Read Merrily: October 2004

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Black Beauty

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

i've had a completely wrong impression of that book for 20 years. I thought it was a story of a child who owned a horse. Bizarre.

Read it in a night, loved it, gorgeous. (Probably better not watch the film!) Can't WAIT to read it to the girls!

1:35 PM 0 comments

Emma

Okay, i am cured of my Jane Austen affliction, i really will try P&P again. i liked this one too. I'd even read it again. I didn't like it as much as Persuasion but i enjoyed sitting down with it each night, which i'm really pleased about!

I think its too well known to bother reviewing and i can't quite be bothered but it amused me!!!

2:35 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Persuasion

Should have read this first of all my Jane Austen's. Its been on my shelf for a mere 14 years where i have studiously ignored it because my dad gave it to me to enhance my A level studies and consequently i didn't want to know. In fact it was actually his OU copy.

I thought it was really different to Mansfield Park and Pride and Prejudice; a much gentler, more mature, more realistic book. The main character, Anne, was neither stupidly naive, irritatingly nice (although she WAS nice) nor mind numbingly stupid like the idiot character in P&P whose name i forget. Apparently it was her last novel and published after her death and i couldn't help but wonder if it was a reflection on something which might have nearly happened to her. My copy has a biography in the back and i actually feel quite inclined to read it to find out slightly more about her.

Whether i would read this again i don't know but although it was hardly a compelling read it was gentle and pleasant and i was quite happy to pick it up at night. I even finished it before i got up this morning; and if i saw it on an OU course list i wouldn't be put off in the way i would be by P&P (maybe i ought to give that another go!)

Just been into town and found several books in The Works for £1.25 each so i got:-
Pinocchio
The Jungle Book
Emma
War and Peace
The Count of Monte Cristo
David Copperfield

All the Big Read ones are fairly meaty books so that should keep me going a while!!!!!

9:35 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Treasure Island

Sneaked in a quicky before starting Persuasion.

I liked this in a kids classic sort of way, although it didn't really enthrall me - maybe its more a boy/tomboy type book. I think i prefer Swallows and Amazons over it though. Part of the problem was definitely that Captain Smollett just was Kermit in my head the whole time, while Long John was a Tim Curry/Treasure Planet combi that was most disconcerting. And i just COULDN'T shake the images!!!!!

5:21 AM 0 comments

Monday, October 04, 2004

The Pillars of the Earth

Kirsty spoke really highly of this so i was looking forward to getting into it. She was right, a great book. It had an odd quality to it, written by a man that seemed to come through; it was very brutal and unforgiving at times (not for the faint hearted anyway) and yet it was still a style and genre that i seem to associate more with female writing.

Its a historical epic, further back even than Katherine, and so right up my street. I had the slight impression that it might not have been as meticulously historically correct as some books i have read but then it was more using history as a backdrop than indulging in retelling it. I think the thing that gave me that impression was the end, which suddenly collided with very real events and seemed, i'm not sure, slightly like the end of an essay you finish before register is taken, if you see what i mean!!!! Other than that though, its been a fabulous read, long, meandering, satisfyingly "right" at the end with lots of character development and plenty of time to feel you had partaken of an adventure.

Plus it was partly inspired by Peterborough Cathedral, which made me feel warmish towards it. I've been reading Kirsty's cope and i'm definitely going to look out for my own, because i know i would enjoy reading it again at some point.

So that makes 46; can i do 50 before Babe arrives?????

1:39 AM 0 comments

An attempt to get through everything i haven't already read in the BBC Big Read Top 100 during this year (hmmmm... maybe a little longer than 2004 actually... didn't bargain on the pregnancy and baby!!!!!)

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