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Tuesday, January 20, 2004
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Drew Buddie 1:23 AM
Thursday, November 06, 2003
Drew Buddie 8:00 AM
Saturday, August 30, 2003
My pal David had recommended I read Enduring Love by Ian McEwan for quite some time now. To get one thing straight though, I detest Booker-type books as I am not a fan of 'clever' or 'arty' books. I have tried a lot of Booker winners and short-listed books and only Magnus Mills' Restraint of Beasts has ever appealed to me.
Anyway, I enjoyed this book up to a point. Yes, the opening - featuring a hot air balloon that is out of control and the subsequent effect this chance event has on people's lives - is breathtaking and makes fantastic reading, but I predicted the way the book was going, and my enjoyment was curtailed for that reason. Having said that, it is very clever, and as a reader you cannot fail to feel drawn into the life of the protagonist as his life slips ever-so-quickly out of his control. Ultimately, you the reader do not know whether to believe the narrator or not.
The story deals with erotomania and specifically De Clerembaut's Syndrome. Many critics berated McEwan for putting case study notes at the end of his book which implied the book was based on a real case. These so-called experts ended up with egg on their faces as it turned out McEwan had hoaxed them!
Drew Buddie 2:28 PM
Drop Shot, another book featuring Myron Bolitar and written by Harlan Coben, has ensured that I remain hooked on this series. Although this book precedes the first Bolitar mystery I read (the recently released Darkest Fear) it has covered a few of the isees that arose within that book and so fuzzy areas now make sense.
What I like about Coben's books is the way a plot that appears predictable, can completely turn on its head, and give you shock after shock. It is also cleverly written in the way that several threads all come together.
This particular book reads faster than a Pete Sampras serve! It centres around the violent death of a child prodigy tennis player (not unlike .Jennifer Capriati) who wants to make a comeback after her retirement. She was about to approach Myron - a former basketball star and now sports agent prior to her murder. As ever, the plot is far more labyrinthine that that, and like the brilliant Rebus books by Ian Rankin what appears to be a simple case proves to be anything but that!
I am now desperate to read the rest in the series.
Drew Buddie 2:10 PM
I liked the look of Andrew Martin's novel, The Necropolis Railway from the moment I first clapped eyes on it. The cover is strangely similar to the adult version of the first Harry Potter book. If truth be told I actually bought it from Borders as the third of a '3 for 2' offer.
I was pleasantly surprised as the book is very dark and a superbly creepy atmosphere is created from the very first page - you can almost smell the coal dust as you read each page. The book is across between a train-spotter's almanac and the work of Caleb Carr or Anne Perry.
I never knew about it before, but the Necropolis Railway actually existed. It took the deceased and the mourners from Waterloo Station to Brookwood Necropolis - it was necessary because there was a lack of burial space within London. Therein actually lies the plot for this beguiling murder mystery.
We are promised more books featuring the hero Jim Stringer soon. I for one can hardly wait.
Drew Buddie 1:56 PM
Friday, August 29, 2003
Wow! With The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, I believe I have finally read a truly original, unique book. Mark Haddon has managed to create a story that is unlike any other I have ever read. The narrator is a young boy with many problems, not least of which is the fact he suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, a formof autism, which carries with it a whole array of unusual behavoural characteristics. I found it ito be an iincredible read that has at long last given me an idea of what it is like to suffer from this. I teach a pupil who has Aspergers and now I understand why she behaves the way she does.
A former writer and illustrator of children's books, Haddon has crafted a novel that mixes a murder mystery – albeit that of a neighbour's dog Christopher was fond of – and a coming-of-age tale. The tone is linear but strangely elegiac: Christopher describes what he sees and hears but his refracted worldview has a biting logic to it. "I think prime numbers are like life," he observes. "They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them."
By trying to deduce who stabbed Wellington the dog with a garden fork, Christopher has to venture outside the narrow confines of the life that has been structured to cosset him. For a start he has to talk to people, then step outside the boundaries of his father's home and the special-needs school. It's a mark of the skill with which Haddon depicts the teenager, astutely and without undue sentiment, that you worry about him undertaking the most mundane of tasks, such as catching a train.
However, caveat emptor as the book comes in two versions, one for adults and one for children. Unlike the Harry Potter books, the covers are not the only difference. One version contains VERY strong language which is definitely not suitable for young children.
Still this does not detract from the fact that, from a narrative point of view, this is one of the most astonishing books I have ever read.
Drew Buddie 2:49 PM
Sunday, August 03, 2003
For the past few years I have been buying most of James Patterson's books as soon as they come out. However The Beach House has lain on my bookshelves for a while as I never found it particularly inspiring - especially as it does not feature Alex Cross and it is co-written by Peter de Jonge.
It's ultimately a disappointing read, which although it moves along at a very fast pace (as is common with all Patterson's books) it is very weak - and the denouement is unique in crime fiction, but poor, I think.
"Jack Mullen is a driven student of the law. His brother Peter is a servant of the rich, parking the cars of the Hamptons' elite-and perhaps satisfying their more intimate needs as well. Then Peter's body is found on the beach. Jack knows the drowning was no accident, but someone's unlimited power and money have bought the cops, the judges, the system. Now Jack is learning a lesson in justice he never got in law school…and his astonishing plan to beat the billionaires will have you reeling-and cheering-to the very last page."
Drew Buddie 2:21 PM
Darkest Fear by Harlan Coben is not the first of his books that I have read, but it is is the first featuring his recurring character, Myron Bolitar. I thought this was a rip-roaring read that beats any run-of-the-mill pot-boiler any day. The twists and turns are tremendous and the characters are believeable and likeable. The story is really unusual in that it really delves into the background of a recurring character, instead of merely being a incident that happens to them. I will certainly be seeking out his other Bolitar books.
"Myron faces the most emotionally shattering case of his career. And it all begins when Myron's ex-girlfriend tells him he is a father-of a dying 13-year-old boy. "
Drew Buddie 11:56 AM
Dead Air by Iain Banks was, as usual, a gripping, strange tale that was impossible to predict. I admire the way that Banks can tale a tale, that is essentially about nothing, yet you find it impossible to put the book down. His latest books are not as good as The Wasp Factory, but that was a truly exceptional book.
"After a wedding breakfast people start dropping fruits from a balcony on to a deserted carpark ten storeys below, then they start dropping other things; an old TV that doesn't work, a blown loudspeaker, beanbags, other unwanted furniture . . . Then they get carried away and start dropping things that are still working, while wrecking the rest of the apartment. But mobile phones start ringing and they're told to turn on a TV, because a plane has just crashed into the World Trade Centre . . ."
Drew Buddie 11:50 AM
Candlemoth by Roger Jon Ellory was a very interesting read. The reviews I read were critical of the fact that the ending can be seen coming 100 pages form the end. I'd say that although I guessed the ending, I really enjoyed it. I found it a really unusual and rivetting read.
"Daniel Ford has thirty days to live. Accused of the horrific murder of his best friend Nathan twelve years before, he has exhausted all appeals and now faces the long walk to the electric chair. All he can do is make peace with his God. Father John Rousseau is the man to whom the last month of Daniel's life has been entrusted. All the two men have left to do is rake over the last ashes of Ford's existence. So he begins to tell his story. Beginning with his first meeting with Nathan, aged six, on the shores of a lake in 1952, through first loves, Vietnam, the death of Kennedy and finally their flight from the draft which ends in Nathan's brutal murder... But meanwhile the clock is ticking and the days are running out..."
Drew Buddie 11:44 AM
Thursday, June 26, 2003
I'm visiting my good friend Robert's house at the minute and he's shown me his wonderful array of gadgetry.
Drew Buddie 11:21 AM
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
For the first time in a while I have read a thriller, for a bit of a non-cerebral diversion. This one is called 'Rising Phoenix' by Kyle Mills. It is unusual in that the narrative follows the villains of the piece and we get to find out their motivation, which although highly unpalatable is nonetheless well-intentioned. It involves them intentionally poisoning the US cocaine supplies and thereby killing the addicts. A 'maverick' policeman (aren't they all?) is the hero of the story and he is charged with stopping this campaign of terror. A hugely enjoyable yarn and one which would serve as a heated talking point at any dinner party. I'm certainly going to read more of Mills' stuff. Highly recommended.
Drew Buddie 6:42 AM
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