2013 Top Ten Best Reads - Number 3

Nevil Shute

Nevil Shute lived from 1899 - 1960 and is one of my favourite story-tellers. He has written two of my favourite books, On the Beach and Pied Piper, both of which I've read 3 or 4 times. I must say it took me awhile to experiment with some of his other books, but this past year I picked The Far Country as one of my 12 + 2 Reading Group Challenge selections. I have to say I was hesitant to read it as I thought it might be more of a straight romance novel. But I should have known better, it's all that and more. It is my Number 3 Best Read for 2013.

The Far Country was first published in 1952 and is set just after World War II. It tells of a gloomy, post - war United Kingdom, where food is still in short supply, hospitals are over worked, the Socialist Labour government is having difficulties coping. In comparison, Australia is a land of relative wealth, the far frontier. The story deals mainly with Jane and Jack Dorman who own and run a farm in Australia and are finally making money off the sale of their wool. Jane is from England (estranged from her parents for falling in love with and marrying this Australian chap) and has been sending food to her aunt in England. Without trying to ruin the story for you, their niece, Jennifer comes to Australia as part of her Aunt's bequest to try and seek a new life in this Far Country and stays with Jane and Jack until her job is available in Perth. While there, various incidents conspire to have her meet a Czech doctor, Carl Zlinter, a 'New' Australian. I'll leave it there for you to read and find out the rest. However, let me say that Shute's story - telling is at his best in this story. It's a touching, wonderful story of depression, hope, romance, life. Shute has an understated way of telling his stories. He can make big events seem normal and maybe by doing so, makes them seem more important; if that makes sense. In Pied Piper, an old man must travel across France in the midst of the Nazi invasion, accompanied by a number of children; English, French and try to bring them to safety in England. His actions are heroic, but his understated, matter-of-a-fact way of accomplishing this deed, makes his actions seem even more heroic. In On the Beach, he covers as profound subject as the end of the world, but the actions of the main characters in his story, the US Navy Submarine Commander, far from home in Australia, and his Australian friends are so considered and thoughtful, that rather than feeling depressed (mind you, that feeling is brought out to), but the dignified way this tragedy is dealt with, makes you feel positive for those people (don't think I'm saying that right). In The Far Country, what seems a simple story of two people who meet and fall in love is told in such a manner that you are drawn in and your feelings for these people are brought to the surface and you can't but help feel the poignancy of their feelings and want them to end up together.. Gad, once again, I'm not saying it right. Simply put, a lovely story of people coping with a new world after the monumental events of World War II changed the world, but still brought two people together to fall in love.. I didn't think I was a romantic..

Anyway, The Far Country is my Number 3 Best Read of 2013. I've attached my Goodreads bookshelf review as well. maybe I provide my thoughts a bit better there. :0)

"In its way, it's a relatively simple story, but I love Shute's style. He tells a story gently, lovingly and at the same time, matter-of-factly (Is that a proper word? :0)). At its core it's a love story, but it represents its time as well. Set after WWII, England is struggling to feed its people, life is hard; whereas in counterpoint, in Australia, the frontier so to speak, life is pretty good, wool prices are high, money is good, there is work available. Helen goes to England at the request of her auntie, who thinks Australia might represent England more from her time in the early 1900s. Helen visits with an Aunt and her family, meets Carl, a Czech doctor, who works in the forest as a lumberman (as a Displaced Person from the war) he must work where the Australians let him for 2 years as a sort of payment for being allowed to live in Australia. He can then work towards getting his Doctor's certificate. The two meet under very interesting circumstances, a friendship/ relationship develops. This is the simple story, but there is so much more. Shute doesn't get involved in the politics of the time, other than in the background as it affects peoples' lives, but he does present an excellent picture of the time, contrasting life in England and Australia very nicely and very simply. It's a lovely story, not one I would have picked earlier in my life I don't think, but the more I read Nevil Shute's stories (two of my all-time favourites are his, On the Beach and Pied Piper) the more I enjoy his writing and the more of his books I want to read. Highly recommended."

2013 Top Ten Best Reads - Number 5

Dashiell Hammett

It's been a lovely mild Sunday. The dogs have been playing in the yard while I watched the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award show on line, presented by the lovely Gabby Logan, Gary Lineker and Clare Balding, and wrapped presents. Very nice day it was. Just waiting for the missus to come home from her day out and biding time until I feed the puppies (they are watching me impatiently). So it's that time of day to present my Number 5 best read of 2013.

This book is also a reread. It's been probably 20 years since I read it last as part of a Dashiell Hammett compendium. It had stories like Red Harvest and The Thin Man, amongst others. I traded it in quite awhile ago, but in Mar 2012, I found a copy of The Maltese Falcon, the edition you can see above, at the Comox Valley Book Fair. As part of my Alphabetical Mystery Writer challenge, I have been working through the H's this year for the most part and luckily for me, this one came up. I enjoyed so very much reading it again. It's a classic of the hard-boiled mystery genre and made Sam Spade a household name. It didn't hurt also that Humphrey Bogart did such an excellent job portraying Sam in the movie of the same name.

For those who've never read the story before, this is the synopsis on the back of this edition, "A treasure worth killing for. Sam Spade, a slightly shopworn private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. A perfumed grafter named Joel Cairo, a fat man name Gutman, and Brigid O'Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. These are the ingredients of Dashiell Hammett's coolly glittering gem of detective fiction, a novel that has haunted three generations of readers." That's the plot in a nutshell. Many twists and turns, much back stabbing and Sam Spade the hard bitten private eye must navigate the plots and suspicious pathways to figure out what the Maltese Falcon is and who has it and what's it worth. Great story, great movie, just great stuff.

This is the review I wrote for my Goodread's bookshelf, "I've read before and was very happy to enjoy as much again this time. Dashiell Hammett has produced an excellent example of a hard-boiled mystery and Sam Spade is the penultimate gumshoe, staying one step ahead of trouble and playing off the baddies against each other. It's a classic mystery, turned into an excellent movie by John Huston, one of Humphrey Bogart's best movies. A great cast of characters, from Brigid O'Shaughnessy to Joel Cairo and Kasper Gutman, through his faithful, lovely secretary, Effie Perine. A story that everyone should read and marvel about." Probably not added a whole heck of a lot. Suffice it to say that Hammett is an excellent writer and has turned out an exceptional mystery.

Enjoy! Number 4 or 2013 comes up tomorrow. :0)

2013 Top Ten Best Reads - Number 6

Top Ten Read # 6

After a day's break, back to my Top Ten Best Reads list of 2013. I saw this book when the missus and I were down in Victoria, BC for the Men's World Curling Championships in April. We like to go to some of our favourite areas while we're there; order in a curry from Da Tandoor (our favourite curry house), wander around Oak Bay with all of their little shops, etc. I usually take the Saturday morning while Jo is still sleeping in at the hotel and go to my comic book and used book stores right down town. Well, anyway, while we were wandering about Oak Bay, I went to Ivy's Book Store. (I posted about Ivy's Books in one of my first posts on this BLog back in 2010. This is the link to it, a very nice little shop)

Anyway, I saw A Train in Winter and the write up looked so interesting, I had to buy it and see if it was as good as it sounded. This was the write-up "On January 24, 1943, 230 women were placed in four cattle trucks on a train in Compiegne, in northeastern France, and the doors bolted shut for the journey to Auschwitz. They were members of the French Resistance, ranging in age from teenagers to the elderly, women who before the war had been doctors, farmers’ wives, secretaries, biochemists, schoolgirls. With immense courage they had taken up arms against a brutal occupying force; now their friendship would give them strength as they experienced unimaginable horrors. Only forty-nine of the Convoi des 31000 would return from the camps in the east; within ten years, a third of these survivors would be dead too, broken by what they had lived through. In this vitally important book, Caroline Moorehead tells the whole story of the 230 women on the train, for the first time. Based on interviews with the few remaining survivors, together with extensive research in French and Polish archives, A Train in Winter is an essential historical document told with the clarity and impact of a great novel. "

Sound interesting? Well, it lived up to all my expectations. It was a fascinating story about a group of amazing women who worked at first to fight the German occupation of France and then, when they were sent to Auschwitz, worked to stay together and to help each other survive. I realise that they were a small portion of the people who risked and gave their lives in the battle against Nazi Germany, but their story was also very unique and well-told.  It was a bit confusing at times as there were so many people involved that it was difficult to remember who was who. But ultimately, this was a minor matter as the story itself was one of the more interesting stories about WWII that I've read. This was the review I wrote for my Goodreads' bookshelf. "Excellent history, well-told story. Disturbing subject matter, but still a must-read. Tells the story of one group of women, ladies who were part of the French resistance, who were taken prisoner by the Nazis or French Police, during World War II and ultimately sent to one of the Nazi death camps, Auschwitz in Poland. It's well organised, telling of their activities in the resistance, the terrible ordeals they were put through in Auschwitz and other places and ultimately the return of those who managed to survive to France and the adjustment to that new life, life without husbands, children, friends.. Of course, this story is just a microcosm of the killing machine of the SS, but it is presents a picture of heroism, friendship, survival (in some cases, too few cases), of torture, abuse.. It brought me to tears at times. Excellent."

It was well worth being in my Top Ten Best Reads of 2013. Number 5 tomorrow. :)

2013 Top Ten Best Reads - Number 8

Iain M. Banks (16 Feb 1954 - 9 Jun 2013)

When I was going through high school and university, my favourite genre was Science Fiction. I loved the concepts presented and how real-life issues could be covered in such fantastic worlds and situations. I especially enjoyed stories which presented new worlds and new species. I can think of some that I especially liked; Asimov's Foundation and Empire books, Jack L. Chalker's Well World series and David Brin's Uplift Wars. I drifted away from SciFi as I began to fixate more on mysteries.

I don't know where I heard of David Brin's Culture series first, but I read Matter, his eighth Culture novel in Jan 2010 and it blew me away. The characters were fascinating, the worlds interesting and there was a maturity to his writing style that drew me in. I have since read The Algebraist and The State of the Art, both of which added to my enjoyment of the Culture universe. I also read his very first book, The Wasp Factory, a strange, disturbing story. It definitely established Banks as one of the more unique writers I've ever read.

Consider Phlebas (Culture #1)

This past year, I chose Banks' first Culture novel as one of my Group Read selections. I loved it. This was the review I wrote for my Goodread's bookshelf; "Excellent. One of the most unique SciFi writers I've ever read. Iain Banks has created (a) fascinating universe(s) populated with interesting characters, both human and machine. The Culture is a well-crafted, diverse 'organization', with amazing technology and concepts. Consider Phlebas is Banks' first to feature the Culture. I've read others already and have been drawn into his stories. This story is about an adventure, voyage to find a lost Culture Mind and about the Idaran/ Culture war. Horza, a Changer (you have to read it to find out what that means) is a mercenary working for the Idarans who is charged with going to one of the Planets of the Dead to find the Mind and Perosteck Balveda is the Culture agent trying to stop him. The plot is a slow-moving, journey through Banks' universes but don't the slow pace put you off. It's an excellent story and as the story comes to its climax moves along very nicely. His characters are all interesting and his story excellent. Highly recommended."

It's so unfortunate that Iain Banks passed away in June this year, of gall bladder cancer. His last book, The Quarry was released prior to his death. The literary world has lost a unique, excellent talent.

2013 - Looking Back... So Far

It's not quite July 1st yet, but while I've got a bit of time; i.e. the puppies are having their mid-morning nap and for the moment, peace reigns, I thought I'd take a look back at my reading habits for the first half of 2013.

To start off with, I'm currently reading three books, one from each of three of my various challenges and I hope to have at least one completed by end Jun -

Focus Author for Jun - C.S. Forester - Flying Colours (the third of C.S. Forester's published Horatio Hornblower novels, chronologically in the sequence of Hornblower's life, number 11 chronologically in Hornblower's life);

Alphabetical Mystery Writers - Ian Hamilton's The Water Rat of Wanchai; and

12 + 2 Reading Group Challenge - Tim Maltin's Titanic; First Accounts.

Now to get the stats out of the way. I have so far completed 50 books out of my Goodread's Challenge of trying to complete 80 books in 2013 (63%). I do have some challenging books for the rest of the year, but I think I've got a pretty good chance of reading more than 80, which would be an improvement on 2012, when I completed 81. Total pages completed so far - roughly 13,800.

Specific Challenges -

12 + 2 Reading Group Challenge - As of today, I've completed 7 out of 12 of my Reading Group Challenge. I don't think I'll manage to complete Titanic by end Jun, but you never know. My favourite book of the 7 is Kate Atkinson's Case Histories, an excellent mystery that I discovered through the also excellent TV series, starring Jason Isaacs. I still have 5 books to read (7 if you count the +2 alternates) and I will try to get them completed. I do have some challenging reads in this particular challenge, including Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence and Daniel Deronda by George Elliot, but these books might fit in with some of my other challenges. Also remaining in this group are Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks, Murder in the Central Committee by Manuel Vasquez Montalban, Rin Tin Tin, the Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean and The Far Country  by Nevil Shute.

Alphabetical Mystery Writers. I started this challenge in 2012 in an effort to try and read at least one book on my To-Be-Read bookshelves by a mystery author, starting with the authors last name and beginning alphabetically with 'A' of course. At the end of 2013, I had reached 'F'. So far in 2013, I've completed 9 in this challenge and have reached the letter 'H' with the above-mentioned book by Ian Hamilton. I have been introduced to new authors such as Michael Gilbert, Kerry Greenwood and Tarquin Hall and also revisited some favourites such as Sue Grafton, Elizabeth George, Caroline Graham, Martha Grimes and Jane Haddam. I think my favourite story so far was Winston Graham's Marnie, the psychological thriller on which Alfred Hitchcock based his excellent movie. Honourable mentions also to Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries and Caroline Graham's Midsomer Mystery, The Killing at Badger's Drift. I am currently reading a new author for me, as mentioned, Ian Hamilton's The Water Rat of Wanchai and enjoying thus far.

Monthly Focus Author - One of my favourite challenges this year has been my attempt each month to focus on a different author (using one author's writings as my bed-time reading. The reason is that I've started so many series and have been unable for the most part to complete them due to the congestion of books on my TBR shelves. (Don't tell my wife.. lol.. I think she knows). While I've focused on one author each month (besides my other reading), some have been a revisiting of old favourites, rather than necessarily books I haven't read before. I put in that category, the books of Philip K. Dick and Ian Fleming. I read both many years ago and while choosing authors for this challenge, felt it would be great to read some of their stories again to remind myself why I enjoyed them so much before. I found Dick's unique SciFi stories interesting again and the adventures of James Bond a guilty pleasure once again. Also featured since January were mysteries by Ngaio Marsh (Inspector Alleyn) and Jane Haddam (ex-FBI profiler, Gregor Demarkian), the varies mysteries and fantasies of Charlaine Harris and this months visit to the high seas adventures of C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower stories. It's been great fun so far and I'm looking forward to reading Edgar Rice Burroughs in July.

Genre Challenges - This has been a continuation of an ongoing challenge that we started over again due to its popularity. Since January we've covered respectively Historical stories, Crime/ Detective/ True Crime, Modern British Classics (20th Century), War & Revolution, Award Winning and Fantasy. I enjoyed all of the books that I read for these challenges, including The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King, The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves, Bridge on River Kwai by Pierre Boulle, The Ship by C.S. Forester, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley and Puck on Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling. My favourite of this challenge was The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham for the Modern British Classics genre. This was my first exposure to Maugham and I loved his ability to develop and progress his story. It was just excellent. Next month looks to be Short Stories and I already have a few choices in mind if that ends up being the genre chosen.

The Time Traveller's Challenge. This is the newest challenge I've participated in. Basically, we'll visit various eras in history and read books set in those eras. We started with Ancient Times, e.g. the Roman Empire and others around the same time frame. I chose a book I'd read as a youngster, The Eagle of the Ninth, this time the complete trilogy by Rosemary Sutcliff. It was most enjoyable to read it again. I had no recollections of the story and it was very interesting. Next month we move on to the Middle Ages; The 100 Years War, The Crusades, etc. Once again, I've a few books in mind. The nice thing about this challenge is that it lasts for 3 months so you tend to have a nice amount of time to read one or two books covering the particular period. And I need the time.. lol

Also I've managed to squeeze a couple of freebies in between all of the challenges. All in all, it's been a great six months so far. So let's see, what are my Top Ten favourites for the first half of the year?

Top Ten So Far

10. Puck on Pook's Hill - Rudyard Kipling (4*)
9.   Eagle of the Ninth Chronicles - Rosemary Sutcliff (4*)
8.   The Spy Who Loved Me - Ian Fleming (4*)
7.   Bangkok 8 - John Burdett (4*)
6.   Marnie - Winston Graham (4*)
5.   The Woman in Black - Susan Hill (4*)
4.   Cast Histories - Kate Atkinson (5)
3.   The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick (5*)
2.   The Ship - C.S. Forester (5*)
1.   The Razor's Edge - W. Somerset Maugham (5*)

Next BLog I'll try to take a look at my plans for July. :0)

Keep on reading!