Review: The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of A Window And Disappeared

Der Hundertjährige, der aus dem Fenster stieg und verschwand by Jonas Jonasson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Firstly, I'd like to say that I read the English translation of this - for some reason that didn't appear on Goodreads! The book itself (The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of A Window And Disappeared) is highly amusing.

The main character Allan is instantly likeable and this doesn't change as the story progresses. The way the book is structured - mixing his history with current events - provides interesting interludes.

While the story may come across as a little far-fetched initially, I quickly got caught up in it and loved the way that Allan gradually met more people and added them to his little band of followers.

This is a fun and entertaining book, none of the content is too heavy and it made me laugh out loud.



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Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The fact that it's taken me just 3 days to read this book probably says something and I'll start by saying that it's fantastic (if that wasn't apparent from my 5 star rating).

This is the third John le Carre novel I've read and have enjoyed them all thoroughly, although this one certainly stands out as the best I've read so far (the other two being A Small Town in Germany and The Spy Who Came In From the Cold).

I love his writing style, the slow build up as the story slowly winds to its conclusion. For me, this is the best kind of thriller - it's not about rip-roaring action, it's about the investigation and the end result.

George Smiley (who appears in numerous le Carre books) is the main character and it's his memories and investigations that you follow as he tries to root out a mole deep in the Circus. I won't say more than that, as it's much better to pick this up and see how le Carre works his magic for yourself.

I was already familiar with the story, having watched the BBC TV Series of it (which I'd highly recommend) about a year ago, but that didn't make the book any less enjoyable. I have yet to see the recent film, but am not sure how the story will work on the big screen. I'm reserving judgement though.

The small drip, drip of information is expertly fed to the reader and you feel as though you're working the case alongside Smiley. I can't stress enough how much I enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading more of le Carre's work.

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Goodreads...

I mentioned in my last post that I'd started using Goodreads - an amazing online community of book lovers where you can read other people's reviews and see what any of your friends who are also on there are reading.

It's a really lovely idea and one that I've fully embraced, which is why I've been so lazy with posting on here. Now that it's become incredibly easy for me to transfer reviews that I write on Goodreads on to my blog, I'll be posting everything up as I go in both places.

I'll spare you the backlog of reviews from my summer, as I read quite a bit - the Count of Monte Cristo was a definite highlight though, so I've decided to share my thoughts on this classic with you - and if you've yet to read it, I honestly can't recommend it enough!

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lots of people had said to me that The Count of Monte Cristo is a book you should read before you die - but then that's said about plenty of books. Having picked this up, I cannot recommend it enough. It's the most fantastic story of revenge and setting the world to rights.

I became so emotionally invested in the Count that by the end of the book I was just desperate to find out how he would succeed in his ultimate goal, while also showing mercy and compassion to those who deserved it. Dumas achieves the conclusion in an eloquent and skilful manner, leaving you wanting the story to continue, as there can be no doubt that the Count would have more adventures.

Although it's long, it's worth the effort and as you become more deeply immersed in the story, you'll find you fly through the pages (I did anyway).

Truly wonderful. A masterpiece in every sense of the word.

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If you're not on Goodreads already and you love reading, sign up and start following your friends - or make new ones!

So, I've been super inactive on my blog, largely because I was introduced to Goodreads, which basically seems to do what I was envisaging, but on a much wider scale. I'm going to try and post my latest review from that site on to here and see what happens!

Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book having rescued it from my Dad's charity shop pile. Before I started it, I had little idea of what it was about (other than the end of the world).

That's not strictly true though, the world is pretty much fine, civilisation, however is not.

What struck me about this is how realistic the reactions of all the characters and people in general were. The authors really managed to capture human behaviour and I think they're probably not far wrong in the way most people would react to the possibility that a comet could hit the planet.

There is a lot of variety to the characters you're introduced to and in the aftermath of the Hammerfall, there are some quite shocking scenes.

I also liked that fact that, right to the end, I was kept guessing about what the outcome would be. I never felt certain of knowing anything and there were times where I verged on being scared, particularly in the lead up to the meteor strike.

So, all in all a good read - although I had to resist the urge to repeatedly sing Hammer to Fall by Queen every time I picked up the book.

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The dangers of the Kindle Daily Deal

Have any other Kindle readers found themselves buying books from Amazon that are offered as the Daily Deal for no other reason than that they are usually under £2?

Since getting my Kindle at Christmas, I've largely stocked it with free e-books and thanks to a few Amazon vouchers for my birthday, I also picked up some newer titles for my electronic collection. The problem is, I've also downloaded some books that I probably wouldn't have looked twice at had they not been selected for Amazon's Daily Deal.

It seems rude not to buy a whole book when it's only 99p doesn't it? I don't really begrudge paying for books anyway, especially if they're ones I want to read, but they aren't always cheap, and when they've got such massive reductions, it seem silly to pass up the opportunity to maybe discover a new gem or a great author.

I quite often pop into charity shops and pick up slightly battered copies of things I've been meaning to read for ages or even just stuff that catches my eye, but as it requires effort on my part to leave the house, walk/drive into town and actually go to the shop, it's not something I do that often and therefore I don't feel guilty when I spend a few quid buying books.

For me, that's where the dangers of Amazon's cheap Kindle books lies - in the fact that it requires very little effort on my part to buy books (and I find it hard to resist them). All I have to do is see what deal is on, click buy and it magically appears on my Kindle within minutes. In all honesty, I've stopped looking because I know I could quite easily spend £5 a week buying Kindle books at their discounted prices. That doesn't sound like loads, but that would be £20 a month and if you're not earning a lot, it kind of adds up.

Not to mention the fact that I have so many books to read already it's not as if I need any more! I have a lot of books on my Kindle, as well as a stack of about 30 books sitting by my bed just waiting for me to get round to them!

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's possible to pick up books at reduced prices and I think it's important to do everything possible to encourage more people to read. Personally, I've just found the Daily Deal is a bit too appealing - and it's an incredibly clever marketing tool from Amazon that draws you back to the site very regularly indeed.

Book review: The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

So, I decided to stick to the historical theme for my next read and ended up plumping for an Oscar Wilde book. I've never read anything of his before but thought it was about time I continued my literary education. I had a vague notion of the storyline of The Picture of Dorian Gray before I started it, but still wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

The concept, for anyone not familiar with it, is that Dorian Gray has a portrait of himself painted when he is in his early 20s and he wishes the picture would age rather than him. Much to his surprise, this happens, paving the way for him to lead a destructive life without having to deal with the consequences on his appearance. That does not, however, prevent his soul being corrupted and it's interesting to see the ways in which his cruel nature are expressed.

Ultimately, I very much enjoyed the book and found the transformation of Dorian incredibly compelling. From a naive, vain youngster he evolves into a selfish, cruel man whose only purpose in life is to experience the pleasures of the world, regardless of the personal cost - or the damage it may do to others. I went from feeling slightly sorry for Dorian at the start to actively wishing his demise would come, which, of course, it does.

The other thing I liked about the novel is that Wilde doesn't feel compelled to detail many of Dorian's misdeeds, instead, he hints at his secret life away from high society by suggesting rumours and dropping small hints of information here and there and through lengthy philosophical conversations between Dorian and his close friend, Lord Henry.

It's not a particularly fast read, but it's one I would recommend if you have the patience and desire to go back to some of the classics.

Book review: The Somnambulist

The Somnambulist by Essie Fox

I'm going to come straight out and say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was one of those random buys (for me swayed by the name and the book cover - kind of a moot point as I bought it for my Kindle but, in all honesty, I'll probably pick up a hard copy at some point) that turned out to be fantastic.

I love it when that happens - when you totally judge a book by its cover and somehow it turns out to be wonderful. Admittedly, there have been times when I've thoroughly regretted spending money on something because of its cover, but swings and roundabouts.

Anyway, back to the Somnambulist - a story of love, loss, and I suppose life in Victorian England. The main character - Phoebe - is instantly likeable and I found her to be very human. You see her learn from her mistakes and become a better person for it. The situation she's thrown into isn't of her own making, which just makes you root for her all the more as you want to see her overcome the obstacles that have been put in her path.

There are (of course) a few twists and turns along the way and, I have to say, one of the things I loved most about this book was, that at a certain point, I honestly could not tell whether I'd get the happy ending I so desperately wanted or one that was incredibly bleak - I'll leave you to read it and discover which way it goes.

Essie Fox manages to capture the essence of Victorian theatre - with all its outward appearance of glitz and glamour while behind the scenes the reality is often very different. She tells the story beautifully, giving you just enough hints that you could work stuff out yourself, but not so many that the truth is screaming at you from the pages.

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read and one I'd definitely recommend! (So much so that I'll probably be buying it in paperback to go on my bookshelf). 

Review: The Istanbul Puzzle

The Istanbul Puzzle by Laurence O'Bryan

I'm pretty sure this is one of the books I stocked my Kindle with when I first got it around Christmas time because it was on offer - and it turned out to be a reasonable buy. This isn't the most amazing book you'll read all year, but its definitely entertaining and kept me interested until the final page.

The best way I can find to describe this book is to think of The Da Vinci Code, set in Istanbul rather than London and without Dan Brown's intensely irritating writing style (apologies to any Dan Brown fans out there, I know there are lots of you, but I just don't get it!), and then add a splash of Indiana Jones.

In some ways The Istanbul Puzzle is somewhat formulaic, you realise pretty early on that the main character - Sean - and the attractive Isabel from the British Consulate will end up being more than just friends, but that doesn't make the ride any less enjoyable.

There are lots of twists and turns and our heroes find themselves in some near-death situations, sometimes in rather bizarre surroundings. But I think the thing I enjoyed most about this book was O'Bryan's ability to conjure up the streets of Istanbul. I've never been to Turkey and in all honesty never had a burning desire to, but having finished this book I'm very intrigued by Istanbul and will definitely be adding it to my 'must visit before I die' list.

The story very much focuses on all the history of the city and I'd like to think there really are secret chambers and underground churches hundreds of years old that have yet to be rediscovered by modern civilisation nestled under the thriving metropolis. As with a lot of adventure/thriller novels, the story does seem to get a little far-fetched, but it's nice that it stays primarily focused on the main characters, with brief deviations to ensure you've still got a grip on the overall picture.

I enjoyed it and would recommend it if you're looking for a relatively light read that will keep you entertained. Apparently the author is working on a sequel and I'm not sure how well it will work if I'm honest. The way the characters become involved in the international terrorist plot is relatively plausible in this novel, not sure how he'll manage it with a second book, unless they get hired by MI5 or something similar.

Review: The Turtle Boy

The Turtle Boy by Kealan Patrick Burke

Ok, so I've had a productive reading day so far - finished a Dickens novel it's taken me the best part of a month to get through and then powered through a novella by the name of The Turtle Boy. If I remember correctly, this was a freebie on Amazon, so I don't feel as though I've wasted my money.

I'm not entirely sure how to describe this book, I didn't know what to expect when I picked it up and I'm at a bit of a loss about how to write about it now.

It starts with two boys at the start of their summer holidays, who encounter a strange and deformed kid near a local pond. Another local girl later reveals she's also seen the weird boy and he gets the name the Turtle Boy - because the pond is apparently home to a load of turtles (there's a bit more to it than that, but basically that's where it comes from).

The whole book is told from the point of view of 11 year old Timmy and, as an adult, you quickly realise his best friend Pete is being physically abused by his father. The first half is relatively straightforward and then it goes, well, just a bit surreal.

There's a big storm, Timmy's dad goes out to have a talk with Pete's dad after he's rude to Timmy and his mum, tension builds, the power gets cut, he's been gone ages - you get the idea. So, Timmy, his mum and his friend Kimmie go to look for his dad, only he's not at the house. Then (obviously) Timmy realises they've gone to the pond. This is where I started to find this story totally bizarre.

Timmy runs off to 'save' his dad, only to stumble out of the storm into a bright summer's day and witness the murder of the kid they dubbed the Turtle Boy around a decade earlier by the pond. The assailant doesn't have a face, which made me initially think Timmy had just fallen asleep and was having some weird dream - or maybe had succumbed to hypothermia or something and drifted into a coma. But no, apparently he's just found the ability to see the dead (and their memories? I wasn't quite sure on that point).

Fast forward back to the future, the storm and the pond. Timmy's dad is fighting with Pete's father, who pulls a gun, at this point, the ghost of the dead kid appears, summons an army of turtles and sends them off to apparently attack Timmy's dad (I think the implication is that he may have been the man who murdered the Turtle Boy, but it's hard to say),Timmy intervenes and instead this hoard of marauding reptiles turn on Pete's dad, who, incidentally, has just killed his son.

The ending seemed incredibly rushed, as if the author had got a bit bored of the story and decided to just stop (although he has published other books about Timmy, so maybe I just need to read some of those to find out more). There were questions left hanging that, I imagine, are meant to make you pick up the next book in the series straight away - but I just don't want to. I don't really care that Timmy can now see the dead, or that his dad might be a murderer. I'm also slightly confused as to how he suddenly has the ability to see ghosts, while Kimmie, who also saw the Turtle Boy, apparently doesn't (again, maybe all is revealed in the next book?).

In all honesty, I don't think I'll find that out. I'm just going to chalk this one up to an experience and move on, thankful that I only spent a couple of hours reading it rather than a couple of weeks! On the plus side, while the story was strange at best and a little hurried, at least the author's writing style didn't irritate me, I'll say that for him. Sadly, his characters just didn't grab me and I didn't feel I had enough time to get to know any of them enough to actually care what happened in the end.

Would I recommend this book? Probably not, unless you particularly want to read about a hoard of vicious turtles - I've always found turtles to be quite friendly personally, but maybe that's the difference between marine and freshwater species, who knows? It's a very quick read, and it's free and those are its two best selling points for me!

Review: The Mystery of Edwin Drood

The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens

I have to admit that, until the BBC announced its adaptation of Dickens' unfinished work, I'd never heard of this book. But, having watched the version broadcast around Christmas, I felt compelled to read it for myself and draw my own conclusions.

For those who, like me, were ignorant of this Dickens novel, here's a bit of background. Dickens died before completing The Mystery of Edwin Drood, aptly leaving it as a genuine puzzle. There are plenty of theories about what actually happened to Edwin and even societies dedicated to this end! But, ultimately, none of us can know what Dickens intended for his title character.

That said, I think the BBC did a pretty good job with their adaptation and even if you disagree with their ending, I felt they managed to stay true to the spirit of the characters in the novel.

So, to the actual book. Firstly, it's a Dickens novel, so if you don't get on well with his style of prose, you're probably best to leave this one on the shelf (personally, I think you'll be missing out, but that's just me). One of the things I enjoy most about his writing is the description, its detail and the wonderful ways he has of painting incredibly vivid pictures in my mind. A personal favourite from this novel is the passage about Mrs Crisparkle's cupboard and its contents - wonderful!

As to the story, it's compelling, which makes it somewhat frustrating to see it end before you've really got a handle on the mystery. The basic premise is that young Edwin Drood disappears leaving little trace, with his uncle John Jasper (who's definitely got a dark side) assuming murder and blaming Neville Landlass, a relatively new arrival to the town of Cloisterham. His accusations are based on quarrel between the two men some months earlier.

Throw into the mix the wonderful character of Mr Crisparkle - an advocate for Neville - Rosa (Edwin's betrothed) and her guardian Mr Grewgious, as well as Neville's sister Helena and the intriguing Mr Tartar and you've got an excellent cast of characters to carry you through the story. I much prefer it when you get halfway through a book and realise you actually care what happens to the characters. I genuinely worried about what would befall Rosa when Mr Jasper came to visit her alone. I really wanted Neville to be able to prove his innocence and I was grinning from ear to ear when Mr Crisparkle stood up to the odious Mr Honeysuckle.

That's what sets good writing apart from the mediocre and downright rubbish - that decades or even centuries after something's been written, you can still identify with the characters and feel as though you've developed a relationship with them, after all, emotions don't change.

So, would I recommend reading The Mystery of Edwin Drood - absolutely, especially if you enjoy Dickens. Do be prepared for a very deflated feeling when you reach the end of the prose, though. The story is beginning to gather pace and then you're left with nothing but your own ideas about the outcome - not something you can blame anyone for, but frustrating nonetheless.

Books vs. The Kindle

Until recently, I've been totally unqualified to enter this debate, having never owned or even used a Kindle.

However, my Christmas present from my boyfriend this year was one of Amazon's finest e-readers - largely because he's fed up of me trying to cram our hold bag full of books every time we fly back out to Egypt.

I'm not going to lie, I've always been a sceptic, largely because I love books so much. Seriously, everything about books is awesome (except maybe their weight when you're limited to 20kg) - their smell, how they look on the shelf, the way a page feels when you turn it, I could go on.

That said, I can fully appreciate the practicality of a Kindle, especially when you travel or live overseas (like we do). They are amazingly portable and I decided I'd put mine to good use just as soon as possible.

Firstly, it was really easy to set up/charge/register - I was impressed by how little time I had to charge the battery for and it lasted me for almost a month - in which time I managed to get through three and a half books.

I went to visit friends in Manchester for a week and, with my Kindle in tow, had plenty of reading material for the train journey, not to mention a much lighter bag! I've also been amazed by how many free publications there are, so far I've mostly gone for some classics that I've been meaning to read for ages, but I'm sure I'll add more modern titles as time goes on.

But then we reach the point at which the Kindle stops being amazing - the price of books. Now, I know authors deserve to get their money for what they've written, I'm not disputing that, but £5 seems a lot to pay when I'm not going to have anything to physically show for it.

This is where I think their cheap 'Kindle book of the day' deals are going to come in really handy - but, let's be honest - it will probably restrict the publications I buy for my e-reader.

The bottom line is, if I want to read a book, I'm going to buy the actual book, unless it seems like a good deal. This is where I come unstuck, rather than fully embracing this highly useful piece of technology, I'll continue to fill my shelves with titles, for no better reason really than that I love having books to look at and to pick up whenever I want - or to lend.

Lending books is another problem I have with the Kindle, actually. They've added a function where you can share your books with other Kindle users, but usually only for around 2 weeks - so if you're friend isn't going to read it straight away, you're a bit screwed. It also doesn't help if you've got a monster title like War and Peace, for instance, as you're unlikely to have the time to power through it that quickly.

Although, I suppose that flags another plus point on the Kindle front - if you have a massive book, you can take it wherever you go without having to worry about its size being an obstacle.

Despite my misgivings, I've been very impressed with the Kindle and have come to love it in its own way - there's something satisfying about setting off on a long journey knowing you've got dozens of books to read and that they all fit on to one, handy device. In my current situation, it's certainly a bonus - especially if you end up with a diverted flight like I did in January and spend 9 hours sitting in Athens airport where there's very little to do except read a good book!

Is the Kindle going to replace books in my life? No, I just like owning books too much to be totally honest. Is it going to be a very useful addition to my life and fuel my reading? Most definitely.

Would I recommend it to anyone? Well, if you travel/commute and enjoy reading, I definitely think it's worth the investment and there are some great free sites out there if you want to download books without paying - like Project Gutenberg. It's always worth keeping an eye on the Amazon deals too, as you never know what you might find!