I'm on a roll in 2013! Farewell, My Lovely

Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just started this one, but had to note this quote, "...the voice dragged itself out of her throat like a sick man getting out of bed." Who wouldn't enjoy reading a book with such specific and magnificent description! :) Had to note another doozie of a quote, "She's a charming middle-aged lady with a face like a bucket of mud and if she has washed her hair since Coolidge's second term, I'll eat my spare tire, rim and all."
More when I finish...

I love Philip Marlowe! He is just the right mix of hard-edge, softie and insane. Another great one by Raymond Chandler (see quotes above). I love the writing style, I love the description. The story was great with lots of twists and turns, some obligatory red herrings and just all around good fun for the mystery reader! Highly recommended!

View all my reviews I read The Big Sleep first as Farewell, My Lovely is the second Philip Marlowe book, and I am a little bit nutty about things like that. My local library(ies) seemed to be missing their individual copies of both books, so I have the pleasure of reading other short stories by Raymond Chandler and The Big Window from the omnibus that I was able to check out next! Then, onto Wise Blood as my next List conquest!

Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This would have gotten a 5 star rating except for that the reveal chapter was written set at a cricket game, which I know nothing about. So, that was a bit frustrating. However, the rest of the story was quite enjoyable, and the premise was quite interesting. Lord Peter Wimsey is entertaining as always in this case working under cover at an advertising agency to sort out strange goings on. Lots of characters to keep track of, but that doesn't seem to be unusual for Dorothy Sayers. I look forward to reading her other book on the 1001 Books to Read list.

View all my reviews Next up, Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler...

Frankenstein

I finished this one over the holiday.  It took a while as I put it down in favor of a couple of other books. That is not to say I did not enjoy it, though.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very much enjoyed this story. I found it to be very different than expected, and I very much enjoyed it. Certainly nothing like the popularized version we all think we know. Quick and enjoyable read.

View all my reviews And, bonus! I just figured out what I was doing wrong in copying my goodreads posts! Hooray! and Happy New Year! Hope to be more active this year. Last year was a tough reading year as I had a shoulder injury that ended up requiring surgery and that put a damper on my reading. However, I hope to do better this year. I have re-committed to 50 books, and I currently am reading one from the list and have another in the chute.

Counter update

I just updated my Excel spreadsheet with my recent reads and it looks like my 2006 total is 37 and my super total is 38 (possibly more as I haven't been through all the additions to see if I have read any others).  That still sounds really low, so I guess I will double check to make sure I have everything.

I just started Frankenstein as a nod to the Halloween season, so we shall see how that goes.  Need to get these numbers up!  Too bad I have so many non-list books that keep me distracted.

Happy Reading!

The Great Gatsby

This was the latest pick for the on-line Goodreads group doing this challenge.  I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. This book unsettled me and I also felt that the story was hidden somehow.  I felt like I almost got to know the characters, that I almost thought I know where the author was going.  Definitely an odd book that I didn't know what to make of or what the resolutions for the characters really were.  Did Daisy and Tom carry on with their marriage?  What happened to the narrator?  What did the narrator ultimately feel about Gatsby since it seemed that his opinion changed in the end, but it was hard to tell.  I felt like I was reading an Oprah book.  So, I don't know if the unsettling was challenging thought patterns or just not getting a grasp of the story and the why behind it.  Not sure what I am reading next. Hubby has suggested Count of Monte Cristo, as I am not sure that I can easily get hold of the next on-line pick.  As Halloween is approaching though, I might pick up Frankenstein.  We'll see!

Out of Africa, the latest 1001 conquest!

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I found this book hard to get into as the stream of consciousness narration combined with my complete lack of knowledge of life in Africa in the 1900s made it a bit hard to follow.  But, I did find that I was glad that I kept with it, as the people and the stories were endearing.  I am looking forward to seeing the movie, as I have not as yet seen that either and comparing it to my experience of the book.  It was an interesting glimpse into the juxtaposition and assimilation of European and African culture, which I did, ultimately find enjoyable once I got over the seeming disjointedness at parts.  One thing that I did wish was that there were translations for some of the poems and phrases that were left in other languages.

Not sure which one is next, as I have a couple of non-list books that I am committed to reading.  The adventure continues!

TInker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I really wanted to like this book, as it sounded like one I could enjoy.  What mystery lover doesn't love a good spy novel?  However, I found it very difficult to keep up with all the characters, I never knew whether the narration was current or flashback.  I found it all very confusing.  So, while there were elements of the story that I enjoyed.  I am sure that I missed the point of the story as I got bogged down in the minutiae.  The only thing I am certain of is that I know who the mole was, but how the rest of the puzzle fits together, I am entirely unclear.  I hold at hope for the next one!