Your Heart Belongs to Me - Dean Koontz 2009 * * *

I'm pretty sure this is the first Dean Koontz novel I have read, and it certainly was an easy read. The story itself is pretty bizarre and weird but apparently that is Dean Koontz's style. However, the first part of the book introduces us to Ryan, a rich kid with a beautiful girlfriend named Sam. After a terrifying ordeal involving his heart he finds out he needs urgent surgery. His operation is a success but what happens afterwards is definitely not on the side-effects list.

The plot is a bit jumpy further into the book and I must say that the ending doesn't make any sense at all, but I guess that's the point of a book like this. Will have to read another of his books to see how his style changes. My idea of an ideal horror/thriller is a sort of adult Point Horror, I wonder if I will ever find one.

Started 18th January

Finished 19th January

A Woman's Life - Guy de Maupassant 1883 * * * * *

By now I have come to realise that Maupassant is a complete and utter genius and that this second book of his which I raced through was equally as amazing and excellently written as his other. His writing style is light years ahead of the time it was written in and the story is packed with exciting and devestating betrayals and infidelities that are still relevent and present in today's society. I am so struck with how easy I have found Maupassant's work, as before I started Bel-Ami I had the stereotypical view that classic French literature would be up there with Russian works in terms of how hard it was to read and understand. How wrong I was. Another amazing thing is how much I can relate to his novels, in particular A Woman's Life which has never happened to such an extent before. I literally devoured this book and understood and sympathised with every single aspect of Jeanne's life. To be able to relate so strongly to a male author writing over 110 years ago has made me almost burst with joy and wetted my palate for more French classic literature. Yet again another tragic waste of a brilliant mind (Maupassant died aged 42) which is so disheartening when you see how absolutely superb his stories and style are. For him not to have understood or believed in his greatness is genuinely heartbreaking. One of the best things I can say about Maupassant is that he hasn't aged. Some authors writing more recently than him are now incredibly dated and 'old-fashioned' but not this man, he is still sharp as a knife over a century later.

Started 17th January

Finished 19th January

Misery - Stephen King - 1987 * * * *

Blimey that Stephen King doesn't half pack a punch with some of his work. 'Misery' is the first book I have read by him and it was an occasion marked in utter terror as I refused food or drink and even refused to move until I had got to the end. I very rarely read an entire book in one sitting ( time does not permit, and there is the added cramp which you feel after a while) but with this book I had a bizarre feeling that there was no way in hell I could stop until I had read it. I think the fact the film had such an impact on me at the time meant that I was desperate to know what was going on in the book and how it had originally been explained ( i.e. the hobbling scene in the film, quite different in the book...say no more..). What was great about this book ( and seemingly something that Stephen King no longer does in his newer work) was that from literally the first page we were in Annie Wilkes's house with Paul Sheldon there on the bed, there was no pussy-footing around or inane rambling that meant we had to wait until half way through the book before we could get our teeth into something interesting; it was already there from the first time we opened it.

My opinion is that some parts were ten times better visually than they were written, and other parts were written so well and with so much detail that the film could not compare, so a bit of pick 'n' mix was definitely present. But a book that needs to be read. And not alone.

Started 16th January

Finished 16th January

The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides 1993 * * *

Having seen the film first and been totally blown away by it I guess I hoped the same would be said for the book. Starting out well the book seemed to progress downhill so that only in the last 20 pages or so did the story really fall into place and come into it's own. The rest of the time the writer was hanging around aimlessly and not making much sense, filling pages and pages with ramblings about topics that seemed of no use or relevance to the story at all. Obviously knowing the story and knowing what to expect I was on the lookout to see how the film had shown various elements in the book and most of the time ( I'm sorry to say) the film won hands down. I did not feel a particular empathy or attachment to the girls in the book and Mrs Lisbon isn't presented in such a domineering and overpowering way as she is on screen ( Kathleen Turner is excellent as her). In fact I found that most of the book was a drag and I was just willing myself to get through it. Sadly not as good as I was expecting. It could be this reason that made me read the whole thing in one sitting.

Started 15th January
Finished 15th January

The British Museum is Falling Down - David Lodge 1965 * * *

I've never read any David Lodge, and this first offering wasn't too bad at all. It wasn't hysterical and I wasn't rolling around on the floor in laugh like I had hoped but it was an easy and unassuming read by someone greatly admired in the literary world. I will be happy to read another of his books although like Tom Sharpe I had hoped that this author would have opened up new doors of hilarious reading which doesn't seem to have happened quite yet. Maybe I need to read another of his to really get a feel for his style of writing? I'll leave David Lodge for a while and go back to him later, maybe he needs to be read in another state of mind.

Started 9th January

Finished 15th January

The Gropes - Tom Sharpe 2009 * * * 1/2

When I first discovered Tom Sharpe, I was under the impression that he was hidden treasure - someone I had not read anything by who claimed to be hilarious and light-hearted. I'm a huge fan of comic novels ( let's face it, who doesn't enjoy reading something that will make them laugh out loud) and thought ' Here's the jackpot, look at the load of books he has written and I'm going to work my way through them.' Before I had even read anything by him I decided he was the writer for me and I started collecting what books I could of his to pile up in my room and savour for a day when I really needed a good chuckle. Well this is my second of his novels ( I read The Throwback some time ago) and I must say that although there are a few funny moments, in general he's not as hilarious as I thought he would be. I'm hoping this is a temporary glitch and when I move on to his more famous works ( Porterhouse Blue + Granchester Grind spring to mind) I'll really be having a good laugh. Although in general if I don't like an author by the time I have read two works of theirs it's usually time to give up and move on. Maybe with Tom Sharpe I'll give him three.

Started 4th January
Finished 9th January

Before She Met Me - Julian Barnes * * * * 1986

I've never read anything of Julian Barnes before but after reading this novel I am sure I will be turning to his work again in the near future. This story follows the life of a historian who becomes increasingly obsessed and jealous over his second ex-movie star wife's sexual history. The book is funny, light and not to be taken too seriously, however the ending did give me a bit of a shock, being totally different to the rest of the book. I flew threw the book in just over a day and am now eager to read more of Mr Barnes' work especially 'Talking it Over.' Mr Barnes is a great writer on the subject of relationships and there are parts in the previous novel that I could actually understand and relate to myself. He is obviously completely clued up on how people relate to and understand each other as regards to romance and should be read by everyone who has ever been in a relationship.

Started 5th January
Finished 6th January