Monday 1 August 2011

The books that got away...

                     

We really enjoyed chatting about our favourite children’s books with you last month – lots of happy memories, most of them involving exotic adventures far removed from our everyday lives.

This month we’re chatting about the ones that got away – the books you started and couldn’t finish or the books you keep meaning to read but something else always gets in the way (usually another book you know you’ll enjoy more).

One of the authors who visited Bexley Libraries was asked if he always read to the end of a book. He told us he'd worked out how many books he was likely to be able to read in his lifetime:

"The resultant total was so pitifully small that, with an exultant cry of ‘Life’s too short for Midnight’s Children!’, I hurled the book across the room."
I can certainly relate to that, having only managed to get through the first few pages. More books that got away from me (these are my personal opinions only – if you enjoyed them, we'd love to hear from you):

The Night Watch: Poorly written with wooden characters and awful dialogue.

Suite Francaise: A lot of hype attached to this one but I found the characters unappealing and didn't care enough about them to finish the book. 

Scoop: In my early 20s, I read all the Evelyn Waugh books I could get my hands on and loved them. When I tried this recently, I found it tedious and unfunny.

So, some questions:
  • Do particular books appeal at different times of our lives?
  • Does it depend on the mood we’re in? 
  • Which books just don't live up to the hype surrounding them? 
  • And which ones have you hurled across the room or simply avoided?

This month's moderator: Sharon 

69 comments:

Will said...

Call me…Lazy.
But, for me, it’s Moby Dick that’s the one that always gets away. I know, I know…it’s meant to be the greatest novel ever written, and I`ve tried it half a dozen times, honest…But I just can’t seem to get past the first 20 or so pages.
(I still like a good seafaring yarn, and there are some brilliant non-fiction books too – try `In the Heart of the Sea by Nathanial Philbrick – but I just can’t get to grips with this particular great white whale…Sorry!)

Val said...

Hi Sharon
We read Suite Francaise with the Bexley Village Library reading group and we really enjoyed it! It reads like a diary or snapshot taken during the German occupation of France in WWII. The author was Jewish and later went on to die in a concentration camp. Her children were smuggled out by friends and took with them a suitcase of their mother's possessions including the manuscript of Suite Francaise. It was many years later when they examined the contents and found the manuscript of Suite Francaise which she had written as the first part of a trilogy, but sadly she didn't live to write the others.
And for me a book that got away is The Life of Pi. I know it had rave reviews when it first came out and it was an international book to read ( last year?) but it has remained firmly closed on my book shelf! Should I read it?! I'm open to persuasion!

Bex-Read said...

Hi Will

Moby Dick has escaped me, too. I haven't even started it - or even got as far as taking a copy out of the library.

If you like a good seafaring yarn, though, you have to read We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen. I've almost finished it and I've loved every one of the 550 pages I've read so far. It's set in Denmark and is the story of a sea-faring community. It's quirky, fascinating and superbly written. I can't praise it highly enough.

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Hi Val

I feel even more guilty now than I did when I selected Suite Francaise as one of my books that got away! I knew about the real life story behind it and really felt as if I should admire the book, but...

And another 'me, too'. Life of Pi hasn't even reached my book shelf, let alone remained firmly closed on it. And it's such a reading group favourite that I feel as though I really ought to have read it by now. I'm not even sure what's stopping me.

Anyone out there read it? There are two of us waiting to be persuaded now.

Sharon

Will said...

Thanks for this suggestion, Sharon…I like the sound of ‘We, the Drowned’ very much…700 pages of Danish maritime fiction, splendid! That might be my summer reading problems solved…

Turkeys, and cans of worms…
And, Val, re ‘Life of Pi’….Sorry, I’ve still not heard anyone say they actually enjoyed it…(Wasn’t it a Booker Prize winner?...And – controversial, I`m afraid – aren’t most of the Booker Prize winning novels “turkeys”?...Or is this a can of worms not to be opened?...)

Bex-Read said...

Hi Will

Splendid is definitely the right word. Let me know what you think of it - when you love a book, you want everyone else to love it too!

Man Booker winners - now there's a good question. Has anyone enjoyed one of them? (I'm going to have to have a look at the past winners to see if I've read any...)

Rachel said...

Hi Will & Sharon,
I have to agree that the Booker winners are a real mixed bag - I've read the winners for the last 10 years (for a course rather than personal will power!) and the only exceptions I found, which were really enjoyable, were The Line of Beauty and Vernon God Little. Line of Beauty is really wonderfully written and Vernon was just so different to anything I'd read before.

And I've just remembered too that Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee won one year - and that's a tremendously powerful book.

But like everyone else, The Life of Pi was just too much for me, as was The True History of the Kelly Gang. And Margaret Atwood - please don't get me started on Margaret Atwood! Is there any reader out there who actually likes her books?!

Val said...

Hi Rachel

I feel embarrased to say this but I've read a couple of Margaret Atwood's books and I liked them ! I found they were very powerful and the sort of books that stay with you long after you've read them. I read Oryx & Crake and Blind Assassin as part of a reading group choice , otherwise I probably wouldn't have picked them up. On my "to read" list is also The Hamdmaid's Tale and her latest Year of the Flood. I have enjoyed Sci Fi / futuristic books in the past so maybe that helps. Her books are certaintly different! Come on now are there any others out there prepared to defend Margaret Atwood ?!

Bex-Read said...

Hi Val

I read some Margaret Atwood years ago and I'm not sure I enjoyed them enough at the time to want to read more. But she's definitely an author that I feel I should add to my 'to read' list again and I do agree that her books are powerful. I haven't completely given up on her yet...

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Hello all

Well, I've checked the backlist of Man Booker winners and I've read more than I thought I had!

Some I read while studying literature - In a Free State by VS Naipaul and The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer, for example. I'm not sure I enjoyed them exactly, but I certainly appreciated the writing/the messages.

There are two that I absolutely loved, though - Possession by AS Byatt and Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I can't wait for the sequel to Wolf Hall (I'm assuming there will be one). I loved everything about it and will definitely read it again some time.

Sharon

Val said...

I came across another " book that got away" yesterday - its We need to talk about Kevin. I had a copy in my hand and I thought for a moment " I really should read this " but then I put it back on the shelf! The subject matter just seems too depressing for me to ever feel I want to read it , although I know many who have read it and say it is well worth reading. maybe one day I'll try it ......maybe!

fiona said...

Hi everyone - have to agree with Sharon gave up on both Night Watch and Suite Francaise. Can't remember specifically why now but remember thinking they were very over rated. One book that keeps getting taken down from my book case but getting put back again unread is Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks - I'm sure I will read it one day but never seem to be in the mood. Most recently I struggled with Grace Williams Says it Loud all weekend but gave in and took it back to the library yesterday. Life is defininatley too short and if I've read 50 pages or so of a book and it's not gripped me then back it goes!

Rachel said...

Hi Val, I'm sure I'm being too harsh on Margaret Atwood - so many people I talk to seem to really love her. The Handmaid's Tale is the first one I read - I studied it for GCSE and really wanted to throw it across the room by the time I'd finished it. I'm sure that feeling had more to do with the study aspect than the content of the book though as it does have some very interesting ideas. In fact I can still remember the plot in quite some detail so it must have been very powerful.

Hi Sharon, I can't say I've been tempted by Wolf Hall but I have tried Possession. I so wanted to love it...but somehow I didn't even make it beyond page 50. It has everything I normally enjoy in a book: strong literary element, a bit of romance, Victorian poets - in fact it sounds so good re-reading the back of the book I'm definitely going to have another go!

Val said...

Another from a previous Booker list is A S Byatt's The Children's Book. I'm afraid to say that I ( and several of the reading group) gave up on this book. I rarely give up on a book , especially if its a title we're reading for a reading group, but the book was too long in my opinion and the characters all seemed very self centred and I just didn't care what happened to them!

Bex-Read said...

Dear all

Really enjoying your comments so far.

Val - you have to read Kevin. It's so good - it's one of those books you'll want everyone else you know to read so that you can talk about it with them. If you accept the Kevin challenge, I'll go for Life of Pi...

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Hi Fiona

Really good to hear from you. Hope you're enjoying the summer.

Overrated is definitely how I'd describe The Night Watch and Suite Francaise.

But Birdsong, that's different. I think you need to be in the right mood because it's pretty traumatic, but when I read it, I remember thinking it was one of the best books about the futility of war I'd ever read. And Sebastian Faulks is now one of my favourite authors - I loved Human Traces (about the treatment of madness).

I definitely agree with you, though - life's too short to struggle on with a book you're not enjoying. I don't even give an author 50 pages.

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Hi Rachel

I think studying books really does (sometimes)put you off enjoying them again later because you're not reading them for pleasure.

I remember being really bored by Thomas Hardy's endless descriptions of landscapes and I haven't been tempted to try him again.

But, there are other books such as To Kill a Mockingbird that I read at school and probably didn't really appreciate enough. When I read it again recently I was amazed by how good it is.

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Hi Val

I'm with you on The Children's Book. I did actually finish it, but I thought it needed a good edit.

At times I felt like I was reading a history book - it was as if the author was trying to throw in everything she knew about that period whether it developed the plot or not. The history became more important than the characters - which is a shame as it had a lot of potential.

Sharon

Lisa said...

I gave up on Wolf Hall I'm afraid. I really wanted to like it because not only am I (normally) a fan of historical fiction I was also looking forward to learning more about Thomas Cromwell, after reading the Shardlake novels I felt he would be an interesting subject. I just couldn't get on with the writing style whether it was me or Hilary Mantel I can't say but I found the dialogue between characters very hard to follow and I just got lazy and couldn't be bothered to carry on with it.

Perhaps Philippa Gregory can be persuaded to write a book about Thomas Cromwell!

Jill said...

I remember enjoying Scoop at school - maybe I should add it to my list of books whose memories I fear may be spoilt if I read them again, which includes The Chronicles of Jalna by Mazo de la Roche and The Herries Chronicle by Hugh Walpole. I feel so tempted to pick them up when I see them but one look at the first page and I'm not so sure, which maybe answers your question about particular books appealing at different times of our lives. Yet there are other books I read while at school which have stayed on my bookshelf, so some titles do have lasting appeal.

The Phantom said...

Fiona, I can’t believe that you’ve given up trying to read Birdsong!
It really is one of the greatest, most moving, uplifting novels you could possibly read…I urge you, implore you, beg you…give it another try. Please.

Bex-Read said...

Hi Lisa

It's amazing how books and authors have such conflicting impacts on us.

I really hope Philippa Gregory stays well away from Thomas Cromwell! I read The Red Queen recently and thought it was one of the worst books I've ever read! The only reason I finished it was because my son bought it for me.

Sharon

Anonymous said...

My vote for a brisk book/wall interface goes to the interminable Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell ('Pole' if you want to be extra-pretentious). Having encountered the word 'immensely' (not in itself a bad thing) about 6 times in as many paragraphs, down came the red mist, never to be lifted.

On the Booker front, it's not been all bad; I'd forgotten Roddy Doyle once won it, and Schindler's Ark really was good. There's been a bit of a tendency to give the prize to the author rather than the book though (cue Roddy Doyle again, for instance).

Caroline said...

Hi all,

Really interesting discussion!

The most over-hyped book for me has to be Zadie Smith's White Teeth. I really enjoyed the first few chapters, but then it just seemed to lose something. I left it for a while, went back to it again, and liked it even less, so in the end I gave up and donated it to a charity booksale. It was a real relief to see it go!

Booker Prize winners - I loved The Blind Assassin (yes, really), Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, Possession and Schindler's Ark. Hotel du Lac and Remains of the Day were worthy but dull, I gave up on The Famished Road after about 10 pages, and a lot of the others just don't appeal at all. It's interesting to see the comments about Life of Pi, as I started reading my sister's copy when I was visiting her for the weekend, thought I was enjoying it and had every intention of getting my own copy when I got home so I could finish it. That was about 5 years ago and I'm still planning to do something about getting a copy...one day.

Caroline

Will said...

Well, Sharon, thanks to your recommendation, I`ve started `We, the Drowned`….
The first page was a bit odd, not what I’d been expecting at all!…
It’s not that fancy ‘Magic Realism’ is it?...’Cos if it is…

Bex-Read said...

Dear Anonymous

Yes, that red mist definitely descended on me while reading The Red Queen. It made me want to shout in frustration.

I thought Hilary Mantel did a fantastic job of making Thomas Cromwell human (not all good, not all bad - lots of grey areas). Philippa Gregory's Red Queen was just thoroughly unlikeable with no redeeming qualities (lots of 'poor me') at all.

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Hi Caroline - and welcome to Bex-Read. Good to see you here.

I have to confess to never having even attempted White Teeth but your relief at donating it to charity made me laugh. Let's hope someone enjoyed it.

Hotel du Lac - yes, very dull. I've found all of Anita Brookner's books dull so far - I'm sure an unfulfilled librarian featured in one?

Oh, and The Famished Road. I finished it but I clearly remember scribbling 'boring!' in the margin (back in the days when I used to write notes in books - I never do that now, of course...)

Poor old Life of Pi's not doing very well here so far.

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Fiona - I'm with Will. You have to read Birdsong. It's a classic.

And Will - We, the Drowned is not magic realism. Just very quirky. Don't you dare give up on it yet!

Sharon

Lisa said...

Hi Sharon, I must admit that The red queen isn't one of Philippa Gregory's best and neither was The white queen to be honest although Elizabeth Woodville is a more appealing character than Margaret Beaufort and I am sorry about Wolf Hall maybe I'll give it another go one day.

Phantom, I agree with you Birdsong is a wonderful read and really shows the first world war in all it's gory futility, Fiona you should try it.

The thing with books that you've given up on is that usually you forget them instantly (or is that just me) I know I've given up on plenty of reading group books (oops, sorry Sharon) but I do remember giving up on The Gormenghast trilogy, I managed the first book and really enjoyed it but when I started on the second part every time I read more than a few pages I started to fall asleep! I'm not quite sure why but I had to give it up as it obviously wasn't good for me.

Jill said...

So far - I can safely say that I have not read a single title that has been mentioned - I feel a bit ashamed of that - although actually I have been tempted by some of the Man Booker titles but wary of their reputation of being less readable than one hopes. I liked the sound of last year's winner - The Finkler Question - has anyone read that?

I've always avoided To Kill a Mockingbird, I felt it sounded depressing until recently those who love it told me otherwise. I took the coward's way out and read an abridged version of the story in a set of notes for students, so now I know the story and might actually try reading the book. I've also been tempted by Margaret Atwood - now I'm not sure….any suggestions which is the best one to try would be welcome from those who like her.

Val said...

Hi Jill

You must read To Kill a Mockingbird. The BE Reading Group read it as their "summer classic" one year and we all loved it. The characters are so memorable and its a very uplifting story which asserts the power of good triumphing over evil. Its a terrific read - you must give it another go!
As to Margaret Atwood I'd try The Blind Assasin - its a story within a story with a great twist at the end that I didn't see coming. The Handmaid's Tale is possibly her most famous novel . Its on my "must read" list but its a more futuristic tale which may not appeal to everyone.

Val said...

Two more books that I feel I should read but probably never will : Salman Rushdie Midnight's Children and One Hundred years of Solitude by Marquez. Can anyone persuade me to put them on my "must read" list? They appear with great regularity on various lists of the top 100 books of all time but somehow I just can't face them!

fiona said...

well it looks like Birdsong is coming on holiday with me then. I've never actually started it, just picked it up and looked at it several times!! will report back in 2 weeks.

Caroline said...

Hi Sharon

For some reason I tried another Anita Brookner book, I can't remember which, but that did include a very sad and unfulfilled librarian. If I hadn't been unimpressed with Anita Brookner already, that was certainly enough to put me off her for life.

I've got to agree with you on Birdsong and Kevin too - both difficult books to read, but very worthwhile. I hesitated over reading Kevin for a long time as I wasn't sure I liked the sound of it, but when I finally did start it I couldn't put it down. Usually I find it very hard to finish a book if I can't like or empathise with one of the main characters, but this was an exception because I spent most of the book disliking the narrator, yet finding her story really compelling. And towards the end I finally did start to feel some sympathy for her. I thought it was a real achievement by Lionel Shriver. I'd be interested to know if anyone's read any of her other books and what you thought of them, because from what I've heard none are anywhere near as good as Kevin?

Caroline

Caroline said...

Hi Val,

One Hundred Years of Solitude has been on my list of books to read since 11 July 1992 - the reason I can be so precise is that I bought it in the days when I still used to write my name and the date in every book I bought. I did actually start reading it at one point and am still intending to go back to it one day. I'm not sure why I gave up except that it just felt like hard work (and would it make me sound shallow to say that the print in my copy is also quite small and not that easy to look at...?)

I wanted to read it because I'd finished Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera a couple of years before and loved that (although I couldn't tell you now what happened in it) - so on that basis I still think it would be worth trying again one day. Maybe the secret is just to get a copy with a more appealing font!

Caroline

Bex-Read said...

Hi Lisa

Giving up on reading group books??Well, I can't complain - I've given up on a few myself, including Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed. Just too bleak for me - full of characters doing horrible things to each other. There has to be a glimpse of humanity for me.

Speaking of bleak, has anyone read The Stars' Tennis Balls by Stephen Fry? I had high hopes for it having loved his Making History, but it was one of the grimmest books I've ever read. Full of violence and revenge. Not my kind of book at all.

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Jill - To Kill a Mockingbird isn't in the least bit depressing. It tackles some difficult subjects and they're not resolved happily. But, overall, I'd describe it as heartwarming and hugely appealing.

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Hi Val and Caroline

Midnight's Children? Definitely one I wanted to hurl across the room - I think I only managed a few pages. Isn't it one of the books notorious for being owned by lots of people but read by few? Anyone here actually read it?

One Hundred Years of Solitude - I absolutely loved this. Not an easy read but fascinating. One for Will to avoid though - magical realism at its best.

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Fiona - I'm worried now. I'm not sure Birdsong is a good holiday read. We don't want you traumatised when you should be relaxing! Look forward to hearing what you think of it, though.

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Hi Caroline

I think that's one of the most fascinating things about Kevin - you see everything through the mother's eyes and you just don't know whether to trust her or not. That led to lots of debate among the North Heath Reading Group members.

Like you, I've avoided reading any more Lionel Shriver because none of them seem to be as good. Amazing how much we're influenced by what other people think of books.

I also agree about ugly fonts - they put me off too. And then there's unappealing paper...

Sharon

Lisa said...

Hello everyone

Oh yes The true history of the Kelly gang, I was really looking forward to this as I’d read a few of Peter Carey’s books before and really enjoyed them but how can you read a book with no punctuation! How can you write a book with no punctuation!! Val I urge you to give We need to talk about Kevin a try it really is worth it.

Rachel said...

Hi Fiona,
I'm going to come out on your side and say that I've only ever read half of Birdsong. I seem to remember it's split into two parts - Stephen's experiences in World War One followed by his grand daughter Elizabeth following his story years later. Is that right? The reason it's a bit hazy is because I stopped halfway through! I do agree that it has very powerful passages on the futility of war but it seemed to lack something - I just wasn't driven to find out what happened in the end! I'd be interested to hear how you get on with it Fiona - although it may not be a traditional holiday read!

I also stopped reading Human Traces about an eighth of the way in - it was so boring! (Sorry fans of Faulks - I sense outrage already!)

Jill said...

Thank you Val. I will read To kill a Mockingbird and I'll explore your Margaret Atwood suggestions.

Bex-Read said...

Human Traces boring???

It's absolutely fascinating - the entire history of developments in the history of mental health treatment in one gloriously long novel. Faulks at his absolute best!!

Outraged of Sidcup

Bex-Read said...

Hello all

Hope you had a good weekend.

Today's question - we all know how important covers are (a subject we'll definitely come back to in more detail sometime). But does the title of a book put you off even wanting to open it?

That certainly happened to me with The Poisonwood Bible. I had no interest in it whatsoever. Then I read it with the North Heath Reading Group and it amazed us all. Fascinating and very funny.

That certainly made me want to read more by Barbara Kingsolver (what a great surname) and her latest book, The Lacuna, is firmly in my top 10 favourite books.

So, what titles put you off?

Sharon

Jill said...

That's interesting - The Poisonwood Bible as a title doesn't put me off at all - in fact it's rather intriguing. I might look for a copy to see what it's about.

Bex-Read said...

Hi Jill

It's about a family of missionaries and how the children cope with their father's obsessional behaviour.

I think I assumed it would be very worthy and dull but it's not at all.

Sharon

Lisa said...

The titles that put you off...,

The first one that springs to mind is A short history of tractors in Ukranian, I'm sure I won't be alone with this one but when I read the book for the reading group (I do read most of them Sharon) I really enjoyed it and have gone on to read Marina Lewycka's other books both of which have equally unappealing titles, Two caravans and We are all made of glue, and both equally enjoyable, although the titles are relevant to the story I wonder why the publisher chose them, to stand out I suppose they are certainly not easily forgettable.

Jill I agree with you The poisonwood bible is an interesting title and one I'll certainly be looking out for.

Bex-Read said...

Hi Lisa

You're so right. I'd never have read Tractors in the Ukraine if it hadn't been for the reading group. We all really enjoyed it, didn't we. I have to admit to skimming some of the tractor detail, though...

And, oddly, I haven't been tempted by any of her other books. I'm not sure why.

It's a risky strategy giving your book a title like that - it obviously will alienate some readers but, as you say, it's memorable.

Let me know what you think of The Poisonwood Bible if you do read it.

Sharon

The Phantom said...

Off-putting titles?
Lots of ‘em, mostly long, convoluted and – let’s not mince words – annoying…
“Guernsey potato pie picking & peeling literary society” or whatever it was… “Salmon fishing in the Yemen”, or that “curious incident of the unbearable dog who barked in the night-time” or whatever…

Why oh why oh why can’t we just have some nice, short, straightforward titles any more? “Rogue Male”; “Kane & Abel”; “Moby Dick”…oh, no – that’s off our list, isn’t it? But you know what I mean…

Bex-Read said...

Hello Phantom

I know what you mean and I'm with you on the potato pie thing - I always get that title wrong!

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - very, very funny. In fact, laugh out loud funny. But another one I think I only read because it was a reading group selection. Otherwise, just the word 'fishing' would have been enough to put me off.

I actually hate books with puns in the title like Kane and Abel. The red mist is descending again...

Sharon

Jill said...

How about - 'Aunt Edna's guide to Paradise' ? Does that appeal to anyone? Yes, it is a fiction title.

Bex-Read said...

Hi Jill

No, that very definitely does not appeal to me. It's a title that would have me running for the hills...

Kste Morton's titles always appeal to me (helped by gorgeous jacket design). The Forgotten Garden will obviously appeal to anyone who loved The Secret Garden. And The House at Riverton - simple, but enticing.

Sharon

Jill said...

Mmm, cover design - Aunt Edna has a brightly coloured cover showing her in a hot air balloon, cartoon style like a children's book - which it's not.

Caroline said...

Hi Sharon

I know what you mean about Kate Morton's books - the combination of the titles and jacket designs, plus the fact that they're usually quite thick so you know you're going to get a good long complex story, make them very appealing - ideal books for holidays or journeys, I think.

I suspect I've missed out on some good books because I didn't like the title, but because I never got any further with them I don't even remember them now. One author who I think uses some slightly odd titles which put me off some of her books for a while, is Barbara Trapido (for example Frankie and Stankie) but when I've got past the titles and tried the books, I've enjoyed them and found they weren't what I expected from the title.

Some titles do seem as if the publisher/author is risking being too clever for their own good. If you didn't know anything at all about Patrick Gale and weren't interested in gardening, you probably wouldn't bother to pick up Tree Surgery for Beginners. In fact, even though I've really enjoyed a lot of his books, the one I haven't felt I wanted to read is The Aerodynamics of Pork. I don't know what it's about and it's probably just as good as his others, but the title just doesn't appeal to me.

Caroline

Bex-Read said...

Hi Jill

Hmm, Aunt Edna in a hot air balloon. It's not making me want to rush out and find a copy...

Sharon

Bex-Read said...

Hi Caroline

You're so right about Patrick Gale. I love his writing - Notes from an Exhibition is just gorgeous (and I love that title) - but trees and pork. No, not appealing.

One of the books I loved last year was The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. I'm a big fan of David Mitchell's writing, but I wonder if I'd have picked the book up otherwise (it wasn't helped by a fairly dull cover on the hardback). I don't even know how to pronounce 'de Zoet', which makes it hard to recommend to friends! It's a fantastic book, though. It's about Dutch traders in Japan in the 18th century. It's funny, disturbing and beautifully written. One of his best.

Sharon

Jill said...

How about 'Eggs, Beans and Crumpets'? Is anyone drawn to that?

The Phantom said...

“The Aerodynamics of Pork”?....
What’s that all about, then?... Would I like it?

Jill said...

Sharon said she remembered being bored by Thomas Hardy's endless description of landscapes - obviously a key part of his books, as the real landscapes of Hardy country featured on TV last night.
However, there's an author I avoided at University. I wasn't put off by the descriptions, it was the reputation that his novels are depressing.
The book I wanted to throw across the room was a D.H.Lawrence [probably Women in Love but I've forgotten which one as it put me off all his titles ].
The best book for an insomniac that I read at university was The Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, supposedly the greatest piece of political philosophy written in the English language but actually great for sending you to sleep in the middle of the day.

Caroline said...

Hi Sharon

I'm reading 'The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet' at the moment (and the paperback has a beautiful cover - I think it's completely different to the hardback.) When Jacob tells Miss Aibagawa his name, she repeats it and the way she pronounces it is written as 'Yakubo Dazuto,' which to me suggests that Zoet is probably pronounced something like Zoot?

I don't think you should let that stop you recommending it to people, anyway - it's not as if they're likely to know any different if you get it wrong!

I have no idea what The Aerodynamics of Pork is about, although I suppose the title must be some kind of play on words referring to 'pigs might fly.' When I've read everything else by Patrick Gale I'll probably get round to reading it and find out if I've been missing a really good book all this time.

Caroline

Jill said...

Since we've come back to mentions of food - One book that did not live up to it's hype for me and at least one other member of the reading group that chose it, was Sophie's Bakery for the Broken Hearted by Lolly Winston. It was a book that I wanted to read but half way through it became a struggle. I promised the group that I was going to finish reading it - and I did mean to - but it didn't ever happen.

Will said...

Hello, Caroline ~ that’s an interesting point you raise about the pronunciation of names while you’re reading them…Does anyone else have the same idea? (I suppose that as long as you’re not reading a book aloud, no-one else will ever hear, even if it’s wrong!...But I know what you mean…when I read Italian or Scandinavian crime novels, I sometime wonder if I`m not getting the names right…)

The Phantom said...

What’s in a name?
Thanks, Jill…Good point, and it also takes us back to books with off-putting titles, don’t you think? (I bet it’s also got a pink cover?...)
And another thing…(Sorry, am starting to rant, I don’t usually)…Sometimes, does even the name of the author put you off? I mean, Winston’s a perfectly fine name, but as for “Lolly”….oh, PLEEAASSE, no!)

Jill said...

Actually - it has a green cover - it's not chick lit, though it sounds like it - but you're right about the name.

Will said...

Ah, yes...authors with difficult names, that's another line that might you off, don't you think?
(Personally, I`ve always found Katie and Jasper Fforde a bit of a mouthful...)
Any more?

Grace said...

Members of the Central Library reading group have just read copies of "Deadlock " by Sean Black supplied to us by the Reading Agency. I really didn't want to read it, but when I did I found it surprisingly enjoyable and my feelings were echoed by others who read it. It is a fast paced, exciting and easy to read book, if a little gruesome in parts.
This is a really good example of our experience of Reading Groups where members often read - and sometimes enjoy-- books they would never have chosen themselves.

Bex-Read said...

Thanks for this, Grace – and, yes, you’re so right about reading groups and their value in discovering books we wouldn’t normally try.
Result!

Val said...

I totally agree about reading groups leading us to unexpected favourites. Bexley Village Reading group recently read Levy's The Long Song and for many of us this proved an unexpected hit!