Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret - Benjamin Stevenson

 50%

17.12.24

This was a 'by numbers' Christmas cash-in (literally - the structure was based on an Advent calendar) that was almost self-aware enough, in the usual Stevenson style, to pull off. But not quite - it lacked the passion to be anything other than a gimmicky read - although I liked the determined portrayal of the festive Australian summer.

The Last Dragonslayer - Jasper Fforde

 50%

26.10.24

I have no memory of buying this so I read it - and I only remembered I'd read it after finishing the book I'd read after it, a few days later, which isn't a good sign. It was fine - amusing, with good worldbuilding, but the story was confusing and not particularly exciting for a YA adventure. It was (Fforde's adult fantasy/satire) Shades of Grey lite.

Separation Anxiety - Laura Zigman

 50%

01.06.23

I don't really get on with tragicomedies. A couple of things in this raised a wry smile but, while marketed as being a funny story about a midlife crisis, it was more about ongoing mental health issues and grief, which aren't particularly funny, and there wasn't even much of a plot. It wasn't so much 'rich people drama' as 'middle-class angst' (and the negative attitude towards only children was irritating).

Wicked Business - Janet Evanovich

50%
07.02.19

I saw this in the library so I picked it up and checked it out and then I read it. And now I will forget it entirely.

The Children Act - Ian McEwan

50%
25.02.18

Despite having two copies of 'Atonement', I've never read any Ian McEwan books before. I'm not sure I'll read any more in a hurry as this seemed to have little point as a novel. Yes, it raises some questions about the nature of law and the challenges of upholding it, but so does the A-Level textbook I've just edited, and that has pictures.

Love, Rosie/Where Rainbows End - Cecelia Ahern

50%
30.10.16

I thought it was high time I read a Cecelia Ahern book and it was just as I expected - readable and undemanding chick lit. Though I wonder if my take-home message that the book was about lives wasted for no reason whatsoever is the one that's intended.

The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton

50%
06.02.15

I actually fell asleep while reading this one night. Perhaps I was just really tired. The context of 17th-century Amsterdam was quite interesting but the muddled plot, inconsistent characterisation and, ultimately, the lack of resolution were disappointing, given the current hype.

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

50%
29.07.14

Too many words. Not enough plot.

John Saturnall's Feast - Laurence Norfolk

50%
07.04.14

More historical servants, this time carrying out their well-researched duties during the English Civil War. I was lured by promises of luscious food descriptions but actually they're not particularly memorable, and neither are the characters. Or the plot. What was it about again?

The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery

50%
17.06.12

So I happened to take two philosophical novels in translation on holiday with me. I know, most people take a nice murder mystery or exotic romance when they want a break, but I like a challenge, me. It will be a while before I finish The Discovery of Heaven but what makes that so enjoyable while this was tedious and preachy? Mostly because the characters were totally unbelievable: no 12-year-old thinks or speaks like that, and the motives for the other narrator's secrecy were flimsy at best. The endless ruminations on art were presented as universal truths. The quality of the writing was fine but it just needed a burst of the Mulisch panache to bring everything to life.

A Game of Hide and Seek - Elizabeth Taylor

50%
27.04.09

No, not that Elizabeth Taylor. An exquisitely written but deeply strange and detached book, with very little plot. A man and woman fall in love and then... nothing happens except a lot of buttoned up Britishness. Makes 'Brief Encounter' look like a thriller.

The Book Thief - Marcus Zusac

50%
23.09.08

Unbearably pretentious or unbearably moving? I'd go for the former, but several schools of thought go for the latter. Clever and well researched, and certainly unusual - and even, in some ways, important. But also somehow manipulative and heartless.

The Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney

50%
11.08.07




Just average. Much has been made of the author's lack of personal experience of the wilderness she describes, but imagination should be the core of storytelling so this isn't really the problem. What she should have researched more is plot and characterisation - so many anachronisms, so much tedium. At least the ending showed a bit of spirit.

Twelve Sharp - Janet Evanovich

50%
19.08.07




Another average book. Complete nonsense, but still fun, if increasingly laboured as the series goes on.

Old Filth - Jane Gardam

10.09.06
50%




Didn't really get the point of this - it wasn't very interesting or noticably well written.

The Body in the Bath House - Lindsey Davis

15.12.05
50%




Confusing and badly written but some interesting historical details. Quite fun.

Liars and Saints - Maile Meloy

 29.07.05
50%




A strange attempt at an Anne Tyler-style family saga, hampered by a pervasive emotional detachment. The characters aren't sufficiently developed for their actions to make sense - and it's also one of those irritating stories in which all the girls get pregnant immediately and/or get married unfeasibly young. Interesting Catholic undercurrent, though.

New Beginnings - New writing from bestselling authors sold in aid of tsunami earthquake charities

50%
08.07.05

Produced for charity, but more a cynical marketing exercise. Only Stephen's King's contribution was any good.

The Lawnmower Celebrity - Ben Hatch

50%
13.01.05

Ultimately, I'm not convinced that the narrative transcends the shallowness and selfishness of the young narrator and his family. 'Catcher in the Rye' this ain't, no matter how hard it wants to be. An average first novel, which gets an average score. [Ju's note: I don't remember much at all about this book, which is unusual, and probably says a lot. It looks as if the world doesn't remember it either as I can't find a cover image.]

Lost for Words - John Humphrys

50%
03.01.05




New year, new harsher scoring system. Language is my specialist area but this does nothing for the cause. So words are used to manipulate, are they? What a unique theory! So writers are ungrammatical, are they? Well, if they don't meet Humphrys' inconsistent notions of language use, they are. And this badly structured book doesn't even hang together as a coherent argument. Which is rather unfortunate, given its subject matter.