Here we are again, can you believe it? The end of one year and the start of another. And what a year it's been for my reading project!
This has been my most successful twelve months so far. I've read 33 books, a whole ten more than in 2013. Admittedly, eight of them were gifts sent to me by various publishers and retailers (thank you!) plus there were a couple of books that weren't on my list at the start of the year, but overall everything balanced out. The extra ten books I read were new, so the remaining 23 came off my list. So it all sort of worked out nicely in the end.
As always, I've hit the variety button! The non-fiction covered everything from journalese to murder to psychics to psychology, as well as positive thinking and chocolate (not the same book, honest!). I've enjoyed new and established writers, short stories and full length novels. I read thrillers, science fiction, horror and, of course, my favourite, historical fiction, plus a couple of books that defy genre. These included an original retelling of Romeo and Juliet which I think is very underrated. Looking back, it's been a very eclectic year and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.
Last year, I decided to try reading series of books to give me some intermediate and (hopefully) more achievable targets. I would like to go back to Philippa Gregory's Cousins' War series soon and am keeping up with Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories, but this year has been the year of James Bond. I've always loved the films and had heard a lot about the books, so really wanted to give them a go. I'm lucky enough to have a lot of them on CD, so this was the series I started in 2014. I've now heard six of the books and am part way through a seventh ('From Russia with Love'). There are just six more after that, so perhaps I'll finish them all in the next year. You never know!
I'd also like to return to Cornwall and see how the Poldarks are getting on. A new TV adaptation is looming, so I would really like to be able to watch it without spoiling the books!
So, as well as finishing Fleming and Graham's back catalogues, what else does 2015 hold? Well, I'd really like to read at least one classic next year, as well as more non-fiction history. I've got some great looking history on the shelves and would really like to see if it lives up to expectations!
As always, thank you for joining me on this journey. I hope you're still enjoying the blog and finding my posts useful and entertaining. If you've got any feedback, you can find me on Twitter as @Girl_LovesBooks. Take care and have a fun and fabulous new year!
Related Posts
Review of the Year 2013
Review of the Year 2012
2014: The Year in Books
January
'Alex and Me' by Irene M Pepperberg
February
'Romps, Tots and Boffins' by Robert Hutton
'The Pagan Lord' by Bernard Cornwell
'For Your Eyes Only' by Ian Fleming
March
'The Devil in the Marshalsea' by Antonia Hodgson
'Gin O'Clock' by The Queen of Twitter
'The Bluffer's Guide to Chocolate'
April
'Casino Royale' by Ian Fleming
'Bird Box' by Josh Malerman
May
'Mr Briggs' Hat: A Sensational Account of Britain's First Railway Murder' by Kate Colquhoun
'Live and Let Die' by Ian Fleming
June
'A Host of Voices' by Doris Stokes
'Dr No' by Ian Fleming
'The Psychic Tourist' by William Little
'The Essential Marx' by Groucho Marx, selected by Stefan Kanfer
July
'All My Friends are Superheroes' by Andrew Kaufman
'The Art of Being Brilliant' by Andy Cope and Andy Whittaker
'Warleggan' by Winston Graham
'My Baby Shot Me Down' by Blinding Books
August
'Wake' by Anna Hope
'Octopussy, the Living Daylights and Other Stories' by Ian Fleming
'Moranthology' by Caitlin Moran
September
'The Illustrated Man' by Ray Bradbury
'Thunderball' by Ian Fleming
'Love and Treasure' by Ayelet Waldman
'Warm Bodies' Isaac Marion
October
'Office Politics' by Oliver James
'We Bought a Zoo' by Benjamin Mee
'The Tiny Wife' by Andrew Kaufman
November
'How to Read a Graveyard' by Peter Stanford
'Moonraker' by Ian Fleming
December
'The Miniaturist' by Jessie Burton
31 December 2014
Our House
Earlier this week, I finished reading 'The Miniaturist' by Jessie Burton. Burton's first book has caused quite a stir, gaining many passionate fans and winning the Waterstones' Book of the Year title. This should've reassured me, but I couldn't ignore the niggle in the pit of my stomach telling me not to get my hopes up too much...
'The Miniaturist' is set in late 1600s Amsterdam at a time when capitalism, faith and superstition are in constant conflict, building walls and expectations between people and families. Eighteen year old Nella arrives in the city eager to begin life with her new husband, the merchant Johannes Brandt. But her reception is unexpectedly cold; Johannes is absent and neither her aloof sister-in-law Marin nor the household servants Cornelia and Otto make her welcome. Before long, Nella feels unwanted and useless, a mere bauble to demonstrate her husband's success, her hopes of children and love whithering away. In an attempt at kindness, Johannes buys her a cabinet containing a replica of their own home, perhaps hoping to paint over the cracks in their relationship. With little else to do, Nella decides to furnish it and begins placing orders with a miniaturist. But when unrequested furniture and figurines start arriving which suggest more is going on in the real household than Nella realises, she determines to find out more about the elusive artisan...
I'm delighted to say that 'The Miniaturist' is an excellent book. It's easy to identify with Nella, the stranger in a strange city, and I found it impossible to abandon her, especially once the web of secrets surrounding the Brandt household began to unravel. Events are heartbreaking and raw, but the young bride is made of sterner stuff than even she realises and the reader roots for her to the very last page.
The story is expertly crafted, full of characters with public images often at odds with their private passions and grand designs. Despite everything, the book manages to end with hope. In the hands of a lesser writer, it could easily have become depressing. Instead, it has all the tension of a thriller, the tenderness of a romance and the texture of an historical drama.
Complex, unexpected and sometimes shocking, 'The Miniaturist' is a book for people who like ideas and stories which make them think, stories which leave room for mystery and don't necessarily answer every question. If that sounds like you, then it is highly recommended.
It's hard to believe that this is Ms Burton's first novel and I eagerly await her next. Although I really do need to read a few more books first!
Now for a trip back to Anglo-Saxon Englaland with everyone's favourite war lord...
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| 'The Miniaturist' by Jessie Burton (Picador, 2014) |
I'm delighted to say that 'The Miniaturist' is an excellent book. It's easy to identify with Nella, the stranger in a strange city, and I found it impossible to abandon her, especially once the web of secrets surrounding the Brandt household began to unravel. Events are heartbreaking and raw, but the young bride is made of sterner stuff than even she realises and the reader roots for her to the very last page.
The story is expertly crafted, full of characters with public images often at odds with their private passions and grand designs. Despite everything, the book manages to end with hope. In the hands of a lesser writer, it could easily have become depressing. Instead, it has all the tension of a thriller, the tenderness of a romance and the texture of an historical drama.
Complex, unexpected and sometimes shocking, 'The Miniaturist' is a book for people who like ideas and stories which make them think, stories which leave room for mystery and don't necessarily answer every question. If that sounds like you, then it is highly recommended.
It's hard to believe that this is Ms Burton's first novel and I eagerly await her next. Although I really do need to read a few more books first!
Now for a trip back to Anglo-Saxon Englaland with everyone's favourite war lord...
05 December 2014
Call Me Indestructible...
Sorry I'm late! I finished listening to 'Moonraker' by Ian Fleming, read by Bill Nighy, last weekend and completely forgot to blog about it. Suspect I've been thinking too much about my Christmas shopping. Well, there are so many fabulous books out there it takes a lot of brainpower to decide which to give to people!
At the beginning of 'Moonraker', James Bond seems a bit bored. He's back at his desk in London, teasing his secretary, worrying about his colleagues and desperate for a diversion. It isn't much, but when M asks for his help with a possible cards cheat at his exclusive club, Bond jumps at the chance. After all, why would Sir Hugo Drax, multi-millionaire, commodities tycoon and national hero need to cheat at cards? Drax's bad habit must be stopped before a scandal breaks, something which would threaten his latest project, the superatomic Moonraker rocket, jewel in the British defence crown. Suitably beaten, it looks like the end of it, until events take an unexpected turn and Bond finds himself at the Moonraker construction site. Working with undercover Special Branch officer Garla Brand, he soon realises something isn't quite right. But can he work out what it is in time to save the world once more?
Who'd have thought that a Bond set in Britain rather than some exotic location would be this good? Seriously, if you'd said the next movie was going to be filmed in Kent, I would have laughed. But, like so many of the other 007 Reloaded audiobooks I've listened to this year, this is deceptively brilliant.
The plot is well paced and the story filled with so much mystery that I couldn't wait to hear what happened next. Bond and Brand puzzle over clues that are like odd shaped jigsaw pieces and the tension increases with the arrival of each new tidbit.
And the peril! It looks like it's far more dangerous for Bond at home than it ever could be abroad! The one unsolved mystery is how he manages to make it through the book without breaking anything. But then, he wouldn't be much of a hero if he wasn't indestructible.
By contrast, Drax is a man destroyed then reassembled, reborn from a murky past but scarred mentally and physically. The physical descriptions of him are raw and often repulsive, but they bring the character to life in all his skin crawling glory.
I often worry about the way women are portrayed in Fleming's books, but I rather liked Carla Brand. Although not my favourite Bond girl, she was tough and clever and added a twist to the book's ending which I rather liked.
I must also mention Bill Nighy, who read this particular audiobook. He was absolutely fantastic and I hope to hear more by him in the future.
Overall, if you enjoy action, adventure and thrills, then you'll enjoy 'Moonraker'. I'm getting used to this Bond now and am enjoying finding out more about his world. I can't wait to start 'From Russia with Love'.
Related Posts
'Casino Royale'
'Live and Let Die'
'Dr No'
'For Your Eyes Only'
'Thunderball'
'Octopussy, the Living Daylights and Other Stories'
 |
| 'Moonraker' by Ian Fleming Read by Bill Nighy (AudioGo, 2012) |
Who'd have thought that a Bond set in Britain rather than some exotic location would be this good? Seriously, if you'd said the next movie was going to be filmed in Kent, I would have laughed. But, like so many of the other 007 Reloaded audiobooks I've listened to this year, this is deceptively brilliant.
The plot is well paced and the story filled with so much mystery that I couldn't wait to hear what happened next. Bond and Brand puzzle over clues that are like odd shaped jigsaw pieces and the tension increases with the arrival of each new tidbit.
And the peril! It looks like it's far more dangerous for Bond at home than it ever could be abroad! The one unsolved mystery is how he manages to make it through the book without breaking anything. But then, he wouldn't be much of a hero if he wasn't indestructible.
 |
| 'Moonraker' by Ian Fleming (Penguin Modern Classics,2004) |
I often worry about the way women are portrayed in Fleming's books, but I rather liked Carla Brand. Although not my favourite Bond girl, she was tough and clever and added a twist to the book's ending which I rather liked.
I must also mention Bill Nighy, who read this particular audiobook. He was absolutely fantastic and I hope to hear more by him in the future.
Overall, if you enjoy action, adventure and thrills, then you'll enjoy 'Moonraker'. I'm getting used to this Bond now and am enjoying finding out more about his world. I can't wait to start 'From Russia with Love'.
Related Posts
'Casino Royale'
'Live and Let Die'
'Dr No'
'For Your Eyes Only'
'Thunderball'
'Octopussy, the Living Daylights and Other Stories'
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