Copyright 2009 Ruth AllenI like lilies. I oft find them on my camera. This one was from a garden in Jo'burg. Nothing more to say about it really.
Sunday 30 August 2009
Bookworming and return to the blogosphere
It's been about 6 weeks since I've posted anything. I feel rather bad for this. But I've been out and about the world which has been lovely and I'm hoping that in due course all the new sights and sounds will seep out into something a bit creative. I start the MA in a month. I can't believe it and starting to panic as I haven't written anything for ages. The last things were two melancholy poems about fleeting moments and old age. But I have some ideas from trips to Gozo, South Africa and maybe even Bruges.
Whilst I haven't been writing I have been doing a lot of reading on my travels. I thought I would put a sentence of two about each book here. All fiction. So these are them:
Blackmoor by Edward Hogan - really original, bleak book about life in a northern mining town and an Albino woman! The authors voice is very original and sparse and I loved it! Nothing else like it. I imagined the whole story in the colours of the front cover.
What I Was by Meg Rosoff - I always love these transition books because they're poignant for adults and teens. Simply written. Evocative. Authentic voice of a teenage boy and first love. Quick read but Rosoff always leaves you with something resonant.
The Road Home by Rose Tremain - Much celebrated author but I feel her language is a bit decorative for me. A little too much unnecessary detail. But nevertheless, I persevered and was not disappointed. Lost sympathy with the protagonist about 3/4's through but it needed to have an edge to avoid cliche. Worth a read for an interesting view on economic migrant life in the UK.
The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher - Really long family saga about two families in the north. Lots of characters appear, disappear and reappear but it's not confusing. It's a bit plodding and could be 200 pages shorter but I got quite involved with the twists and turns of the characters lives. I disliked most of them by the end, but some I grew to love. Another tale of families in the north from the 70's onwards. Buy it in paperback.
The Behaviour of Moths by Poppy Adams - I liked the idea of this but the writing felt a bit amateur. But it is a debut novel so understandable. Some bits were awkwardly written and cliched and the false narrator was somewhat reminiscent of Notes on a Scandal but not quite as tight. The moth story underpinning it got a bit tedious in places. But on the whole a fairly quick read and not bad. But not the best of the bunch either.
One Day by David Nicholls - This book is very Tony Parsons. And I just loved it from the first page. About two people, one day, every year for twenty years. By the end I was crying my eyes out. For 5 chapters (equating to 5 years) . I rarely cry at books or films (usually only Secret Millionaire on C4) but I was just so absorbed in this book. I read it in about 9 hours solidly. Couldn't put it down. Lost a day's holiday but it was amazing. Happy, sad, poignant and well observed. I was vying for both characters. read it now!
Now I am having a break from fiction and reading a spot of non-f. On the go are: The State of Africa by Martin Meredith (a potted history of the 50 years since countries on the mega continent got their independence), Mugabe by Martin Meredith (a look at Robert Mugabe's rise to power) and Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. Light.
Whilst I haven't been writing I have been doing a lot of reading on my travels. I thought I would put a sentence of two about each book here. All fiction. So these are them:
Blackmoor by Edward Hogan - really original, bleak book about life in a northern mining town and an Albino woman! The authors voice is very original and sparse and I loved it! Nothing else like it. I imagined the whole story in the colours of the front cover.
What I Was by Meg Rosoff - I always love these transition books because they're poignant for adults and teens. Simply written. Evocative. Authentic voice of a teenage boy and first love. Quick read but Rosoff always leaves you with something resonant.
The Road Home by Rose Tremain - Much celebrated author but I feel her language is a bit decorative for me. A little too much unnecessary detail. But nevertheless, I persevered and was not disappointed. Lost sympathy with the protagonist about 3/4's through but it needed to have an edge to avoid cliche. Worth a read for an interesting view on economic migrant life in the UK.
The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher - Really long family saga about two families in the north. Lots of characters appear, disappear and reappear but it's not confusing. It's a bit plodding and could be 200 pages shorter but I got quite involved with the twists and turns of the characters lives. I disliked most of them by the end, but some I grew to love. Another tale of families in the north from the 70's onwards. Buy it in paperback.
The Behaviour of Moths by Poppy Adams - I liked the idea of this but the writing felt a bit amateur. But it is a debut novel so understandable. Some bits were awkwardly written and cliched and the false narrator was somewhat reminiscent of Notes on a Scandal but not quite as tight. The moth story underpinning it got a bit tedious in places. But on the whole a fairly quick read and not bad. But not the best of the bunch either.
One Day by David Nicholls - This book is very Tony Parsons. And I just loved it from the first page. About two people, one day, every year for twenty years. By the end I was crying my eyes out. For 5 chapters (equating to 5 years) . I rarely cry at books or films (usually only Secret Millionaire on C4) but I was just so absorbed in this book. I read it in about 9 hours solidly. Couldn't put it down. Lost a day's holiday but it was amazing. Happy, sad, poignant and well observed. I was vying for both characters. read it now!
Now I am having a break from fiction and reading a spot of non-f. On the go are: The State of Africa by Martin Meredith (a potted history of the 50 years since countries on the mega continent got their independence), Mugabe by Martin Meredith (a look at Robert Mugabe's rise to power) and Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. Light.
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