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The Rest of What I Read in 2017

Holy Sufferin’ Catfish! We’re already in the second half of January, so I know I'm pretty late wrapping up the rest of my 2017 reads but it's not like books go out of style... at least not the good ones. And besides, I was late with 2016's, and with the first half of 2017’s, so at least I'm consistent.

I was distracted by some other things during the second half of last year; job hunting (oh please, let it end), travelling (was amazing, ask me about it, I would talk about it constantly, if possible), studying (nothing major, just an online course, but the exam stopped my reading on its tracks for a good week or two, coz obvs I studied too much). This is just an overview of my general impressions of the books I've read since July, mainly because I sincerely cannot recall many details (hmm... maybe I should write things down somewhere... huh), and to be honest nothing really blew me away. Some solid reads in there though, so stay with me.

Hmmm, have I actually read The Silver Chair? My reading list says I have but I can't remember it, at least not as distinct from the other Chronicles of Narnia... Ok, I looked up a plot summary and I remember it now! The penultimate (by Narnia reckoning) book in the series follows the Pevensies' cousin Eustace Scrubb and his schoolmate Jill pole as they are whisked away to Narnia after escaping some school bullies, tasked with rescuing Prince Rilian, the heir to the Narnian throne. I'm pretty sure I liked this; as with all of the Narnia stories, the settings are magical, the action whimsical, the theology a bit juvenile (but hey, it's a children's book, not a theology textbook). As I read the Wikipedia plot summary, more details and impressively vivid images sprung back into my mind. Although (according to an old Challenge Yourself post, I didn’t find it quite as enchanting as some of the other books in the series, I'm looking forward to finally finishing the series with The Last Battle this year.

The film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel came out last year, so I figured I should read it just in case I went to see it (I did not; perhaps I'll watch it at some point). Following the death of his uncle, Philip Ashley welcomes into his home his uncle's widow, and their cousin, Rachel. I feel like I'd give away too much if I said any more. I enjoyed it, but I expected it to be a bit more creepy and mysterious than it actually was. I vaguely recall some parts being rather predictable and some of Philip's actions frustrating. However, du Maurier's writng style is beautiful, and I'm definitely up for reading more of her work. (I have Don't Look Now and have read the title story, so I’m looking forward to digging into it some more).

I bought Graham Norton's first novel, Holding, on a whim when I was going for a coffee alone one day and realised I hadn't brought a book with me. I'm no expert on crime/detective novels, but it's not bad for a first novel. Set in the small fictional village of Duneen, in Cork (Norton's home county), the rural Irish voice comes through naturally with Norton's humour and wit, as a rather bumbling, rotund Garda (police officer) investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding the recent discovery of a body on some farmland/a building site. I felt like 'Part One' could possibly have been rewritten to flow more smoothly into 'Part Two', but by the end I was thoroughly invested in the outcome of the mystery and in the lives of the main characters.

I've read a few Inspector Rebus books at this stage; I'm not going in chronological order or anything (although I am kind of sad that I've missed some of the details of Rebus' personal life by skipping installments). Much like Silver Chair, I had to wikipedia the plot of Ian Rankin’s The Black Book too, and it's a good one. I think I enjoy Rebus much more when he's motivated by personal connections to his cases, which you get a good dollop of in this installment, what with his close colleague, Brian, in a coma, and his long-standing personal vendetta (for some reason, I don't know) against Edinburgh crime fat-cat 'Big Ger' Cafferty. All in all, you can't really go wrong with some Edinburgh crime!

In August, I went to visit my emigrant brother in Canada. He had prepared a bulging itinerary, jam-packed with road trips, hikes, camping, bear-hunting (no bears were harmed in the making of this vacation, I only caught the vague suggestion of one through some leaves), glaciers, internal flights, whale-watching and eating, so I didn't have all that much time for reading. Nonetheless, I brought three options with me. I started only two of them while travelling, and finished none until well after I returned home.

I did, however, have a few flights I couldn't sleep on, so I started The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick on the way over. Set in alternate post-war North America, this classic dystopian/speculative fiction, details the search for a controversial speculative fiction writer in a world where the Nazis/Axis Powers won the Second World War. I watched the first season (or so) of the Amazon adaptation, was fascinated by the world and wanted more of it. Not in reality, obviously, that would be bad, but as a thought experiment, it is pretty interesting.

I have mixed feelings about the book. I knew going into it that it would be quite different to the show, but I still think the differences may have had something to do with my disappointment. The portrayal of the main female character, Julia, particularly annoyed me. Now, I don't really care about "problematic" characterisations, provided the story/writing is good, and it makes sense in the given context, but to me, it did seem a little out of place, and in a little too stark a contrast to the portrayals of the men (though to be honest, some of that made for laboured reading too). I'm not sure if, perhaps, I missed something in my drawn-out, inconsistent reading of it... I'm not saying it's bad, it's still a fascinating speculation, but I think I prefer the show (season one anyway). I still definitely want to read more Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep in particular, but this book left me with somewhat of an unpleasant aftertaste.

I also started Michael Lewis' debut Liar's Poker whilst in Canada. Written shortly after his brief and well-timed (for story-telling, at least) stint on the trading floor of Salomon Brothers in the 1980s, and providing insider knowledge of the inception of the mortgage bond trade, Liar's Poker not only gives great insight into how the world ended up where it did in the late 2000s (a subject Lewis picks up again in The Big Short) but frankly gave me a bit more hope about this whole adulthood thing. Lewis was around the age I am now while 'working' for the doomed Bank, and still didn’t really know what he was doing. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone with a passing interest in crazy banking practices(ses?), or economics.

I brought Mary Shelley's Frankenstein along for the ride too, just to get it out of the house, y'know, let it see the world. I didn't end up reading it until Hallowe'en week, almost two months after I came home. But it seemed appropriate. I don't think I've ever watched a Frankenstein movie (not one that focuses specifically on Victor and his creation, at any rate), but I have, like most people acquainted with any kind of western media, encountered countless pop-culture iterations. You know, the large ungainly monster, with green-tinged skin, exposed sutures and bolts protruding from his neck. Well, now, my question is where on earth did that image come from?!

[Spoiler-alert] Shelley's monster is nothing like this, and it is great! ...

I'm a sucker for frantically trying to read works that are being ,or have been, made into movies or TV shows. I read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale quite a while before I watched the series, both of which I loved! So clearly, when I heard about the Alias Grace Netflix series I had to get my hands on the book. I didn't know anything about it before I opened the book. Based on the true story of a young Irish maid, Grace Marks, convicted of murdering her employers in Ontario in the mid 19th century, Alias Grace questions the facts of the case, the sanity and reliability of the protagonist, and even the possibility of a paranormal influence. I recommend going into this book blind, as I think knowing as little as possible makes it all the more enjoyable. I still haven't had the chance to look into the facts of the case, although I want to. It's a fascinating story, whatever really happened. On a related note, I'm not entirely sold on the Netflix series. I've only seen a couple of episodes, so I'll give it a bit more of a chance, but I don’t think it really holds a candle to The Handmaid’s Tale series.

As an aunt to a 7 (almost 8) year old boy, I feel it is my responsibility to get him great books as Christmas and birthday presents (books and book vouchers were always my favourite presents from family as a child). Sometimes I just get him another book in one of his favourite series (Horrible Histories, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, etc.), or an Irish translation. This past Christmas I got him Beyond the Sky: You and The Universe by one of my favourite comedians and TV presenters, Dara Ó Briain. Of course, being an expert in physics and cosmology myself (I read A Brief History of Time, I think that qualifies...) I had to make sure it was actually good, so had a quick perusal before I wrapped it. While O Briain appropriately simplifies the concepts - lightyears as really really really really far away, etc. - he doesn't shy away from introducing (probably) big new words, and he starts right off the bat by explaining why space travel is a really bad idea for a human (maybe he's still just bitter about being too tall to be an astronaut)! The illustrations, by Dan Bramall, are really fun, new words are highlighted, and theres even a section for notes at the back. I read the 300-ish pages in a couple of hours, and by the end I was actually pretty inspired (I'll send the kid off on the next boat to Mars - not really! ...unless he really wants to). If you have a kid, or know a kid, you should get them to read it. STEM might not be for everyone, but I think exposing children to all kinds of different subjects early gives them, and us, the best chance.

I topped off the year not by going out, but by finally finishing Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. There is always one, and this book was my Everest for the year. You know, that one book you just seem to be reading for an age and can't finish even though you are trying to pick it up regularly. I started reading it in July or August, knew it would probably take a while, and I knew I didn’t want to lug it to Canada, so I didn’t really put too much pressure on myself to finish it quickly. But, I had to finish it by New Year's. I know I'm making out that this book was a struggle, and it kind of was, but I did actually really enjoy it. Dickens is obviously a master of prose and the English language, the story was interesting, with the requisite twists and turns, and the characters were unique and iconic. I'd maybe just go for a shorter book next time!

Congratulations for making it to 2018, and for making it this far in this supreme ramble.

What are your thoughts on the books I've mentioned?

Do you have any recommendations based on them?

Would anyone recommend Kethy Reichs' books? I was tempted to get one while looking for another cheap Rebus novel but I wasn't sure... I love the TV show Bones, but that may just be because of David Boreanaz.

Most importantly, what was(were) your favourite book(s) of 2017?

You can find a similar, and probably, frankly more useful, look back at what I read in the first half of 2017 here:

2017 So Far Part One: Books with Vaguely Similar Themes

2017 so Far - Part Two: Irish Authors (and More)

2017 So Far - Part Three: Narnia, Detectives and Shorts

2017 So Far - Part Four: The Two Stephens (Non-Fiction)

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In a large plastic bowl she kept a potpourri of war seeds

Omar El Akkad, American War

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“The dead?! Summoned?! I knew that!”

- Gimli, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson, dir.)

I passed my driving test today (ten years late, I was busy reading), so I’m celebrating with prosecco and The Return of the King (and gin, because it’s really long … don’t worry I’m not gonna drive any time soon)

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My current read, Minds of Winter by Ed O’Loughlin explores some of the (fictional? I don’t know anything about the actual historical events) mysteries surrounding Sir John Franklin’s search for the Northwest Passage, and subsequent searches for his lost ships and crew. As modern-day protagonists Nelson and Fay attempt to unravel the historic secrets, their own mysteries entangle. 

I’d never heard of this book, or author, before I got it as Christmas present from my best friend. To be honest, I didn’t think it looked like much, but I said I’d give it a go before I forgot about it! Plus, it’s set mainly in Canada, and despite being there a few months ago, my Canadian geography is woeful (I was convinced Calgary and Toronto were way closer together than they are!), so the maps peppered throughout are pretty useful.

It’s not bad so far. It’s not mind-blowing, but it’s pretty interesting and pretty well written. And it’s set in the cold which seems appropriate for this time of year. 

One thing has bothered me though:

Most of the action happens in the Arctic Circle - you know, the North Pole, polar bears, Canada. So why is the cover art a map of ANTARCTICA?! WHY?! 

(Okay, there’s a chapter coming up about Antarctica, but still!)

Have you guys got any recommendations for books about Canada/Canadian history/set in Canada/about Cool Runnings(:P)? I’d love to read more!

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Happy New Year all!

I’ve finally managed to get through this Behemoth (it’s not that long, I know, but it was a struggle, ok?)!

AND I’ve met my (fairly modest) quota for the year, reading 26 books in 2017! …One was short - A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf - and another a children’s book - Beyond the Sky by Dara Ó Briain, but they still count!

I hope everyone has a fabulous 2018!

P.S. I know, I’ve been gone for ages! Hopefully I’ll get back in the swing of thing with the new year, especially since I’ve forgotten everything I’ve read since I last posted!

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Just a few reasons I haven't posted anything in a while. Kinda hard to read if you're too busy looking at breathtaking scenery - or climbing up breathtaking scenery. Looking at fossils in situ was pretty cool, even if I didn't actually find them by myself

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I’m combining a Book Haul with yesterday’s Challenge Your Shelf | August | 11. Something New. 

Because I’m terrible. I could say that I forgot what day it was, because it is genuinely hard to keep track of the date, but I’ve just been terrible lately at planning posts.

I’m going to Canada next week to visit my brother so I got some books for plane-survival. He has planned an action-packed itinerary for us so when I actually get there I doubt I’ll read very much (there will be loads of other pretty things to look at) but I figured I should have a few options for the plane, and hanging around in airports.

I’ve been watching Amazon series version of The Man in the High Castle and it just fascinated me so much that I had to get the book - I kept pausing the show to read the background information so I thought it would be handier just to read the original material (I’ve heard the two are quite different too so that could be interesting).

At the beginning of last year I asked a friend for recommendations of easy non-fiction books on economics and she provided a wealth of options, including a number of books by Michael Lewis. I read The Big Short since it was being talked about at the time anyway (the movie was out), but I’m pretty sure Liar’s Poker was on her list too. It was also on offer, so, I mean, I couldn’t not get it.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was also super cheap, super pretty (if you can call a print composed of anatomically correct hearts pretty - I think you can), and I need to get over my fear of scary things. I also need to read more books by women. 

Luckily these are all pretty small, lightweight books so they should be handy enough to transport half-way across the world, and I think there’s enough of a variety of topics to keep me occupied for a while...

I’m pretty sure they have books in Canada too so I’m sure I’ll be fine.

P.S. There is no food in the house so I’m skipping today’s CYS... Oops.

P.P.S. The photo is B+W because it’s spoilers for my upcoming (some time...eventually) microreviews Bookshelf thingamy

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Challenge Your Shelf | August | 10. Unfinished

Dracula by Bram Stoker

I really need to give this a second go. I don’t like horror but I actually remember really liking this when I was reading it. I don’t know why I stopped...

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‘He was a secret-looking man… His head was all on one side…' 

Best line in Great Expectations so far! I’ve reached my reading quota for the month, so I’m taking my time with this one. 

I love this view. If it wasn’t for those pesky wasps I would have spent a bit more time there today. 

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Challenge Your Shelf | August | 9. Blue Skies 

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

What’s this?! A YA novel?! Never!

(I don’t not like YA, it’s just that there are SO MANY other books to catch up on!)

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Challenge Your Shelf | August | 8. Summer Romance

Days Without End by Sebastian Barry

Oops, skipped a couple there, but in my defense I had to go watch a parade with old cars and tractors, and then an apparently very important Hurling match.

Days Without End is more of a romance for all seasons than a summer romance, but I read so few books with prominent romantic relationships that this was the closest match I could find.

Irishman Thomas McNulty narrates a life spent with his same sex partner, John Cole, performing in drag for miners, serving in the army during the Indian Wars and American Civil War, and managing family life in fairly hostile environments. 

Winner of the 2016 Costa Book Award, this book is not without its flaws, but Barry’s depiction of the romance is one of the finest (read: least annoying/problematic) I have read in years. 

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Challenge Your Shelf | August | 5. Fire

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

I currently reading this for the first time and despite the blatant sexism (why does Jill only get a knife when the guys have swords?! haha) I’m enjoying it. It’s pretty simple, with lost of fairy tale elements. I don’t feel like it’s quite as enchanting as the other Narnia books I’ve read. I still have a couple chapters left though, so there’s still time.

Side note: I skipped yesterday because I don’t believe in “happily ever after” (happy endings, yeah, but the end is never really the end…), and also because I was busy (or I couldn’t find anything).

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Challenge Your Shelf | August | 3. Poetry

Irish Syllabic Poetry: 1200 - 1600 by Eleanor Knott

I don’t read much poetry but I found this when I was looking through my Irish books. There’s a fairly small selection of poems from part of the Bardic (I think) tradition in Ireland. I can’t understand them perfectly, as the language is “Early-Modern Irish” as opposed to Modern Irish. 

As far as I can remember, the poets would train for a number of years under a master-poet (or “ollamh”). They would shut themselves up in blacked out cells (possibly overnight), if they were not blind, and compose poems on a given subject, adhering to specific rules (number of syllables per line, metre, etc). They didn’t have access to writing materials, so they would memorise their poems and recite them to the ollamh the next day.

(I think) Qualified poets would then compose and recite poems for wealthy patrons. 

(It’s been a while since I studied these, so sorry if that information is incorrect - I’ll look it up when I get a chance and revise if need be!)

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Challenge Your Shelf | August | 2. Minimalist 

 The Safety of Objects by A.M. Homes 

Apparently I prefer busy book covers. Apart from some lime green Penguin Classics this is the simplest design I could find.

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Challenge Your Shelf | August | 1. Ocean

The Black Book by Ian Rankin: Good place to dispose of bodies? Just finished this and it was lovely to be back in Edinburgh again (even if it was mostly the seedier side of the city).

Ar an gCiogríoch: Díolaim Litríochta ar Scéal na hImirce (Abroad: An Anthology of Literature on the Story of (E)migration) edited by Aisling Ní Dhonnchadha & Máirin Nic Eoin: This was the main text used in the “Theme of Emigration” module I took in the final year of my undergrad. I cried while cramming for the exam, partially because of stress, but mostly because it was the saddest thing ever: (As far as I remember) One man relocated to Utica, NY, bought a huge farm (for pennies), became fairly successful, yet didn’t even write home to Ireland for YEARS after leaving. It probably didn’t help that my brother had just recently emigrated. (At least the internet exists now. We communicate almost exclusively through emojis)

Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing by David Morrell: I don’t recall him mentioning the ocean but it has a lighthouse on the cover.

(I rushed into participating in this, better pics will come, probably, hah).

I don’t expect I’ll manage to complete every day of these August Challenges but I’ll give it a go!

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READ-A-THON Update: 11:59pm

It’s well past midnight here, so that’s the end of the #read4aday Read-a-thon. I didn’t finish any books but I made it a decent way through The Black Book, reading 100 pages of that since midnight last night.

I achieved my goal of reading 10 myths, but I took 2 of those from Laochas by Séamus Ó Searcaigh, because Lady Gregory’s were getting a bit long, and I read 7 from Robert Graves’ Greek Myths (including some notes referring to Irish myths - full circle, wahey!).

I really enjoyed this Read-a-thon, so thanks so much to @books-and-cookies for hosting it!

Final Page Count: 155 

(That’s probably not as much as most of the rest of you read today but I’d say it’s about 100 pages more than I would have read if left to my own devices, so I deem it a success!)

Now, for want of a cuddlier man, I’m going to hop into bed with Inspector Rebus and dream of solving crimes together…