|
Post by scicaro on Feb 12, 2023 12:12:50 GMT -5
I bet mini2 (and you) will like it! The big bad guy at the end is a massive evil eldritch female centipede thing, what's not to like Sounds awesome.
|
|
|
Post by Q-pee on Feb 12, 2023 18:12:10 GMT -5
The Lost Café Schindler: One Family, Two Wars, and the Search for Truth Meriel Schindler
Really good family memoir covering her extraordinary family through the 20th centuries. Her family are Jewish, and live in Austria (although some come from Bohemia) and were thoroughly Tyrolean. I know the broad sweep of history but have never paid specific attention to Austria's history so it was an interesting read. Her family were not highly religious, but really hard working entrepreneurs - until we get to her father who had a rather incomplete education so while highly intelligent never quite got to be the success he deserved to be. I think he must have been mega charming in small doses, but an utter PITA to work with, it's the truth about him that kicks off the 'search for truth'.
I learnt some things, lots of sadness but also plenty of entertaining moments, and the very nice outcome that the writer is able to put the names of her family into the Jewish cemetery with the older graves. Plus there are recipes from the original cafe... including one for Apfelstrudel
|
|
|
Post by Liiisa on Feb 15, 2023 7:04:55 GMT -5
16) Emi Yagi, Diary of a Void
Protagonist is working at a boring job at a company where the culture is that people work lots of overtime, and being a young woman, she's also expected to clean up all the coffee cups and ashtrays from meetings despite that not really being her job. One day she rebels and says she can't deal with the smell of all that because she's pregnant (she isn't), and that sets off the plot: instead of saying it was a joke or something, she commits to the bit and continues pretending to be pregnant.
Highly amusing, with interesting depths
|
|
|
Post by scrubb on Feb 15, 2023 21:50:32 GMT -5
19) Elizabeth George - In the Presence of the Enemy.
One of the earlier Inspector Lynley mysteries. I enjoyed it.
|
|
|
Post by ozziegiraffe on Feb 16, 2023 5:06:34 GMT -5
9. The Stationmaster’s Cottage, Philippa Nefri Clark. A romance with a historical and present-day couple, set in a fictional town on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. I thought it might give me some context for a recent mystery book I read by the same author, which mentioned this town, but there seemed to be no connection. Incidentally, the historical part of the book was set when I was in my teens!
|
|
|
Post by ozziegiraffe on Feb 17, 2023 5:16:56 GMT -5
10. 16th Seduction, Women’s Murder Club, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. This is one James Patterson series I’ve been following for a while. Two very twisted villains in two parallel mysteries.
|
|
|
Post by scrubb on Feb 18, 2023 18:09:34 GMT -5
20. Elizabeth George - Deception on His Mind. Another of the earlier Inspector Lynley mysteries, with his sidekick Barbara Havers the main character in it. I'd read the following one earlier, and several others that allude to the events in this one, so it was good to finally get the full picture. I liked it.
|
|
|
Post by sophie on Feb 18, 2023 18:13:14 GMT -5
Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. A perfect whodunit for a holiday read: easy to read, funny and entertaining. Set in an Australian ski resort during a family reunion, it is a very clever novel /spoof of the worst family reunion ever.
|
|
|
Post by HalcyonDaze on Feb 19, 2023 1:57:22 GMT -5
I went to an author talk by Benjamin Stevenson last year - he also does stand up, so it was a fun night. He is writing another book, which was good news.
|
|
|
Post by ozziegiraffe on Feb 19, 2023 2:22:52 GMT -5
I hadn’t heard of Benjamin Stevenson. Now going to look him up on Goodreads.
|
|
|
Post by scrubb on Feb 20, 2023 1:31:00 GMT -5
I started "The Shadow of the Wind" today. It's on lists of great books, and plenty of people rave about it - but a couple of people whose taste I respect thought it was absolute shite. But, I don't always have the same taste as either of them. So, I'm reading it myself to see what I think.
|
|
|
Post by lillielangtry on Feb 20, 2023 5:19:03 GMT -5
It does polarise, that book, scrubb. I once suggested the sequel for my book club (many people had read the first one) and it was almost universally panned by the group.
Eduardo Mendoza, Sin noticias de Gurb (English title "No word from Gurb") The first book I've read in Spanish for a long time, this is an amusing little book in diary form by an extraterrestrial who has come to Earth - more precisely, to Barcelona - and is searching for his shape-shifting companion. The alien develops a passion for churros (who wouldn't?!) and undergoes various mishaps.
Monique Ilboudo, So Distant from my Life I believe this is the first novel by a woman from Burkina Faso to be translated into English. It's the story of a young man and his struggles to leave, and eventually return, to his country. It's moving and very good, I was impressed.
|
|
|
Post by sophie on Feb 20, 2023 21:03:05 GMT -5
The Winners by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith. I loved this book, but it didn’t start out that way. I found the beginning slow, ponderous and the author’s writing style challenging to enjoy. I almost gave up., and I ended up loving the characters, all of whom were residents of two neighbouring town in the forest who where at odds with each other, usually over hickey. The way the author made the towns come alive and real was magical. He got the rivalries, the distrust and the politics. Anyone who had lived in a small town with sport rivalries will understand the magic in this novel. Highly recommended.
|
|
|
Post by sprite on Feb 21, 2023 9:16:23 GMT -5
Case Studies. Graeme Burnet Smith. Another Booker read. I enjoyed this one a lot. It's part diary of a young women in 1960s London, part biography of a controversial therapist of that era.
|
|
|
Post by Liiisa on Feb 21, 2023 22:23:39 GMT -5
17) Shehan Karunatilaka, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Wow
A gay Sri Lankan photojournalist wakes up in the afterlife, and the story proceeds from there. His life is interwoven with the grim contemporary history of Sri Lanka itself. Some gruesomeness, so be forewarned.
Incredibly imaginative and effective - one of those books that you spend all day at the office wishing you were home reading it instead.
|
|
|
Post by scrubb on Feb 21, 2023 22:53:52 GMT -5
Case Studies. Graeme Burnet Smith. Another Booker read. I enjoyed this one a lot. It's part diary of a young women in 1960s London, part biography of a controversial therapist of that era. It's good to hear a positive review. I really liked his "His Bloody Project" but the next one I read (written prior to HBP) kind of sucked. It was a similar structure (case notes, transcripts, etc., rather than a straight narrative) but it wasn't as well done, and the story wasn't great. I wasn't sure if I'd bother with another of his.
|
|
|
Post by lillielangtry on Feb 22, 2023 1:47:55 GMT -5
17) Shehan Karunatilaka, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida Wow A gay Sri Lankan photojournalist wakes up in the afterlife, and the story proceeds from there. His life is interwoven with the grim contemporary history of Sri Lanka itself. Some gruesomeness, so be forewarned. Incredibly imaginative and effective - one of those books that you spend all day at the office wishing you were home reading it instead. I am really looking forward to that one. I think it's out in paperback in a few months so I'm waiting for then to put it forward for book club.
|
|
|
Post by Liiisa on Feb 22, 2023 6:18:41 GMT -5
It's in paperback here! I waited months for it on the queue at the library.
|
|
|
Post by sprite on Feb 22, 2023 9:55:25 GMT -5
Case Studies. Graeme Burnet Smith. Another Booker read. I enjoyed this one a lot. It's part diary of a young women in 1960s London, part biography of a controversial therapist of that era. It's good to hear a positive review. I really liked his "His Bloody Project" but the next one I read (written prior to HBP) kind of sucked. It was a similar structure (case notes, transcripts, etc., rather than a straight narrative) but it wasn't as well done, and the story wasn't great. I wasn't sure if I'd bother with another of his. I haven't read HBP, because it looks like 'Mr Whicher's Suspicions' which I found disappointing. Apparently I'm the only person on earth to feel that way, so the author can relax. But enough people have recommended HBP that I might finally get around to it. I skipped the 'preface' in Case Studies, which turned out to be part of the book. It's done well enough that I found myself wanting to look up the therapist's book, which of course, doesn't exist.
|
|
|
Post by Liiisa on Feb 22, 2023 11:07:48 GMT -5
Oh wait, I just remembered that I read “Case Studies” last November! I remember finding it interesting & absorbing.
|
|
|
Post by sophie on Feb 22, 2023 14:21:45 GMT -5
The School of Mirrors by Eva Stachniak. A good novel, well researched, about a lower class girl in France prior to the revolution who gets trained as a possible courtesan for the king of France. It shifts later to her daughter, during and after the revolution. Good holiday read.
|
|
|
Post by ozziegiraffe on Feb 23, 2023 3:38:43 GMT -5
11. Death in Daylesford, Kerry Greenwood. A very enjoyable Miss Fisher mystery, in which Phryne and Dot solve several mysteries while on holiday. Meanwhile, the rest of the family solve another at home.
|
|
|
Post by sophie on Feb 23, 2023 14:23:28 GMT -5
Forgot to write about the book I read on the flight down (and maybe forgetting about it indicates what I thought of it! The Distant Shores by Santa Montefiore. Romance, ghosts, family secrets, money…. What could go wrong? It’s chick lit, not great but when stuck in a plane, it’ll do.
|
|
|
Post by lillielangtry on Feb 23, 2023 16:06:14 GMT -5
Mariana Enriquez, Our Share of Night (translated by Megan McDowell)
I really wanted to read this, the first novel to be translated into English by the Argentinian author, but I was nervous as well because I don't read horror. As far as the horror was concerned, it was basically at the limits of what I want to read in terms of gruesome stuff and bad things happening to children. But it's also a carefully crafted literary novel with a very strong setting. I was totally captivated. Very briefly, it's the story of Gaspar and his father Juan, who are caught up in a very sinister cult led by two of Argentina's richest families.
|
|
|
Post by Webs on Feb 23, 2023 22:00:46 GMT -5
I finished "Before the Coffee Gets Cold". I think something was missing in the translation because I found some of the characters a bit pathetic. But the concept was beautiful. I don't regret it, and think it is very worth reading. Now I have to think seriously before reading the sequels.
I'm currently listening to "The Marriage Portrait" - by Maggie O'Farrell. I am enjoying the story even though I know it's a sad ending.
|
|
|
Post by Q-pee on Feb 24, 2023 6:06:20 GMT -5
1979 - Val McDermid
A solid mystery, with a touch of the autobiographical since Val McDermid did go to Oxford and then become a journalist.
It was a bit weird to read about people having to stay in a one place and wait for a call, but of course that's exactly how it was. There's a sound track at the back of the book, which I almost wish I'd found first - and played while reading.
I did guess what was going to happen before it happened, and then the crucial cliff hanger mystery wasn't much of a mystery.
This was the first book I'd read by her and I'd read more... If you like Ann Cleeves (Vera and Shetland) you'll probably like this.
|
|
|
Post by Liiisa on Feb 24, 2023 6:12:47 GMT -5
Agreed about "Before the Coffee Gets Cold," Webs (pathetic yet enjoyable)
And that book about 1979 sounds intriguing if only for the soundtrack.
|
|
|
Post by Q-pee on Feb 24, 2023 6:30:25 GMT -5
17) Shehan Karunatilaka, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida Wow A gay Sri Lankan photojournalist wakes up in the afterlife, and the story proceeds from there. His life is interwoven with the grim contemporary history of Sri Lanka itself. Some gruesomeness, so be forewarned. Incredibly imaginative and effective - one of those books that you spend all day at the office wishing you were home reading it instead. OK adding it to my list - I don't think I've read anything fiction about Sri Lanka
|
|
|
Post by Q-pee on Feb 24, 2023 6:44:21 GMT -5
Agreed about "Before the Coffee Gets Cold," Webs (pathetic yet enjoyable) I liked it, it has got a kind of distant feel to it and I'm not sure if it's the translation or the writing - or both! I liked that we only saw what happened in the cafe and had to deduce the lives of the people from that, it was enjoyable and light and sort of bijou And that book about 1979 sounds intriguing if only for the soundtrack. Picture This
| Blondie | Lovely Day
| Bill Withers
| Automatic Lover
| Des D Jackson
| Brass in Pocket
| The Pretenders
| It's a Heartache
| Bonnie Tyler
| Wild West Hero
| Electric Light Orchestra
| Because the Night
| Patti Smith
| Into the Valley
| The Skids
| YMCA | Village People
| Like Clockwork
| Boomtown Rats
| Stayin Alive
| Bee Gees
| Uptown Top Ranking
| Althea and Donna
| No More Heroes
| The Stranglers
| Take a Chance on Me
| ABBA | Werewolves of London
| Warren Zevon
| Psycho Killer
| Talking Heads
| Kiss you all over
| Exile | Top of the Pops
| Rezillos
| Heroes | David Bowie
| Don't Hang Up
| 10cc
| English Civil War
| The Clash
| 2-4-6-8 Motorway
| Tom Robinson Band
| Rebel Rebel
| David Bowie
| Glad to be Gay
| Tom Robinson Band
| Heaven can wait
| Meatloaf
| It's Different for Girls
| Joe Jackson
| The Man with a Child in His Eyes
| Kate Bush
| Go your own way
| Fleetwood Mac
| Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll
| Ian Drury
| David Watts
| The Jam
| Until the Night
| Billy Joel
| Rikky don't lose that number
| Steely Dan
| Watching the Detectives
| Elvis Costello
| (I am always touched by your) presence, dear
| Blondie | I will Survive
| Gloria Gaynor
| Goodbye Girl
| Squeeze | Make me smile
| Steve Harley
| Girls Talk
| Dave Edmunds
| I fought the Law
| The Clash
| Life in a Day
| Simple Minds
|
|
|
|
Post by Liiisa on Feb 24, 2023 6:47:36 GMT -5
It was just the second one I'd read (last year it was Akil Kumarasamy's "Half-gods"). Both well-written, with fairly chilling imagery from the whole situation with the Tamil Tigers and the government's repression in response.
I particularly loved this one because of the way Karunatilaka centered it on the afterlife - a kind of merged Hindu/Buddhist conception he came up with which felt just right for the political setting.
|
|