I spotted this book at the library and thought I’d give it a go because I like Janet Street-Porter. The book is set out like a magazine: there is colourful print, different font sizes and there are photographs and illustrations on every spread. It reads like one of her Daily Mail rants except this is longer. So it’s not a heavy or lengthy read but it’s still quite good because she makes some valid points. I can’t say I learned much that is new but I am inspired to make some small changes in my life.

The best bit of the book is on the last couple of pages:

Milan Kundera wrote a novel entitled The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It was a reaction against Nietzsche’s theory that every event in the world will ‘eternally return’ i.e. happen again. Kundera says you’ve got one life to lead and nothing repeats itself. ‘Lightness’ means that decisions and events aren’t that important.

Lightness means removing these unnecessary weights from your shoulders.

(45th in 2012)

I wanted to read this so I made a library reservation. But I was so far down the queue I thought I may as well use my Audible credit and listen to it instead. I’m so glad I did. This is an excellent audiobook with the narrator Tom Hollander bringing it to life perfectly. I’ve listened to audio samples of other books and some narrators have irritated me so much I’ve known I could never listen to the full version, however good the actual book is. But TH is fantastic. My only very mild criticism of him is that he doesn’t do a Brummie accent very well but that is just because my ears are more attuned to that kind of thing than other (non-Midlanders) would be.

So, the writing. The Casual Vacancy is a dark, menacing book, full of unpleasant people and shocking scenes. While I was listening I found myself dreading the next awful event; though compulsive, it’s not a happy read. JKR has written a wide range of characters with conviction. I was glad to have a character list printed out when I first started the book but as I progressed I got to know them and the list became redundant. The teenagers in particular are so realistic that it’s painful. They are so well observed that I was hurtled back to my teenage years. JKR has used the book to comment on modern society and I think she does it well, without slipping into preaching.

There has been a lot of criticism of this book in the press. I suppose there was bound to be after the huge success of Harry Potter. But in the end, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and I loved listening to this book.

(44th in 2012)

This is my reading group’s book of the month. I read it last night in one sitting; it’s very easy to read. It’s one of those books that reads more like a film than a novel, especially with its beautiful lead characters and dramatic settings. I quite enjoyed the romantic aspect of it, which is very well handled; it feels fresh and innocent. But overall this book isn’t for me. It’s unchallenging and mawkish. Also I couldn’t help thinking that The Lovely Bones got there first with the idea of exploring the afterlife.

(43rd in 2012)

I wasn’t intending to pick this up straight after Wolf Hall but I found that I could listen to the audiobook for free by ‘borrowing’ it from the library. I thought I’d give it a go while my head was still in Cromwell mode.

Bring Up the Bodies is leaner than Wolf Hall. Not only is it shorter but the pace is faster and there is more scandal, plotting and violence. The cast seems smaller too. I enjoyed Bring Up The Bodies very much and, unlike Wolf Hall, it didn’t feel like hard work at all. I think HM has done a much better job with this. Some of the scenes are stunning. My favourites, in chronological order, are 1) when Henry first asks Cromwell if there might be some reason why his marriage to Anne might be void, 2) when Henry momentarily turns against Cromwell and, of course, 3) Anne’s bloody end.

Hilary Mantel talking about the book on Radio 4’s Bookclub

I wasn’t sure whether I should count audiobooks into my ‘book a week in 2012’ total but since it does take concentration to listen and, at normal pace, longer to listen to a book than to read it, I will count them. I might listen to a few more too; they are fantastic for keeping me amused while doing boring chores.

(42nd in 2012)

I decided to read this on the recommendation of two different friends. I had no doubt that I’d enjoy it with it being a Booker Prize winner to boot. I could not have been more wrong. This book was extremely hard work. It has taken me six weeks to get through it. Six weeks, when I’m supposed to be reading one book every week! For the first time this year I am behind schedule.

I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy any aspect of it. I hardly know any history at all so I certainly learned a lot and had plenty to think about. There are a few beautifully written passages. But this book failed me overall because I simply didn’t enjoy it. The writing style is very dull. It has a cast of thousands. It’s difficult to work out what is significant and what seems to have been thrown in on a whim. For at least the first third of the book I didn’t realise that ‘he’, unless otherwise stated, refers to Cromwell.

A couple of weeks ago, when Hilary Mantel won another Booker Prize for the sequel, I decided that I must be missing something, so I downloaded the spoken (unabridged) version of Wolf Hall. That certainly helped me to figure out who was who but after a while the spoken book started to grate on me. At 24 hours long it felt like a marathon. I discovered that it takes longer to listen to a book than to read it. In some ways it’s more difficult to listen; it’s easy to get distracted, just by thinking your own thoughts. Then it become necessary to rewind which isn’t easy on the Kindle.

I am relieved 1) to have finished Wolf Hall and 2) to see that, according to Amazon reviews anyway, that I’m not the only one to have found it hard going. Having said that I’m not ruling out reading Bring Out The Bodies in future, because I’m somehow hooked, but I would definitely like to read a few books that are more to my taste before taking on what may be another struggle.

(41st in 2012)

This was this month’s reading group book. I enjoyed it very much. There is plenty of anger coming through at the attitudes towards women at the time and rightly so. It sounds like the 50s and 60s was a horribly claustraphobic and restrictive time for an intelligent woman living in the sticks. The writing is searing, brutally honest but nostalgic too. There is so much insight crammed in too that it’s quite dizzying. I got through the book in what seemed like no time at all. Definitely recommended.

(40th in 2012)

This is a great little book which came to my attention through Kindle Daily Deal. It’s science administered to the reader in an entertaining and easily digestible fashion. Packed with facts and food for thought, I’d thoroughly recommend it.

(39th in 2012)

This is a very strange tale. Throughout I felt uncomfortable and even more so after reading the letter in the appendix at the end. I suppose I should have expected it; this is classic McEwan: disturbing, well written, well researched and razor sharp when it comes to thoughts and interactions. There isn’t anyone I’ve read who can take you into a character’s mind like McEwan can. So, while it’s not a happy read and doesn’t seem as polished as On Chesil Beach or Amsterdam, it’s still worth a read. When you’ve finished it, (re)consider the meaning of the title.

(38th in 2012)

What I enjoyed about this book was the sharp dialogue and clear prose. What I didn’t enjoy was that it is all somehow a little bit flat and unsatisfying.

The plot is like something from The Wire set in Scotland, which made me realise that I would prefer this story in the form of a stylish serialisation on screen rather than a book. There are so many characters and places, some with very similar names to each other, that it would be easier to differentiate between them in on TV because of the visual aspect.

In summary, The Complaints is not a bad read but it is far from remarkable. Having said that, it has the potential to be great on television.

(37th in 2012)