Bel Mooney
1997
0-7515-2261-9
Rosa McKee, just on the point of forgiving her husband for forgetting their 22nd wedding anniversary, is shocked when he dies of a heart attack, shattering her life.
But hard on the heels of her loss is the discovery of letters that he had written - love letters, to a mystery woman. Rosa's grief is replaced with fury, and as the betrayals mount up, she is forced to work through them, for no one can survive on hate alone.
This is very different to the books I generally read, and I found it stifling to be trapped in a first-person view for so long, especially as so much of the story happens in Rosa's mind. It was a relief to get it finished, and I have to admit, I don't think I'm the right kind of audience for this introspective, emotional journey.
Date Finished: 28/06/08
Year Total: 25
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Reprisal
Peter Yeldham
1994
1-86412-020-7
Seven years after a near-perfect bank robbery in Sydney, the body of the only man caught turns up bobbing in Sydney Harbour. Detective Frank Borodin is put on the case by his boss McTaggart, who, although he has been obsessed with the case from the get-go, is a pain in the backside who is quickly relegated a fringe role. Borodin, his young partner and impossibly beautiful girlfriend throw themselves into the case, only to discover that it is not the main crime going on.
This was an entertaining read. Borodin is a fairly down-to-earth character, and was by far the most realistic - everyone else seemed exaggarated almost beyond a joke; Toby reminds me of an eager puppy, McTaggart is a bolshy political wannabe, while every man in the vicinity seems to fall in love with Joanna at first sight. Still, these are minor complaints, as each character is outshone by the storyline itself, which stayed interesting well after the showdown with the bad guy.
Date Finished: 23/06/08
Year Total: 24
1994
1-86412-020-7
Seven years after a near-perfect bank robbery in Sydney, the body of the only man caught turns up bobbing in Sydney Harbour. Detective Frank Borodin is put on the case by his boss McTaggart, who, although he has been obsessed with the case from the get-go, is a pain in the backside who is quickly relegated a fringe role. Borodin, his young partner and impossibly beautiful girlfriend throw themselves into the case, only to discover that it is not the main crime going on.
This was an entertaining read. Borodin is a fairly down-to-earth character, and was by far the most realistic - everyone else seemed exaggarated almost beyond a joke; Toby reminds me of an eager puppy, McTaggart is a bolshy political wannabe, while every man in the vicinity seems to fall in love with Joanna at first sight. Still, these are minor complaints, as each character is outshone by the storyline itself, which stayed interesting well after the showdown with the bad guy.
Date Finished: 23/06/08
Year Total: 24
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Officers' Ward
Marc Dugain
1998
1-86159-177-2
Lieutenant Adrian, arriving at the front lines at the beginning of the Great War, is blown up on his very first day and removed to Paris, where he spends the entire war in a hospital ward built especially for men who have lost their faces.
Between operations to repair the damage and rebuild what they can, Adrian finds three friends, and together they find the strength to continue living in the face of fear and pity in the outside world.
Written sparsely, this book is strangely moving; in spite of the sometimes bald narration, you are drawn in to the world of the sheltered and injured, so that the ending is both poignant and heartbreaking. This was a surprise find, and one that will be with me for a long time.
Date finished: 17/06/08
Year total: 23
1998
1-86159-177-2
Lieutenant Adrian, arriving at the front lines at the beginning of the Great War, is blown up on his very first day and removed to Paris, where he spends the entire war in a hospital ward built especially for men who have lost their faces.
Between operations to repair the damage and rebuild what they can, Adrian finds three friends, and together they find the strength to continue living in the face of fear and pity in the outside world.
Written sparsely, this book is strangely moving; in spite of the sometimes bald narration, you are drawn in to the world of the sheltered and injured, so that the ending is both poignant and heartbreaking. This was a surprise find, and one that will be with me for a long time.
Date finished: 17/06/08
Year total: 23
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Good Omens
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
1990
978-0-57508-0-485
The Antichrist has been born - the end times are coming. Or they would be, if anyone knew where the baby ended up. Two beings, one on each side, are desperate to find out, but not because they want to be there when Armageddon begins...
I read this years ago, and have remembered it as a great read. It's not - it's brilliant. Witty, entertaining and raising a couple of points that everyone should have thought of themselves, this is now one of my all-time favourites. Both authors or living legends, with legions of fans, and the combination (even if they admit it was before they were cool) is irresistible.
Date Finished: 12/06/08
Year Total: 22
1990
978-0-57508-0-485
The Antichrist has been born - the end times are coming. Or they would be, if anyone knew where the baby ended up. Two beings, one on each side, are desperate to find out, but not because they want to be there when Armageddon begins...
I read this years ago, and have remembered it as a great read. It's not - it's brilliant. Witty, entertaining and raising a couple of points that everyone should have thought of themselves, this is now one of my all-time favourites. Both authors or living legends, with legions of fans, and the combination (even if they admit it was before they were cool) is irresistible.
Date Finished: 12/06/08
Year Total: 22
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Claudia: Daughter of Rome
Antoinette May
2006
0-7528-8660-2
The niece of Aggripina, (mother of Caligula) Claudia is no stranger to intrigue and politics, but as her story takes her from the arms of her family to her husband and her own family, she learns what true sorrow and pain is.
Gifted with the sight, she is tormented by her dreams, and devotes herself to her passions. Her story weaves in and out of accepted history; friends with Mary Magdalene and wife of Pontius Pilate, this is the story of an historical side note, richly fleshed out into an entertaining and absorbing read.
Date Finished: 10/06/08
Year Total: 21
2006
0-7528-8660-2
The niece of Aggripina, (mother of Caligula) Claudia is no stranger to intrigue and politics, but as her story takes her from the arms of her family to her husband and her own family, she learns what true sorrow and pain is.
Gifted with the sight, she is tormented by her dreams, and devotes herself to her passions. Her story weaves in and out of accepted history; friends with Mary Magdalene and wife of Pontius Pilate, this is the story of an historical side note, richly fleshed out into an entertaining and absorbing read.
Date Finished: 10/06/08
Year Total: 21
The Moth Diaries
Rachel Klein
2002
0-571-22463-6
The diary of a 16yo girl at boarding school, with foreword and afterword by the diarist as an adult. Starting at the beginning, with the impatience of waiting for Lucy, her best friend and roommate, and detailing the way teenage life ebbs and flows and begins to spiral out of control.
As Lucy seemingly deserts the unnamed writer in favour of Ernessa, things start to deteriorate, and the writer's obsession with Ernessa grows.
This was a disturbing read, as things get more dangerous and the inevitable ending, I found it a relief to finish.
Date Finished: 04/06/08
Year Total: 20
2002
0-571-22463-6
The diary of a 16yo girl at boarding school, with foreword and afterword by the diarist as an adult. Starting at the beginning, with the impatience of waiting for Lucy, her best friend and roommate, and detailing the way teenage life ebbs and flows and begins to spiral out of control.
As Lucy seemingly deserts the unnamed writer in favour of Ernessa, things start to deteriorate, and the writer's obsession with Ernessa grows.
This was a disturbing read, as things get more dangerous and the inevitable ending, I found it a relief to finish.
Date Finished: 04/06/08
Year Total: 20
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