So a fortnight has passed - apologies for that, but last weekend we were down visiting my little brother and his fiancee in their new house. I say 'little' - he's 24 and about six feet tall - but he'll always be little to me! We didn't get home till Sunday night and after a weekend of Eurovision, FA Cup watching, walking through wheat fields and dancing to the Xbox Dance Central game (awesome!!) I was just too tired to post.
Since last booklog I've finished:
* My Life On A Plate ~ India Knight
My sister-in-law gave me this as she was going to donate it to a charity shop (don't worry, they haven't missed out as I will still do this!) - it's chick lit, or possibly more accurately 'mummy lit', if that term exists? As such, I have to say that being child-free I found it almost impossible to relate to and therefore didn't really enjoy it much. The heroine, Clara, is 33 (though I had to keep reminding myself of that as she didn't seem it, she seemed much older somehow), married to a man who works in fashion, with two small children. She does an occasional bit of writing for a magazine but is otherwise a housewife and the main gist of the book is that she's bored with her life.
Don't get me wrong - I don't doubt that this is a very real issue for some women, but there was just something about the way Clara whines on about it to her friends and dithers about until the end of the book where things change (though not really because of her actions, rather the actions of others) that really irritated me. She just seems a bit wishy-washy, especially compared to her friends who are very well written as peripheral characters. There are also plot factors that never seem to be resolved, for example (SPOILER!), various hints are dropped throughout that seem to indicate that she might be pregnant - I expected that the realisation of this might be a turning point near the end and hoped that it might force her into taking action in some way, but it never happens. Just isn't mentioned. I hate to say it, because now I've started my own chick lit story I can appreciate how hard it is to write one, but the book overall just feels a little half-hearted. Because I liked the comedy friends and because the writing style itself is sparky and quick, which I enjoy (it was just the subject matter that didn't appeal to me), I give it: 2/5
* Dead Men's Money ~ J.S. Fletcher
Another mystery written back in days of old (J.S. Fletcher lived 1863-1935), although this one is more similar to Treasure Island than anything Agatha Christie - it starts with a mysterious stranger taking up lodgings in the home of the narrator and leads to murders, intrigue and a lot more action than I expected! It becomes fairly apparent who is responsible for the murders and is then more a case of whether our hero and his contemporaries will catch that person. The ending seemed quite abrupt, but otherwise the story is well-paced throughout. The only thing that annoyed me was the constant use of the word 'yon', which I've never really seen in any other book, as in 'what happened to yon man from yon house?', 'I saw him go over yon hill' etc. I suppose it was a natural part of Fletcher's dialect but it does seem to crop up where 'the' or 'that' could easily have been used instead. Other than that, very enjoyable! 4/5
Since last booklog I've started:
* Unseen Academicals ~ Terry Pratchett
* The Hemlock Cup ~ Bettany Hughes
Both from the library - for some reason I've brought home a load of massive books with no hope of being able to finish them all within three weeks (stupid girl!). Thank goodness I can renew them online...
I'm still reading:
* Crime and Punishment ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky
* Rattle His Bones ~ Carola Dunn
Things are a little closer to normality here now - the big issue that has been plaguing us (which will remain unexplained to you I'm afraid - sorry about that but there are reasons) is nearer resolution so I should hopefully have more time to a) write on Wednesdays and b) blog on both Wednesdays and Sundays.
For now, adieu!
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