30. Toni Jordan-Addition

I’m still rather behind with my reviews as I read this book about a month ago,so it will be a while before I’m fully up to date.This book stands out in my mind though(making the review easier)as it’s one of a very small number of novels I can think of which deal with OCD.Although the character is never defined as such she exhibits obvious signs of the disorder and it’s a credit to the author that she doesn’t feel the need to make ‘Addition’ a disorder novel.

The protagonist,Grace has a fascination with numbers and counting and lives her life within a rigid set of guidelines and routines.She is hyper aware of the limitations she puts upon herself but at least initially she is happy to live within them.Things begin to change once a ‘love interest’(for want of a better term)arrives,but this isn’t a novel where the heroine’s problems are magically solved by a man,thank the lord!Rather he notices her problems and somewhat misguidedly steers her towards a treatment which results in Grace becoming a passive person pumped with pills.Without giving away the ending of the book(or trying not to!)I will say that this book deals with some rather complicated issues,especially considering its brevity and my only real criticism would be that despite it doing so skillfully I would have liked to read much more from Grace.The central question or issue at the core of the book seems to be the danger of sacrificing some of yourself to be in a relation,and is this something that can be avoided?I won’t reveal any more but will say that I wholeheartedly recommend this fresh and intellligent debut novel.

29.Rebecca Miller-The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

After greatly enjoying the book and the author’s subsequent film adaptation of ‘Personal Velocity’some years back I immediately purchased Rebecca Miller’s second novel ‘The Private Lives of Pippa Lee’.The book is an odd one in several ways and unusually I have a polarised opinion of it too.In general my opinion on books falls into one of there categories:love,dislike or indifference,yet this book was none of those.

It gets off to a slow start with Pippa and her much older husband moving to a retirement village.Pippa’s husband is 80 and becoming infirm,yet Pippa is only in her 50s and soon begins to feel stifled by the geriatrics surrounding her.Several odd things begin to happen to her whilst she is asleep,such as being unaware that she has cooked and eaten fried breakfasts,entire cakes and even leaving the house and driving to a local shop.This was one aspect of the story that interested me as I find sleep disorders fascinating,so I was slightly dissappointed that this area wasn’t developed further.As the plot unfolds so does Pippa’s past and the hazy,free wheeling excitement of her youth contrasts with the monotony of the present.It is in the sequences set in the past that Pippa shines as a character,one who is independent and spirited and has a rather disturbing relationship with her Mother.If the whole book had been set during her earlier years I would have enjoyed it much more,but as it stands the book only engaged me half of the time.The later chapters in particular see several predictable developments which are needless and seem to be there only to convince the reader it was worth persevering to the end.

Much of the writing and the ideas demonstrated here are solid but the story itself never quite takes off,which as shame given the obvious talent and imagination of the author.

28.Nicholas Sparks-A Walk to Remember

After reading and greatly enjoying ‘Dear John’a few months ago I decided to try another of the author’s works. ‘A Walk to Remember’is awash with glowing praise,but I found the story itself predictable and heavy handed.It deals with a teenage boy who gradually begins to notice a girl he has always been indifferent to or irritated by previously.In a small North Carolina town the two are thrown together in drams classes and slowly a tentative relationship develops.despite the obstacle of the girl’s religious beliefs and strict Father.I don’t want to spoil the story’s main revelation(although I found it obvious)but I will say that once it has been exposed things take an even more sentimental and mawkish turn.This book obviously wants to be a great love story and a classic coming of age novel but sadly it is neither and is mercifully short.I am willing to read more by Nicholas Sparks,I only hope the next one I pick up is much better than ‘A Walk to Remember’.

27.Pearl Lowe-All That Glitters

Following on from my last read is another book about music,this time an autobiographical one.Those of you in the UK may know of Pearl Lowe as a friend to Sadie Frost,Kate Moss et al,but back in the mid ’90s she was a Britpop hopeful.I loved her second band,Lodger and found it strange when she started popping up in tabloids regularly.I purchased this book because of my previously documented nostalgia for the Britpop era.I generally enjoy reading memoirs too(although not the increasingly popular misery memoirs of late).

‘All That Glitters’is largely a testimony of Pearl’s battle with drugs,although also deals with her youth and pre-fame and addiction years.This is an easy read despite the often dark subject matter,largely thanks to the enganging style and voice of Pearl.Whilst not a literary masterpiece it entertains more often than it irritates and although at times it seems to drop names and openly acknowledge her lavish lifestyle a little too much it entertains in the way I expected it to,and is a cautionary tale for those who think the rock n’ roll lifestyle is a glamorous one.

Books 22-26

The layout of this blog doesn’t look quite right,I think the most recent review should be first but as I haven’t used that set up previously I’ll just carry on with the slightly skewed way!

22.Emily Barr-The Sisterhood

I’ve read all of Emily Barr’s books and always enjoy them greatly and read them in a couple of days.Her books always deal with secrets from the past being gradually revealed and in any book I find dipping into the past and the characters’ backgrounds gripping. ‘The Sisterhood’revolves around a young French woman who discovers her English Mother gave birth to a daughter many years before and being bored and restless decides to travel to London to meet her.Helen’s story runs parallel to that of Elizabeth,the focus for Helen’s clinging affections.

Although I didn’t particularly warm to the character of Elizabeth,largely because she is portrayed as such a victim throughout,(she discovers her long-term partner is gay in the first few pages of the book and later struggles with an unexpected pregnancy)I found the character of Helen compelling.She is in turn manipulative,woefully naive and unstable,all of which serves to make her fascinating as events take an increasingly dramatic turn.

Whilst all of Emily Barr’s books follow a similar structure and generally involve the characters taking a trip or migrating,she skillfully builds tension without being melodramatic and ‘The Sisterhood’stands as one of her best novels so far.

23.Jacqueline Wilson-Jacky Daydream

I had been looking forward to reading Jacqueline Wilson’s book detailing her childhood for months so eagerly purchased the paperback edition on its release.It was with some reluctance that I then admitted to myself that I didn’t enjoy the book allt hat much.The problem,albeit an obvious one is that despite being an autobiography the book is clearly aimed at children,meaning many of the observations within it are superficial and jovial,when the more compelling aspects of the story,like Jackqueline’s difficult relationship with her difficult and angry Father and the financial struggles of the family in post-war Britain are left in the shade.The upbeat and persevering tone,whilst often evident in autobiography doesn’t come across as genuine and the questions about characters from Wilson’s books at the end of each chapter trivialises things further.

Although I greatly enjoyed the sections where Jacqueline discusses her love for books and writing stories I felt the book lacked any real insight into her childhood and failed to evoke any real sense of the era,a real shame considering she is such a sparky and warm writing in the rest of her work.

24.Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace-Are You Dave Gorman?

A book I purchased in a 3 for £1 sale in a charity shop and started reading in the same day whilst at a loose end, ‘Are You Dave Gorman?’chronicles the development of a drunken bet into a worldwide search for brethren.As this book has been in print for several years now anyone who is a comedy fan is likely to be aware of the search of its authors and their subsequent TV show.

‘Are You Dave Gorman?’certainly has its merits,largely in the insanity of its premise and the dedication of Dave to win the bet and meet as many people with his name as possible.There are certainly very amusing and surreal anecdotes to be found,but after a while the process gets a little familiar and repetitive,and although all of this did happen it’s difficult to understand why two people would dedicate so much time to such a project,which suggests that perhaps they had far too much time on their hands.

25.Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin-Dedication

From the authors’ of ‘The Nanny Diaries’, ”Dedication’ is the story of a woman who remains obsessed by her high school boyfriend who left her suddenly the day before their prom and has since become a huge singer-songwriter who draws much of his inspiration from her personal life during their teenage years.So far a rather lame and unoriginal summary but I was drawn to this book because a)I love reading anything vaguely involving musicians,and b)the sleeve claims it pays a tribute to growing up in the ’80s,something I definitely thought I’d appreciate.The book fails on both counts however as it written so poorly it’s a shock it was ever published at all.I haven’t read either of the previous efforts of these writers but on the strength of this I don’t intend to.The characters never amount to anything more than sketches on the page and the whole thing reads more like an episode of a lame high school sitcom than anything else.

26.John Niven-Kill Your Friends

This book is written by a former A&R man and I was drawn to it on two accounts,1)the front cover which features a cassette tape and b)the back cover featuring a quote from My James Dean Bradfield.Yes,these two factors were enough for me to shell out £10.99 at Borders,lay your pity at the feet of the book addicts.Clearly the marketing department did their job effectively anyway.The book revolves around an A&R guy at a lucrative record label during the Britpop boom.

I’m not the kind of person who claims to be shocked easily,desensitised as I am to screen violence and shock tactics used in literature.This book,however is a rampage through the mind of an immoral psychopath and as a result his observations are both wickedly amusing and wickedly horrifying.I won’t reprint any of them here but the grotesque images the writer conjures will stay with you long after having digested this book.On amazon the journalist James Brown describes ‘Kill Your Friends’as “the indie ‘American Psycho’”a conclusion I reached independently thanks to the protagonist’s fascination with wealth and power as well as his utter disdain for the rest of humanity and his blood thirst and homicidal tendencies.

Although towards the end the events of the narrative become rather too exagerated and self parodying for my liking this book is a wonderfully scathing assault on the indie music industry,gleefully ridiculing the posturing of artists and esecutives alike.Anyone with my affection for the Britpop era will adore the references to long forgotten indie bands like Unltrasound and this book is worthwhile for the unrelenting onslaught of its blistering prose.

The latest Batch

17.Paul Hoffman-The Golden Age of Censorship

I came across this book on a recent trip to Borders(for me,browsing ALWAYS becomes buying)and was immediately interested in the subject matter.The novel is based arond the British Film Secretariat and their work classifying films.The chapters dealing with the difficulty and controversy classifying films like ‘The Last House on the Left’and the ‘Child’s Play’fallout after the murder of James Bulger were particularly of interest to me as I enjoy reading about the history of film and censorship is a particularly interesting issue.Where this book falls short though is in its actual plot.The first person narration is something of an oddity as although the character of Duncan is supposedly involved in the development of the plot itself for the majority of the novel he is barely a presence.This becomes less plausible as the story unfolds as Duncan himself begins to become more unstable and sociopathic.While this novel raises some interestng questions about classification,mentla health and power it never manages to really answer any of them,and fails to add meat to the bones of the complex issues it serves to analyse.

18.Neil Gaiman-Odd and the Frost Giants

A book published exclusively for World Book Day, ‘Odd and the Frost Giants’is a simple adventure in a fantasy terrain.The child hero of the story is an unlikely one as after being injured in an accident he walks with a stick.As he ventures into a frozen landscape Odd meets an eagle,a fox and a bear who tell him stories of bravery and take him on a journey.Rather simplistic as it is obviously aimed at a young audience the book manages to have enough magic to whisk itself along nicely,even if it does have some of Narnia’s sparkle to thank.

19.Ian McEwan-The Cement Garden

My latest McEwan and probably the most unsettling of his works so far.A novella about a family of children and their withdrawal into their own disturbing world after the death of their parents.The thing I love most about McEwan’s books is the sad,often heartbreaking romantic dysfunction at their centre,and this book is no exception.Incest looms over the characters throughout and as a result is an unsettling examination of what can be happening behind closed curtains.Not my favourite McEwan but interesting and tabook breaking none the less.

20.Nicholas Sparks-Dear John

An impulsive purchase for 50p and one I decided to read for some light relief after several heavy going books.This novel revolves around the relationship that develops between a couple in their early twenties,one of whom is in the army.As the years unfold the pair struggle to hold onto what they have,and the impact of 9/11 and John’s decision to re-enlist shatters them.Although the sections on life in Iraq are glossed over,perhaps in an attempt to avoid inaccuracies,the novel highlights the impact on young men in the middle of a war and the effect on the family they left behind.The descriptions and development of the relationship at the book’s core is reminiscent of Jodi Picoult and equally gripping.The tale is sad and although the ending brings no real surprises it’s impressive that a popular author is willing to tackle such contentious issues as the war in Iraq and Autism,the latter of which is dealt with very skillfully indeed.As a gap filler this book exceeded my expectations and I have since invested in several of the author’s other books.

21.Chris Cleave-Incendiary

Before detailing the plot of this book I’d like to urge anyone reading this to book up a copy of the book if they haven’t already.On reading the opening line “Dear Osama”I knew immediately that this book would be effecting and disarming.I was correct.This novel is brief but completely searing and so painful at times I had to look away.Nevertheless it is absorbing and gripping and beautifully observed.Male writers often struggle to craft a tangible female protagonist,but Chris Cleave manages it expertly.

Before I ramble any further I’ll outline the book for you.It revolves around a working class East End woman who loves her husband and child yet seeks the relief of an affair with a neighbour.As she commits infidelity on her sofa a live football match between Arsenal and Chelsea plays in the background,and as she watches a huge explosion attacks the stadium.

What unfolds is a graphic account of the woman’s journey to try and find her family and the horrific injuries she suffers.After her physical recovery she attempts to continue her life without its central elements,and it here the book packs its hardest punch.Not only does the author examine the impact of a terrorist attack on London but the psychological impact on an individual heavily traumatised but its events.The character constantly has graphically haunting visions of those around her being burnt to death and these are brutal and disturbing.In an awful coincidence this book was originally launched on the 7th of July  2005,the day that London was the victim of a very real terrorist attack.Regardless of the fact that this book would have been unlikely to see the light of day had it been submitted for publication after the London attrocities,it is an absolutely essential book for anyone interested in reading a book with its hand at the heart of modern England.A film version is due for release soon and I will eagerly anticipate its arrival.

The latest reads

My reading is getting ahead of my attempts to keep track of things here so I thought I had better update before this becomes another project I’ve given up on.I’ve decided to make my reviews vary in terms of how much I liked or have to say about the book as some books,even good ones leave me with little to say.I am also planning to number the books from here on out so I can see how I’m progressing.

8.Helena Pielichaty-Simone’s Letters

A very sweet children’s book of letters a young girl sends to an actor in local theatre,who ends up becoming a close friend of her family.This reminded me a little of the younger Jacqueline Wilson books in that it was sweet and believable and touched on family problems and how they impact upon children.It also has cute illustrations and I always enjoy books written in the form of letters.

9.Batman-The Collected Adventures Vol.1

My first foray into the world of Batman(my favourite comic book/superhero character) graphic novels.This series is based around the cartoon of the same name and is generally the cheesier side of Batman,which I wholeheartedly embrace as I adore the original TV series in all its technicolour glory.The stories in this novel were greatly enjoyable and entertaining,particularly the one featuring the Scarecrow and the disease which leaves people illiterate.I have since purchased’The Dark Knight’graphic novel which seems to be the holy grail of Batman books so no doubt I will discuss that at a later date.

10.Ruth Thomas-Things to Make and Mend

This book revolves around a middle aged seamstress who from the outset is a rather dull character with no easily definable characteristics.She is fixated on the past and the deterioration of the relationship with her high school best friend.This novel sets up the premise of an explosive secret that tore the two women apart,but this ’secret’is never given a chance to deliver as it becomes obvious very early on what will happen.The ‘clues’the author leaves are transparent and the actual secret itself amounts to little more than a cliche.The ‘blurb’also discusses the events which will bring the women to meet again in middle age,but when this happens the book has only a few pages left,meaning their is little real discussion of the dynamics of their relationship as adults and how this unfolds.Overall I found this book tedious and difficult to continue with as the characters were so poorly drawn that I didn’t care about them at all as they just didn’t seem real.

11.Tom Reynolds-Touch Me,I’m Sick

My second non-fiction book of the year,’Touch Me,I’m Sick’is a countdown of the 50 creepiest love songs ever,at least in the opinion of the author.It is in turn amusing,infuriating and grating,largely due to the often smug tone of the author.Clearly considering himself quite the comedian he continually berates artists such as Tori Amos for having too many songs about angels and butterflies,at times passing far beyond supposed humour and instead presenting himself as a thinly veiled misogynist.Although this book is entertaining at times after a while I found the style annoying and unoriginal,like lad-lit with a better record collection.Another letdown as good books about alternative music don’t come along very often so it’s a shame that this couldn’t be one of them.

12.Sally Gardner-The Strongest Girl in the World

I tend to read children’s books when I either need to be comforted by the thought of being a child again or if I’ve read a couple of dissappointing adult books and want a short reprieve.The latter happened with the previous two books which lead me to ‘The Strongest Girl in the World’.It reads like a fable and has a very obvious moral at the end but was a sweet read and would probably make a nice children’s film if the plot could be padded out a little.

13.Jenny Valentine-Broken Soup

The first book that I’m sure will be in my end of year list,this is an absolutely wonderful book and one that rescued me from a reading slump.The lot revolves around a teenage girl who is approached by a boy in a shop.He hands her a negative he is certain she just dropped.Knowing she did no such thing but feeling embarassed she takes the negative and a new friend later helps her to develop it.I don’t want to say too much as it could ruin the suspense of the book which builds gradually throughout.The book is tight with tension and although technically a young adult book the characters and the plot are so well observed and developed I can’t imagine there are many adults who wouldn’t enjoy it,I read it over the course of an afternoon and it’s definitely a book I would read again in the future.

14.Miranda July-No One Belongs Here More than You

A collection of short stories from the spoken word artist/writer,director and star of the wonderful film ‘Me,You and Everyone We Know’,the stories are exactly what I’d anticipated,beautiful and beguiling as well as shocking,coarse and sometimes seedy.All of the stories seem to link together in a natural flow as the book progresses and although I found that I liked the last couple less than some of the earlier ones this was nevertheless a thoroughly absorbing and enchanting book and written in a very beautiful,near poetic style.Another I expect to see on my end of year list.

15.Diablo Cody-Candy Girl

Although I do enjoy reading memoirs now and then the main reason I was drawn to this particular book will no doubt be the same reason this book suddenly has more orders on Amazon,the superb sassiness which is ‘Juno’.The author the screenplay also penned this memoir about her year spent working in strip clubs.The writing is as spikey as you would expect if you’ve seen ‘Juno’and particularly considering the explicit nature of the books contents.This is definitely a gripping book and one that makes you feel uncomfortably like a voyeur throughout much of it.My only criticism would be how detached the writing style seems at times and the vagueness of some aspects of the story leading me to feel that despite making the decision to write the book Cody wasn’t quite comfortable revealing everything.Still I will look forward to any future projects by the enigmatic Ms Cody.

16.Jenny Valentine-Finding Violet Park

Luckily I had the foresight to buy both of Jenny Valentine’s books at once in a 2 for 1 offer,meaning that after thoroughly enjoying ‘Broken Soup’I couldn’t bring myself to wait very lond before devouring her debut novel.It unfolds in a similarly suspense tinged style to her other book,and again deals with the impact that absent family members have on those left behind.As with ‘Broken Soup’it was touching and thought provoking if not quite so gripping.It’s perhaps my own fault though that I chose to read the debut first,but nevertheless the book was original and thoughful and developed at a gripping pace.

So that’s me up to date for now,I just hope I get some readers for my efforts!

Books 5,6 and 7

Book 5 was ‘How to Write a Novel in a Year’by Louise Doughty.It began as a c0lumn in the Daily Telegraph and had so many responses it was converted into a book.The book features a variety of exercises and techniques designed to help with generating and developing ideas when writing a novel.I followed some of the exercises but after a while I was enjoying the actual reading of the book so much that I decided to read it in full and then return to the exercises later.

The writing style is perfect for this type of book,it is wry and engaging and although I already knew of Louise Doughty as an author(indeed that’s why I decided to buy the book in the first place),I definitely want to read one of her novels soon.

Number 6 was ‘Special Topics in Calamity Physics’ by Marisha Pessl.I was drawn to it by the interesting sleeve design and the glowing review from Audrey Niffeneger and as it was only £1 I quickly purchased it and began reading it the same day.It’s a lengthy novel and a greatly ambitious one,and the style is highly unique.Narrated by the bizarrely names Blue Van Der Meer the book is full of references to largely obscure texts read by the protagonist,and is layed out like a syllabus,with each chapter being named after a great work of literature.It is startling,perplexing and by the second half certainly gripping.Although I found the very end a little too neat for my tastes and was slightly irritated that there were still so many unanswered questions,overall this book was staggeringly ambitious for a debut novel and definitely worth reading.

Book 7 was ‘The Position’by Meg Wolitzer and centres around what happens in the 1970s when the four Mellows children discover their parents have written a very popular sex guide with graphic illustrations of their acts.The book then skips foward to the present and updates the reader on how each of the siblings has grown up and the impact their parents lives have had on them.The dynamics of the family have heavy similarities with those of ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’and while I found the book very entertaining initially after a while I struggled to get through it.The problem may be that I found many of the characters hard to empathise with,in particular the Mother who appears to be nothing beyond a vaguely drawn woman who is incredibly vain and self obsessed.In general this book failed for me as it seemed to take a decent idea and make it generic,largely because the characters resembled those of so many independent films so closely.

Well the current reads seem to have been rather diverse which will hopefully make for more interesting reading!Next is likely to be a Batman graphic novel and a couple of children’s books.

Reads in January so far

My first book of the year was ‘The Illumination of Merton Browne’by JM Shaw.I found it in an Oxfam bookshop in London recently and liked the idea of the central character finding a basement of forgotten books.It came as something of a surprise once I started reading the book that rather than being a whimsical tale of an awkward adolescent it was much more about gang violence and various degrees of abuse.I don’t usually favour very grim and gritty books but I persevered with this one.

What makes ‘The Illumination…’interesting also acts as its downfall.Whilst it’s interesting to read about someone very articulate and intelligent who is also part of a gang acting outside the law,this also adds to the very unrealistic ending to the book.To me it seems rather lame to layer on schmaltz and redemption after doing so well with shocking and stark urban realism.

Next was Ian McEwan’s ‘On Chesil Beach’which I’d be eagerly awaiting for months.The only reason it took me this long to get around to it was because I didn’t want to shell out for a hardback copy of such a small book.It was worth the wait though as,like every review I’ve seen would suggest it is a wonderfully evocative novel and beautifully written.My only criticism would be that it seems a little too brief,with the ending arriving unbearably quickly.I also wasn’t hugely thrilled with the summary of the later years of the characters as I felt it superfluous,but overall it was a touching snapshot of an intimate evening.I am yet to read a McEwan that can touch ‘Atonement’though.

Then there was John Crace’s ‘The Digested Reader’in which the author attempts to sumarise a variety of books in around 500 words,all of the summaries written in the style of the original author.This idea began as a newspaper column and I think it probably worked better in that format.Although it was amusing and covered a variety of books from literary fiction to trashy autobiographies it just seemed too much to read it all at once and after a while the ruthless mocking seemed to get a little too smug for my liking.

Then there was Meg Cabot’s ‘Size Doesn’t Matter’(also known as ‘Big Boned’)the third in the Heather Wells mystery series.I loved the other books in the series and couldn’t put them down,they were fun,touching and greatly enjoyable.The problem I found with ‘Size Doesn’t Matter’was that it seemed too similar to the previous books in places,particularly the issues surrounding Heather’s love life.I also found the murder and its motive ludicrous and the ending of the book was much cheesier than anything I would expect from Meg Cabot.So although a very light and easy read it lacked the spark of the other books,I do hope there will be more in the series though as hopefully this one was just a weak link.

So that’s what I’ve managed so far,I have several other books on the go at the moment so I’m sure I will be back soon.

Hello!

This is my first post here so I’m not that sure how to begin really.I had the idea that it might be fun to write reviews of the books I read throughout the year and post them here.I’ve had ideas like this before and lacked the follow through to keep up with them but as I’m always reading I thought I would give it a shot and hope that a)anyone out there finds this interesting enough to read and b)I won’t be completely lacking in my attempts to craft words about my thoughts on the books I come across.

Wish me luck!