2013 Top Ten Best Reads - Number 1

W. Somerset Maugham

My Number 1 Best Read of 2013 is by an author I had not read previously, W. Somerset Maugham. I found the book in Kingston early this year while the missus and I were visiting with my daughter in Kingston (on our way to London, Ontario to see the World Figure Skating Championships). We decided to spend an afternoon wandering around downtown. We saw an antique store on Princess Street, Turks, that was in the process of closing down. I found a couple of books there and one of them was my ultimate Number 1 Best Read, The Razor's Edge. There is a photo of the edition I purchased at my Blog entry for March 2013. It is an excellent edition, published in 1945 by Blakiston, just had a very nice feel to it.

Maugham was born in the UK Embassy, Paris, France and lived from 1874 - 1965. He was probably noted most for his novels, Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence and The Razor's Edge. I loved The Razor's Edge. I pretty well read it while we stayed at our B&B outside London. The story drew me in, I loved Maugham's smooth, flowing writing style and his use of language. The story basically tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot who is traumatised by World War I and who begins a search to find the meaning of his life. The story follows Larry and his friends from the US to France, telling of their interactions with Larry. It's probably a simple story, but at the same time, it's enthralling, the lifestyle, the people, the stories of their lives. Maugham has a wonderful style and I could not put the book down.

This is the review I wrote for my Goodread's bookshelf and was written while the book was still fresh in my mind. "I'd never read any Somerset Maugham before and really had no desire to read anything by him either. However recently I saw The Razor's Edge in a antique/ collectibles shop and I liked the look of it. Since one of my Reading groups was reading Modern English Classics as this month's genre, I decided to read it. I must say that I was most pleasantly surprised. Maugham has a way about him of telling a story. His writing style is very fluid and eminently readable. The story was interesting, the dialogue flowed nicely and I found myself waiting anxiously to get back to the book when I put it down. Did a lot happen? It was a tale of people, specifically friends of Maugham's, as he is the narrator and a character, with whom he spends time and observes. I liked the characters and I liked Maugham as well. He's an observer of humanity and expresses his observations so very well. Anyway, I loved the story, it's one of my favourites of this year. Will I read any more of his books? Well I purchased The Moon and Sixpence yesterday, so I hope so."

I have to say that since I signed up in Goodreads and joined the groups of which I'm a member, my reading tastes have expanded and I've enjoyed the variety of books I now read very much.

So there you have it, my Top Ten reads of 2013. Once I finish the final books of 2013, I'll provide a summary of them, sorting through my various challenges. Overall, it's been a productive excellent year of reading. I'm definitely looking forward to 2014.

If I don't write another Blog before Christmas, Happy Holidays and the very best for 2014. Be safe!

2013 Top Ten Best Reads - Number 2

George Eliot

Counting down to Number 2 on my list of Top Ten Best Reads of 2013. I first heard this story when the missus was listening to a BBC Radio dramatisation of the story. She really enjoyed it very much, especially with Juliet Stevenson in the role of Gwendolen Harleth. That year for Xmas, I bought her a Penguin Edition of the book and also found on line, from Scarthin Books of Cromford, an 1877 Edition of the book published by William Blackwood and Sons, a lovely, well-maintained edition; one edition for reading, one for display (we do like, or I do like, rare books)

Getting back to my Number 2 selection, Daniel Deronda, George Eliot had the book published in 1876. This was her last novel; she's also written Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Romola, Felix Holt, the Radical and Middlemarch. I chose Daniel Deronda as one of my 12 + 2 challenges for 2013. It was definitely one of my most challenging reads of the year. It took awhile to gain familiarity with the writing style of the time and the English language of that era. I had a general idea of the story, from listening to some of the radio dramatisation and discussing with Jo. Not normally the type of story I would read, I found myself drawn into it. Daniel Deronda, as a character, is most interesting, a man raised by his mentor, but not knowing who his mother or father were; in fact, raised assuming that his mentor, Sir Hugo Mallinger, might be his father. He is a caring, thoughtful person, who cannot say no when it comes to helping a friend, a wonderful man, really. I will admit to being very frustrated and irritated with the character, of Gwendolen Harleth, a wilful, selfish girl, but even her character develops and grows, as crisis and heartache are thrust upon her (even if mostly of her own doing). It's a fascinating story, a portrayal of the time, bringing the issue of Judaism, poverty, even abuse to an extent. The story is rich, intelligent and fascinating.

Once again, I provide as well, my Goodreads' bookshelf review of the book,"Not my normal story at all; I do tend to more light reading, thriller, adventure, but at times I do try to explore more challenging stories. This was definitely one of those. It's a true classic, well-written and intelligent. The story focuses on two main characters, Gwendolen Harleth, a selfish, young lady who thinks the world revolves around her and Daniel Deronda, a gentlemen, searching for himself. This search has many aspects, the simple one being trying to ascertain who his parents are as he has grown up under the protection/ guidance of Sir Hugo Mallinger from childhood. This also involves more internal searching, who is he, why does he think as he does. He is a caring individual, selflessly helping friends and strangers; his flighty school friend Hugo Meyrick, the lovely Jewess Mira and even Gwendolen.. There is so much in this book, unspoken love, a brief study of what it is like to be Jewish in those times, death, romance, etc. I was very surprised how much I enjoyed the story and as I worked my way through the initial pages to get accustomed to the style of the time, it was published in 1876, I enjoyed it immensely. As much as Gwendolen irritated me to no end with her selfishness, at the same time, there was an inkling of sympathy for the plight she finds herself in (even if much of it is due to her own actions) and ultimately.. well, I won't go there. It's a heavy tome, but well worth reading. I'm very glad I did."

I'm so glad that I decided to take a chance on this story. It's a true classic. I will have to try others of Eliot's work; we also have Middlemarch and Romola on our bookshelves, plus I came to realise, another edition of Daniel Deronda. (You can't have too many) These are lovely 1894 editions published by Estes and Lauriat of Boston.

So there you have it, Best Read Number 2. My favourite read of 2013 follows tomorrow, unless I return home from our Section Xmas party a little under the 'weather'.

Have a great night and see you in a day or so.

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 7

Number 7 - Kate Atkinson

I first became aware of Kate Atkinson when the missus and I watched a UK mystery series based on her first Jackson Brodie book, Case Histories. It starred the talented Jason Isaacs as Scottish detective, Jackson Brodie. Even though the TV series relocated the first three books in the Case Histories series from Cambridge to Scotland, it didn't really matter. It was a fascinating series, well - developed stories, with interesting plots that suddenly and satisfyingly fit together. Jason Isaacs was excellent as Jackson Brodie and the other characters were all well-developed and acted. I particularly liked the regular characters, Jackson's daughter, Marlee, his long-suffering secretary, Deborah and my favourite character, DC Louise Munroe, played by Amanda Abbington. I enjoyed the series so very much that I searched to find out if it was based on a written series. To my joy, I discovered that there were, in fact, books and they were written by Kate Atkinson.

That started my search for books from the series. Kate Atkinson is an English writer who was born in York in 1951. Her first book was Behind the Scenes at the Museum, which was published in 1995 and won her the Whitbread Book of the Year.  Case Histories, the first of the series, was published in 2004. She has since written three other books in the series. I finally read the first, Case Histories, in February of this year. It took no time at all to read, the book was just as good as the TV series. This is the review I wrote on my Goodreads' bookshelf (some slight editing), "Such an excellent book. I had seen the BBC TV series starring Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie, which I'd enjoyed immensely. So I approached this with both trepidation and excitement. I did find it somewhat odd that the book is set in Cambridge, whereas the TV series was set in Scotland, but once I'd accepted the difference, I enjoyed the book so very much. Kate Atkinson draws you in immediately, introducing the various Case Histories, then Jackson Brodie, then meanders through each, tying them together when felt necessary. Every character is interesting and well-presented, Jackson Brodie is super, witty but with his own issues. The story isn't really tense, even though there are awful crimes involved, but it's more of a character study. The writing is subtle, intelligent, funny at times. Loved it so very much. I look forward to reading more of Kate Atkinson's work. Thanks to the BBC to introducing me to her and making me search out her books."

I still have two of the remaining books in the series on my bookshelf to read and I'm sure I'll get to them in 2014. I highly recommend both the TV series and the book. You'll love it.

Number 6 tomorrow!.. :0)

2013 Top Ten Best Reads - Number 9

John D. MacDonald

 

In my 58 years on this Earth, I'd never read any of John D. MacDonald's writings. Unknowingly, I'd seen a movie based on his book Cape Fear (both the original, which was my preference, and the sequel, which I didn't particularly like). If anyone had asked me who was known for the Travis McGee novels, I might have known, but other than that, I'd never had any real interest in reading his stories. However, thanks to various threads in one of my Goodreads book clubs, the Mystery, Thriller group, I thought I should try the Travis McGee series as there were so many positive comments. I've slowly been collecting the series and this past year I decided to use John D. MacDonald as one of my focus authors so I could finally introduce myself to the series. September was Travis McGee month (if you're interested this was my BLog entry for September, describing my aim for the month).

 

Of course, I started with the first book in the series, The Deep Blue Good-By.  I must say I enjoyed it very much, it was an excellent introduction to Travis McGee and the type of mystery in which he involved himself. I gave it four stars. I particularly liked McGee's lone wolf type of personality, his jaundiced view of society and the lifestyle of the time period. Nightmare in Pink wasn't as good as the first, (it got kind of weird in the middle; there was psychedelic drugs, etc involved) but it still provided more info on McGee and the cast of characters was interesting.

 

Best Read Number 9 A Purple Place for Dying



It was book 3 of the series that is my Number 9 Best Read of 2013. That book is A Purple Place for Dying. The story line is basic. "A beautiful woman calls Travis McGee to Arizona. She needs his help recovering the money that her good-for-nothing, soon-to-be-ex-husband stole from her. But she's not long for the world, and even though his employer dies, Travis isn't giving up. It's not often he leaves Florida, and he's not about to go home empty-handed." There was something about the story that really grabbed me. McGee was suddenly very three-dimensional. The characters were very well-developed, with flaws and strengths and the story was extremely interesting, with nice surprises that I didn't expect. It was definitely one of my surprises of the year.

 

I did manage to finish one more Travis McGee mystery. The Quick Red Fox, which was also quite good, another 4 star read. Now that I've been satisfactorily introduced, I will continue to enjoy the series. A Purple Place for Dying isn't one of my traditional 5 star reads, but there you go. I'm definitely glad that I was intrigued enough to start this series. I highly recommend.

 

Number 8 of the year follows in the next day or so. I bet you can't wait. :0)

2013 Top Ten Best Reads - Number 10

It's that time of year; time to review some of my favourite things. I've made a favourite song list that I'm posting daily on Facebook, have so far made up my Top Ten Books of the Year (the subject of the next few posts) and will take a look at some of the TV shows that I enjoyed this year, etc.

Bonnie and Clyde resting

On a personal level, it's been a quick but a very good year. In the spring, the missus and I enjoyed the Men's World Curling Championships in Victoria. After that we went to Abbotsford and picked up our first of two new Schnauzer puppies. That would be the grey one in the photo; that's Bonnie. A couple of months later, we trekked back to Abbotsford and picked up our second, that would be Clyde of course. Having them around has definitely spiced up our lives; they are lovely, entertaining dogs; still puppies, with all the puppy habits. Bonnie is a digger, loves rooting around in the dirt; hence the mucky pup sobriquet. And Clyde is a barker, loves to bark at people and dogs when we go out for walks. And if you haven't seen them for 3 or 4 minutes, you will be swarmed with excited pouncing from both and nipping from Clyde. It's been great, tiring at times, but great.

The View from our Den

And this year we made a concerted effort to do some work in the yard and garden. There is still lots to do, but the yard on the whole has never looked as good. The photo above shows the space from our Den. For the past few years it basically was sand and stone. But now it's actually got grass and we've planted some creepers that we hope will take and add some greenery to the fence. Next year we'll get a sprinkler system installed and work on the rest of the yard. Actually looking forward to it.

Phillip K. Dick

Anyway, onto the purpose of this specific BLog entry. I have enjoyed this past year of reading. I've had a few duds, but many excellent books as well that have found their way to my Top Ten list. The first selection is actually a reread and I have previously posted about it, when I was listing my Top Ten All-Time Favourite books. The book is by SciFi author Phillip K. Dick and is The Man in the High Castle. If you're interested this is my previous BLog about it. This year I reread a number of Phillip K.Dick's books, The Man in the High Castle, Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and Dr. Bloodmoney or How We Got Along after the Bomb (My Blog about my thoughts on this Challenge). It had probably been 20 years since I read The Man in the High Castle and I had wondered if I would still enjoy the book as much. Well, I did. It's an excellent SciFi story, displaying Dick as one of the unique SciFi/ Alternate Reality authors of all time.

This was the entry I put in my Goodread's review of the book. "Read this for the third or fourth time this past week. As good as ever. It's a story that passes the test of time. Such an interesting concept. It's the first alternate history type story that I ever read. It's an alternate history within an alternate history. The basic premise is that Japan and Germany win WWII and have split up the USA and the rest of the world. However throughout the story is another book within this book which tells the story as if the US and Britain had won the war and the issues this causes. There is so much more to this story; culture, religion, art, love. Highly recommended."

I remember trying to understand the I-Ching after reading this book; didn't quite succeed, I'll admit. But the story is just so fascinating and still touched a chord when I read it again.

So there you go, another Top Ten list started. I must say that I may have to do another Top Ten SciFi/ Fantasy list sometime.. Woo hoo!!

Number 9 will be in the next few days, depending how busy I am at work. Read Phillip K. Dick, you won't be disappointed.