I started this BLog in September 2010 after I saw one that my wife, Jo, was working on. Who knew that I'd still be working on it 8 years later. In my first year I prepared a list of what I felt were my Top Ten all-time favourite books.
My 2010 List of My Top Ten Favourite Books of All-Time
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. On the Beach by Nevil Shute
3. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
4. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
5. The Postman by David Brin
6. The Stand by Stephen King
7. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
8. 1984 by George Orwell
9. The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K.Dick
10. The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman.
In October 2010, I joined Goodreads and slowly began adding all of my books to my profile. I really started keeping track of what I'd read and, of course, I started making other lists. Belonging to various book groups in Goodreads got me reading a much more varied mix of books and genres. In 2013, I took advantage of my updated lists and new reading and decided to see if a new list might result in any changes. This was my 2013 list.
My 2013 Updated List of My Top Ten Favourite Books of All-Time
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. On the Beach by Nevil Shute
3. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
4. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
5. The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
6. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
7. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
8. The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier
9. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
10. Pied Piper by Nevil Shute
Well, it's been 5 years since my last update. I think it's time to do another review. This time I'm going to do a Top 100 Favourite Books. So what is my scientific methodology for figuring this out you ask? On my Goodreads' book shelves, I have a total of 2099 books. Of that total I've read 1186 and the remaining 909 are on my book shelves awaiting my attention. So anyway, my list is based on the 1186 books I've already read. I basically went through my 5-star reads and 4-star reads and based my Top 100 list on that. Scientific enough? So anyway, my plan for the next few days is to provide you with my list of my Top 100 Favourite books, as of 01 Mar 2018. I'll start today with books 91 - 100.
Bill's All-Time Favourite 100 - Books 91 - 100
"Canadian writer, Ann Charney's, Rousseau's Garden is a simple story, but told lovingly and caringly. It tells of Claire, who makes her career as a photographer, accompanying her husband, Adrian, who has gone to France to work on a book about French gardens. Her voyage also has another purpose; that being to find out more about her dead mother. Dolly was an accomplished sculptor, who was somehow affected by her last visit to France, losing her desire to sculpt and falling into depression.
Claire hopes, by visiting with old acquaintances, including her mother's dearest friend, Marta to find out the cause of her mother's depression and at the same time, she hopes to reconcile herself with a mother who she had in a way disdained as a young girl. I enjoyed how Ann Charney presented her story, how she developed the lovely, interesting characters; their friends, Marta, Zoe and Marcel.
The portrait of France, both Paris and the countryside, especially the gardens makes for an interesting contrast. Added to the story is the subject of French philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a man who, through his writings, inspired Dolly in her work. We get tidbits about Rousseau's personality and his writing throughout the story.
Many things happen throughout the book to influence Claire's vision of both herself and her mother that keep you reading. I enjoyed everything about the book and enjoyed even more the resolution. Simple but lovely story. (5 stars)"
"I enjoyed The Dragon Man, the first DI Hal Challis mystery, by Garry Disher very much. It's an Australian police procedural that moves along very nicely, is populated with many interesting characters and has many nice little twists and turns as the police team investigate the various cases that make up the story. The basic story is the abduction, rape and murder of local women, but there are also other cases that may or may not be related; the woman from New Zealand who is living in the area under witness protection; a spate of arson attacks, break-ins, etc. The police investigation is lead by DI Challis, who also deals with regular calls from his wife who is in prison after trying to murder him; his current girl-friend, the local newspaper reporter; all the while working on rebuilding a damaged airplane. The other members of the police team are all interesting personalities, with their own foibles and issues but are also an effective investigating team. The cases, as well, were very interesting and they were tied together very satisfyingly. An entertaining page turner that I finished in a day once I stated it; excellent introduction to this series. (4 stars)"
"This is the first in the Inspector Maigret mystery series. It's one of those books that you can sit down and read in a day, it's that entertaining and interesting. The case involves the mysterious Pieter the Lett, who has made his way from Russia to Paris. Little is known about him, other than a brief description. As Maigret arrives at the train station to meet him, he finds instead a murdered man. This begins a chase across France as Maigret tries to sort out who Lett is and what he's up to. Maigret is an interesting character, grumpy, a bit of a loner and intelligent. He seems to work without sleep and food, in all weather conditions. It's a nicely, fast-paced case and a page-turner, one you'll find difficult to put down until the very end. A super introduction to Inspector Maigret."
"The Blind Assassin opens with these simple, resonant words: "Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge." They are spoken by Iris, whose terse account of her sister's death in 1945 is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental. But just as the reader expects to settle into Laura's story, Atwood introduces a novel-within-a-novel. Entitled The Blind Assassin, it is a science fiction story told by two unnamed lovers who meet in dingy backstreet rooms. When we return to Iris, it is through a 1947 newspaper article announcing the discovery of a sailboat carrying the dead body of her husband, a distinguished industrialist. Brilliantly weaving together such seemingly disparate elements, Atwood creates a world of astonishing vision and unforgettable impact."
"The Archer Files: The Complete Short Stories of Lew Archer, Private Investigator by Ross MacDonald is my first exposure to MacDonald's writing. I have enjoyed quite a few books by his wife, fellow mystery writer, Margaret Millar and have wanted to explore the world of Lew Archer, as created by MacDonald.
The book is a series of short stories featuring PI Archer and also a number of unfinished stories showing some of the other cases that Archer might have been involved in.
I enjoyed MacDonald's writing, in the style of Dashiell Hammett and John D. MacDonald and enjoyed PI Archer. Archer takes on cases where he feels a responsibility to the person hiring him or the person being investigated. In a number of cases, he just falls into by accident and wants to correct a wrong or just help a person in need. He never overcharges; $50 a day plus expenses and he doesn't like helping the Mob or being bought. He's an ex-boxer and officer from WWII and knows how to handle himself in a bad situation. He works in California with a small office on Sunset Boulevard. The book starts off with a nice biography of Lew Archer, his past and what makes him tick.
People get killed in his cases, sometimes by him, sometimes by someone else. There are nice little twists in each one, some not complex. You can figure out who is responsible, but the explanations are always interesting. MacDonald's description of the people and the surroundings are always on point and he has a nice, tidy way of getting out the facts and the stories. I enjoyed very much and now look forward to trying one of Lew Archer's cases in novel format. (4 stars)"
Well, there you go. I'll continue with this in the next days. Next entry will run from 81 - 90. Take care.
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