartoons [think Garfield or The Far Side] or a humourist like Dave Barry.
Would you please tell me how The Giver is sci-fi? I still haven't figured out how books fit into sci-fi/fantasy and an explanation would be helpful. Thanks!
Ah, I get it. Thanks. In that case I'm not sure I've read any... I don't keep track of comics I've read in any given year.
I must admit, I'm not 100% certain The Giver is sci-fi myself. I'm just under the impression that anything concerning an alternative universe/future would be considered sci-fi, so that's why I labelled it as such. I may be horribly mistaken ;-)
1. What was your favourite book of 2009? If this question seems too hard, feel free to list your three favourite books, or your five favourite, or ten.... This question is hard. But I’m going to go ahead and say The Count of Monte Cristo despite the fact that it was a re-read.
2. Same as above, but your least favourite. I keep giving different answers to this question. Right now I’m going to say Weaveworld by Clive Barker.
3. Was there a book that disappointed you, or that didn't live up to your expectations? World War Z most definitely did not meet my expectations. I was really let down.
4. Funniest book that you read in 2009? [You can expand any of these questions to include more than one.] Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Though Naked by David Sedaris was quite funny as well.
5. Scariest book that you read this year? There were no books that I can truthfully say scared me so I’m going to translate this question as “best horror novel of the year”. And that would be American Psycho.
I'm scared to read Wasted. The idea of the book frightens me. Tell me that it all works out okay and I might try it!
Good Omens was amazing. I can't believe I left it out of my answers! My husband read it to me years ago after I had surgery, but I actually read it myself this year and loved it.
1. What was your favourite book of 2009? If this question seems too hard, feel free to list your three favourite books, or your five favourite, or ten....
Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett. Some folk have said they found it disappointing. I didn't :-)
Runners up would be
Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold Grim Tuesday by Garth Nix And the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher
2. Same as above, but your least favourite.
Bulldog Drummond - The Black Gang by "Sapper"
I don't expect to find modern attitudes in books from earlier eras, but the anti-semitism in this one was appalling, even for the 1920s
3. Was there a book that disappointed you, or that didn't live up to your expectations?
Over Hill and Dale by Gervase Phinn
Seems to think he's the James Herroit of school,inspectors. He isn't.
4. Funniest book that you read in 2009? [You can expand any of these questions to include more than one.]
Obviously I'm going to have to read Unseen Academicals! It's not out in paperback here, and John only buys the paperback editions - they're all neatly together in his study, all the same size. And then I'll have to wait until he reads it. Darn!
You're really tempting me with these Harry Dresden books. I admit that I haven't been paying much attention to book reviews - are they mysteries?
Obviously I'm going to have to read Unseen Academicals!
It may not be as much fun until you've read a lot of the other Discworld stuff first - while you can read it perfectly well on its own, there are lots of little bits that add to the experience if you're familiar with the other books.
You're really tempting me with these Harry Dresden books. I admit that I haven't been paying much attention to book reviews - are they mysteries?
Well, sort of :-) The main character is a sort of hard-boiled detective type - except he's a wizard. There are vampires and werewolves and fairies and gangsters and policemen and deadly danger and wisecracks by the cartload. If that's your cup of tea, you'll love them, if not - you might not :-)
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Have you ever seen the Yellow Bird films with Krister Henriksson? They are EXCELLENT - really fabulous. Definitely worth hunting down, so long as you don't mind subtitles. Linda is wonderful in them, in fact they all are.
Reply
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November: A Play by David Mamet
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland
Reaper Man and Nightwatch by Terry Pratchett
The Human Factor by Graham Greene
[Books by the same author only count as one in my view!]
2. Five least favourite:
Light in August - Wm. Faulkner
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
The Haunted Bookshop - Christopher Morley
Killashandra - Anne McCaffrey
Mindhunter by John Douglas
3. Books that disappointed - I wasn't expecting Madame Bovary to be such a complete wash, nor Mme. Bovary herself to make me so murderous! And I was utterly scandalized by the anti-black sentiment in F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories in The Tale of Benjamin Button and other Jazz-Age Tales - I know some of it is to be expected given the time period but he goes way over the top.
4. Funniest book - The Complete McAuslan by George McDonald Fraser.
5. Scariest book - Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Not just the scariest this year, but the scariest ever.
6. Most difficult - Light in August ( ... )
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The Giver by Lois Lowry
Who Do I Talk To? by Neta Jackson
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer.
2. Same as above, but your least favourite.
Deadly Angel by Fred Rosen.
3. Was there a book that disappointed you, or that didn't live up to your expectations?
Several unfortunately. The biggest surprise was A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. I'd fully expected to love it.
4. Funniest book that you read in 2009?
Not counting Hitch-hikers (which were rereads), probably The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers.
5. Scariest book that you read this year?
None really, but the one that comes closest is Pet Semetary by Stephen King.
6. Most difficult book that you read and completed this year.
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. It was a decent enough book, but I am almost convinced I missed out on something by not catching any of the symbolism I assume is in it (if not, it's just a really, really weird book!)
7. Any books on your list this year that you ( ... )
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The difference between funniest book and humour book is that "funniest" is the book that made you laugh the most, and "humour" is a genre - like a book of comics, cartoons [think Garfield or The Far Side] or a humourist like Dave Barry.
Would you please tell me how The Giver is sci-fi? I still haven't figured out how books fit into sci-fi/fantasy and an explanation would be helpful. Thanks!
Reply
Ah, I get it. Thanks. In that case I'm not sure I've read any... I don't keep track of comics I've read in any given year.
I must admit, I'm not 100% certain The Giver is sci-fi myself. I'm just under the impression that anything concerning an alternative universe/future would be considered sci-fi, so that's why I labelled it as such. I may be horribly mistaken ;-)
Reply
This question is hard. But I’m going to go ahead and say The Count of Monte Cristo despite the fact that it was a re-read.
2. Same as above, but your least favourite.
I keep giving different answers to this question. Right now I’m going to say Weaveworld by Clive Barker.
3. Was there a book that disappointed you, or that didn't live up to your expectations?
World War Z most definitely did not meet my expectations. I was really let down.
4. Funniest book that you read in 2009? [You can expand any of these questions to include more than one.]
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Though Naked by David Sedaris was quite funny as well.
5. Scariest book that you read this year?
There were no books that I can truthfully say scared me so I’m going to translate this question as “best horror novel of the year”. And that would be American Psycho.
6. Most difficult book ( ... )
Reply
Good Omens was amazing. I can't believe I left it out of my answers! My husband read it to me years ago after I had surgery, but I actually read it myself this year and loved it.
Reply
Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett. Some folk have said they found it disappointing. I didn't :-)
Runners up would be
Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
Grim Tuesday by Garth Nix
And the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher
2. Same as above, but your least favourite.
Bulldog Drummond - The Black Gang by "Sapper"
I don't expect to find modern attitudes in books from earlier eras, but the anti-semitism in this one was appalling, even for the 1920s
3. Was there a book that disappointed you, or that didn't live up to your expectations?
Over Hill and Dale by Gervase Phinn
Seems to think he's the James Herroit of school,inspectors. He isn't.
4. Funniest book that you read in 2009? [You can expand any of these questions to include more than one.]
Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett. Again :-)
5. Scariest book that you read this year?
Dead ( ... )
Reply
You're really tempting me with these Harry Dresden books. I admit that I haven't been paying much attention to book reviews - are they mysteries?
Reply
It may not be as much fun until you've read a lot of the other Discworld stuff first - while you can read it perfectly well on its own, there are lots of little bits that add to the experience if you're familiar with the other books.
You're really tempting me with these Harry Dresden books. I admit that I haven't been paying much attention to book reviews - are they mysteries?
Well, sort of :-) The main character is a sort of hard-boiled detective type - except he's a wizard. There are vampires and werewolves and fairies and gangsters and policemen and deadly danger and wisecracks by the cartload. If that's your cup of tea, you'll love them, if not - you might not :-)
P.s. Thank you for the card :-)
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