Comments for Curious Book Fans

Comment on The Second Wives Club by Catherine Marmion

Catherine Marmion — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:09:34 +0000

I liked it too. Just bought a copy to read on holiday and I found it very amusing.

Comment on What Lies Beneath by Early Review of Black Light « Live Like a Flame

Early Review of Black Light « Live Like a Flame — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:07:55 +0000

[...] Here’s an early review at Curious Book Fans. [...]

Comment on True Things About Me by Lija (writer's pet)

Lija (writer's pet) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:31:17 +0000

I kept wondering (more and more as her life took a nose dive) if she really did have a “perfectly ordinary life” before the action in the book. For example, when her co-workers joke about her being a “dark pony” I wonder if that’s based on other past behaviour as well.

Comment on The Poisonwood Bible by John Latham

John Latham — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:42:42 +0000

I think this book is a fine piece of work, blending the personal and the political effectively. It is a study of imperialism, certainly, but it is more than that because it captures the cultural collision in a vivid way. It is more than just a ‘good read’, it really makes the reader think about international relations and religion. It could be read alongside ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Achebe (spellcheck) which tells the story of imperialism in Africa brilliantly from ‘the other’ side. I think that some authors do acquire ‘hype’, but this should be forgotten about when we read if possible.
Best wishes,
Jon.

Comment on The Brightest Star in the Sky by Vladimir

Vladimir — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:39:04 +0000

After this experience I think you are ready to buy an ebook reader…

Comment on Blood River by Tim Butcher

Tim Butcher — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:04:54 +0000

Hi there

Thank you for taking time to read and review my Congo book, Blood River. Sorry you found the style irritating but I was glad you at least got something from the book. You mentioned being interested in finding books on the Congo by more humble authors. You might consider:

King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild
A Bend in the River by V S Naipaul
In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz by Michela Wrong

Good luck and I hope you find what you are looking for

Best wishes

timbo

Tim Butcher

timbo@myisp.co.za

Comment on Ruby Flew Too by cheery scientist

cheery scientist — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:03:53 +0000

My children love another one of Jonathan Emmett’s books ‘Bringing down the moon’. Leaves you with a similar ‘feel good’ sensation and it’s his playfulness with sounds and words that makes us all come back to it over and over again…

Comment on True Things About Me by Luci

Luci — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:18:05 +0000

I agree it was well writen but I really didn’t like the book. I still have to write a review.

Comment on True Things About Me by Vladimir

Vladimir — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:26:24 +0000

I don’t know about the book but cover is very nice…

Comment on The Dogs of Riga: A Kurt Wallander Mystery by Glenn Stuart

Glenn Stuart — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:04:41 +0000

Hi Mary,
Yes, I’ve watched both versions. I think it’s pointless to compare them, in all honesty. Both are fantastic interpretations, Brannagh a little too slim perhaps (!), but such a performance. The story when his father died, the scene in the woman’s house when he pointed out his father’s signature on the painting, it was so real. What an actor! And the Swedish one is very special, but in a different way. I’m so sorry that version has come to an end – I used to look forward so much for Saturday nights on BBC4. Brannagh has done something very interesting, changing the sequence of the stories but maintaining the personal history. I can’t wait for the next three to be screened. Apparently, did you know, after the suicide of the actress who played Wallander’s daughter in the Swedish series, Henkell abandonned his plans to write more of the Linda Wallander stories. Just shows in what high esteem the author held the TV series.

Comment on The Dogs of Riga: A Kurt Wallander Mystery by Mary Bor

Mary Bor — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:49:34 +0000

Thanks for your comment and for reading my review. I too am a big Wallander fan though I wish I’d read them in sequence. Have you seen the television versions? My preference is for the Swedish original although the BBC version is worth a look too. The novels have translated well to the TV screen

Comment on The Dogs of Riga: A Kurt Wallander Mystery by Glenn Stuart

Glenn Stuart — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 07:17:37 +0000

I also came to The Dogs of Riga having only read one previous Wallander book. I read some other reviews from readers who thought Kurt had become a sort of ‘James Bond’ character, but this is nonsense. This is a good read, full of action and intrigue. Wallander is becoming more defined and his relationship with Baiba is on that is developed in subsequent books. He paints Riga as a very depressing place, which it may have been, and certainly on this reading it is not a place I would care to visit. Unlike Ystad, in Sweden, Wallander’s home. This sounds a wonderful place, despite all the murders! The characters evolve in the series – I’ve now read around five of them – and they are immensely enjoyable. I was never a fan of police procedurals until I happened upon Wallander, but I am now. I wouldn’t recommend this as the first in the series to read, but I would most definately recommend it.

Comment on Home is Where the Heart is by TheChocolateLady

TheChocolateLady — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:45:44 +0000

Well, I’m glad you liked it, because I found it tedious and couldn’t finish reading it. The language was terribly mundane and uninspiring for me. Moreover, I found the characters a bit too two dimensional for my taste, and with not enough individual voices. She tried to do the flashback and forward bit, it got far too bogged down in the past for too long, early in the book, and I think she should have straddled that a bit more, or just written it chronologically. My problem was I wanted to get back to Tonia’s present story and see how that played out, but she kept throwing me back to in all the stuff that led up to her being allowed to go to the school in Jerusalem. What didn’t bother me (and this was a pleasant surprise) was that it was about Kfar Etzion (which is in the West Bank) and therefore had a very right-wing bent, which is the opposite of my own political views. There were some factual errors as well, but let’s call that “literary license” and forget that. Still, I doubt I would have given it more than two stars – even had I been able to finish reading it.

What was really embarrassing – she sent me the book herself for me to review!

Comment on The Crimson Rooms by Mary Bor

Mary Bor — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:29:27 +0000

Nice to hear from another fan, Carole. Yes, I think I’ll be reading more of this author’s work in future too.

Comment on Blonde Meets Bollywood by Amy

Amy — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:13:36 +0000

I have to admit to never watching a full Bollywood movie, but I love them! This sounds like a hilarious little read.

Comment on I Love You as Big as the World by Vladimir

Vladimir — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:54:04 +0000

This is currently the favourite bed time literature for my 3 year old son. He likes pictures of cuddling between mother and son bear. There are no many words but they are gentle and soothing…

Comment on The Crimson Rooms by Carole

Carole — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 13:48:28 +0000

I absolutely loved this book as well, especially the character of Evelyn Gifford, she was a woman before her time. I also loved ‘The Rose of Sebastopol’ too. Looking forward to Katharine McMahon’s next book.

Comment on Healthy Eating for Lower Cholesterol by Stephen Guy-Clarke

Stephen Guy-Clarke — Sat, 29 May 2010 09:18:35 +0000

The Mediterranean Style Diet comprises pulses, fresh fruit, wholegrains, vegetables, fish, olive oil, and moderate daily wine consumption. It is low in saturated fat but high in monosaturated fatty acids. People who follow a Mediterranean Diet tend to have higher HDL cholesterol levels. The Mediterranean Diet consists of a healthy balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. In a long term study of 423 patients who suffered a heart attack, those who followed a Mediterranean Style Diet had a 50 per cent to 70 per cent lower risk of recurrent heart disease compared with controls who received no special dietary counselling.

Comment on Being Jewish in Ahmedabad by koshkha

koshkha — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:17:00 +0000

What a fascinating book. We visited the Synagogue in Cochin a few years ago and there was only one woman there under the age of about 40 and no young men left at all. It was sad to hear that she was unlikely to be able to ever marry because the pool of potential suitors was empty.

Comment on The Fish Who Could Wish by Celia JonesHinds

Celia JonesHinds — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 04:06:21 +0000

I bought a copy of The Fish Who Could Wish while browsing for reading material for my then 5 year old son, because I was attracted by its lovely illustrations and the easy rhyming structure evident in the first few pages. I didn’t read it in its little entirety until we got home., waiting until we had settled in at bed time for our traditional read. So, on I read, happily and easily enjoying the adventure, but was taken QUITE aback by the sudden and sad end! My son and I looked at each other simultaneously dismayed and a bit uncomprehending of the unexpected twist in the tail of the tale! We talked about it for a while and in short order I had the “AH-HA” to deliver……When you know what is different and special about you, it is important that you enjoy and celebrate it! Don’t ever try to be “ordinary” or the same as everyone else. Use your special gifts and enjoy all the amazing places that being “you” will take you. What an awesome message so unobstrusively hidden in this little story. We will treasure it always…. I’m not quite sure where it is right now, but I am confident that it will emerg in the next round of spring cleaning. My Russell will be 11 years old in 45 days and being his Mom has opened up an amazing world of discovery for me. In trying to be a source of awareness and access to knowledge for him, I learn and re-learn a treasure trove of insights every day and in some of the most unexpected places – like a little book about a fish who could wish. He is the most awesome gift I ever recieved, and I celebrate how special my life is with him in it…….

Comment on The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Segun Ademola

Segun Ademola — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:13:36 +0000

Just to say that as a Nigerian, I think I know the parts that the reviewer found shocking – sadly they are all too common in Nigeria. I personally think Lola Shoneyin pulled her punches!
I believe the difficulty the reviewer had in distinguishing the voices may be rooted in the fact that part of Shoneyin’s style is a unique rendering of linguistic norms and idiosyncrasies of the Yoruba language (proverbs, etiquette, specific greetings etc) that may be of necessity somewhat similar in tone. However, I feel the characters were well delineated and I was easily drawn in to the world of Baba Segi’s household by the skill and charm of the author who spins her tale with the assurance of an established literary voice.

Comment on Songs and Verse – Roald Dahl by Elle Johnson

Elle Johnson — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:19:59 +0000

I love all of roal dahls roems rip roald x

Comment on French for Cats by koshkha

koshkha — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:22:54 +0000

This reminds me of the time our friend’s bilingual 2-year old tried to teach our cat French.

Comment on Part heroic, part self-absorption by koshkha

koshkha — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:20:51 +0000

This one has been sitting on my shelf for ages – after reading your review I think I’ll kick myself into action and actually read it! Thanks

Comment on Sorayya Khan talks to Curious Book Fans by koshkha

koshkha — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:18:04 +0000

Sorayya has kindly provided me with a copy of Noor so watch out for the review in a few weeks time.