Orange January Round Up

Well January 31st is slowly fading over the horizon and I have just turned the final page of my last Orange January book. Orange January is over. I thought I would take the time to do a quick round up of the challenge and the books I managed to read.

I originally pledged to read one book as reading books nominated for prestigious awards is not normally my thing. However I am proud to say I managed to read three books by the end of January. I have been trying to broaden my reading horizons lately as I tend to get stuck in my favorite genres if I am not careful.

The Orange Prize Project is run by Jill at The Magic Lasso. The aim is simple; to spend a reading books nominated for, or having won the Orange Broadband Award Prize. Originally this started as the Orange July Challenge, it proved to be very popular the Jill added another month to the calendar and Orange January was born. This was my first time participating in this challenge.

The books I managed to read were

• The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
• Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
• The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

The books I picked were a mixed bag for me I loved one, disliked another and thought the other just average.

To start with the most recent read The Night Watch just did not move me the way it has a lot of my Library Thing and blogging friends. Also I had a lot of expectations going in to read this book, which could be why I felt more disappointed with the book then anything. It had interesting themes but I seriously doubt I will read another Sarah Waters book again. Not because it was awful but more her style of writing is not what I generally like.

Case Histories I really did not like and found myself skipping most of it. It did have a surprising ending though which I will give it full credit for.

The Time Travelers Wife however was a joy to read. I could not put it down once I had it and was entranced by the characters and the story unfolding. It was just a beautiful read and very moving. For me it deserved all the rave reviews it has received if not more. Even though it is still early in the year it has been a stand out book.

Jill will also be running an Orange July which I will participate in. Even though two books did not work out to plan I have read three new authors and discovered one author I will continue reading. I already have a few books in mind to read but I will decide closer to July as to which ones I will read (and which ones I can get from the library which will make the ultimate decision for me LOL).

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Rating 2 out of 5

"Moving back through the 1940s, through air raids, blacked out streets, illicit liaisons, sexual adventure, to end with its beginning in 1941, The Night Watch is the work of a truly brilliant and compelling storyteller. This is the story of four Londoners—three women and a young man with a past, drawn with absolute truth and intimacy. Kay, who drove an ambulance during the war and lived life at full throttle, now dresses in mannish clothes and wanders the streets with a restless hunger, searching … Helen, clever, sweet, much-loved, harbours a painful secret … Viv, glamour girl, is stubbornly, even foolishly loyal, to her soldier lover … Duncan, an apparent innocent, has had his own demons to fight during the war. Their lives, and their secrets connect in sometimes startling ways. War leads to strange alliances"

Well I must admit I just was not taken by this book. Even though I really wanted to like this book as it is normally the sort of thing I enjoy, historical settings, strong women, unusual story, and interesting themes. Also it came quite highly recommended. However I just could not get into this book fully, I just could not work up any real interest at all.

The pace I found was almost painfully slow, it didn't really go anywhere until towards the end. I did not like the story being told back with a backwards storyline as it was annoying and not engaging. The stories told at the end were far more interesting then the stories told at the start. Personally I think if the story line was reversed it would have made the start far more impact with the sadness of how the characters had gotten where they were. If the books ending was at the start it would have been more interesting story in my mind. However others clearly loved this format and the way it was written as it has garnered a lot of great reviews and has been nominated for the Booker and Orange literary prizes

The underlying themes in the story were probably the only saving grace of this book for me and kept me reading. It deals with issues that in the 1940 were taboo such as homosexuality, women's rights, and abortion. It also dealt a little on the effects of war and how society was changing during that period.

I would recommend this book to people who like reading books nominated for prizes, lesbian fiction, or what I like to call "people" drama.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Rating 4 .5 out of 5

I needed a break after Case Histories so sat down with some good urban fantasy. For this review I thought I would try an interview style that Irish at Ticket to Anywhere recently used.

Title and author of book: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Fiction or non-fiction? Genre? Fiction. Urban Fantasy & Teen

What led you to pick up this book? It was recommended to me by Irish at Ticket to Anywhere. We have very similar tastes when it comes to Young Adult & Fantasy type books so I was very confident I would enjoy it.

Summarize the plot, but no spoilers! Aislinn (apparently pronounced Ash-lyn which makes her nickname of Ash make a whole lot more sense) can see faeries. She lives her life by a set of rules set down to keep her safe, and pretty much they all boil down to do not let them know you can see them. This all goes out the window when Keenan the King of the Summer court of faeries decides that she is his Queen. The rules have changed and Aislinn will find herself in the fight for her life and those she loves.

What did you like most about the book? It hooked me from the start. I read this cover to cover in one day. A book you cant put down is the best kind of book. The urban fantasy element was a bonus though.

What did you think of the writing style? Melissa Marr has an easy to read style of writing. It was able to set a good reading pace. There were no dull or slow moments. Marr had the right amount of explanations and plot development. She did not get bogged down on any detail in particular. The world created in this book is fully fleshed out and easy to understand.

What did you think of the main character? Aislinn was a believable teen with more then the usual set of issues. Her reactions and decisions I could logically see a teenage making. Considering her circumstances it is amazing she has not gone right off the rails. Aislinn did not get whiney or obnoxious, she had her moments of doubt but that is understandable when your world get's turned upside down.

Any other particularly interesting characters? Donia was interesting as she was constantly divided in so many directions. She managed to have so much empathy despite her situation and was strong enough to do what needed to be done regardless of her feelings. Donia was a strong character when she could easily have been a weeping blubbering mess.

If this book has been made into a movie, and if you’ve seen the movie, compare the book to the movie.: This book has not been made into a movie that I know of.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5

"Summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet - Lost on the left, Found on the right - and the two never seem to balance. His days are full of people clamouring for answers and explanations. A jealous husband suspects his wife. Two spinster sisters make a shocking find. A solicitor investigates an old murder. A nurse has lost her niece; a widow, her cats. Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge, and has a failed marriage to prove it. He is forty-five but feels much, much older. He is at that dangerous age when men suddenly notice that they're going to die eventually, inevitably, and there isn't a damn thing they can do about it. Surrounded by death, intrigue and misfortune, his own life is brought sharply into focus."

I really was not very taken with this book. The only reason I continued to read it was I had been told it gets better half way through, and to be fair it did get more tolerable towards the end.

Firstly I did not like the style that it was written in. Kate Atkinson seemed to want to use the biggest words available which is fine every now and then but not in nearly every paragraph in the first chapter. Also the language was old fashioned as well, which at first I though was maybe in keeping with the setting of the first chapter but I later realised this was how Kate Atkinson wrote (though it did loosen up towards the end) I almost put the book straight down after the first chapter.

I couldn't really like any of the characters except for Jackson and he was not in it as much as the blurb would imply. The only other interesting characters were barely in the book much to my disappointment. To be honest I disliked most of the main characters except perhaps Theo who was just a sad soul. Julia and Amelia only became interesting towards the end of the book.

The story jumped around a lot and was told from many different points of view which grew annoying especially when I did not see the relevance (or care perhaps?). In some cases the same story was told from two different points of view which did not offer anything new or insightful. There was a lot of unnecessary story thread woven in. Well for me they were unnecessary, I just did not see the relevance to the story being told. I found myself skipping quite a few paragraphs and not missing much.

I mostly kept reading to find out what the answers to the cases were, and I must confess to actually being surprised by the turn one of the cases took. Perhaps I am being harsh as I had just read the excellent Time Travelers Wife, but this book really failed to grab me at all. If it wasn't for the more interesting last chapters and the twist I probably would have scored this lower.

MEME: The Bookshelf

Laura at Musings tagged me for the bookshelf meme, originally created by Eva at A Striped Armchair.

The Book that has been on my bookshelf the longest?

Oh a toughie. I managed to keep a big pile of books from when I was little and most of them I believe are from when I was around 5 or so. So I picked one that was a favorite which was The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. It was bought for me by my grandparents on a trip back to England which made the book all that more exciting as it came from over seas!

A book that reminds me of something specific in my life (a person, a place, a time etc)?

I discovered Terry Pratchett in my teens and it all started with Truckers. I got this through the Schoolastic book club that was running at the time through schools and got it purely because I liked the look of the cover. I devoured it in a night and then spent the rest of my teens finding and reading TP books. I haven't looked back since.

A book I acquired in an interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used bookstore, prize etc)?

I suppose my first ARC which was through Library Thing falls into this category. The book was Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch by Simon Haynes. It was the first Australian ARC made available on Library Thing and some how I managed to snag a copy. So this was a big deal for me personally. So while just getting the book was a huge deal for me when I got the book it came with all these goodies like fridge magnets, signed draft copy, and letter from the author to name a few. I was so happy and the book was excellent too!

A book that has been with me to the most places?

Jurassic Park. It is a good fun read that I know will not disappoint. Jurassic Park has traveled with me on most of my overseas trips, the furthest being my trip to Canada two years ago. I usually take it as my "backup" book, just in case that new read I have turns out to be a dud. I have read it so many times I know it nearly word for word now.

The most recent addition to my shelves?

Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched The World by Vicki Myron. I picked this up from my mum who had a copy.

I will finish this by tagging three people that should have some fascinating answers.

1. Gail at Ticket to Anywhere


2. David at from my bookshelf


3. Terri at Reading, Writing and Retirement

And the rules for your post:

1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!


2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.


3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.


4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water…


5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc.
   

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Rating 5 out of 5

“The story of Henry and Clare, who have known each other since Clare was 6 and Henry was 36, and were married when Clare was 20 and Henry 28. This is possible only because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he flashes to other points in time, usually moments of emotional gravity for him. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.”

This book has received many rave reviews and it is not hard to see why. The story is epic and sweeping in its grandeur and is the type of book that elicits those sorts of words. The story follows the lives of Clare and Henry told from both of their perspectives as they struggle to find a normal life together in a world that is only learning about Henry’s condition. The issues dealt with in this book are emotional and real. Niffenegger writes about the issues with realism and sensitivity. There is the science fiction element to the story however it is hardly noticeable as the drama and romance of the story is far more prominent.

The prose does tend to jump around alternating between Clare and Henry, and occasionally time periods. While normally this would annoy me as a reader in this story it is appropriate and is seamlessly blended.

My main criticism (and there is only really one which is minor) is the language occasionally used by Niffenegger. During intimate scenes Niffenegger uses what would be best described as colourful language to illustrate the moment. Which is fine don’t get me wrong, for me though it just did not fit with the rest of the book. The rest of the book is this beautifully written prose that glides along with elegance and finesse and then all of a sudden there is this hideous coarse word. After the first instance I was left with the feeling of “where did that come from?” It was as surprising to me as would be to hear Mary Poppins using the f word. Other then those few (and they were few) jarring moments there is not really much else I can fault this book on.

A beautiful book which had me laughing and crying and wishing very fervently that our lives are not determined by destiny.

I highly recommended this book.

The Very Beginning

Well I finally took the plunge and started my blog. Took me an hour to decide on a name, the pressure of it all! In the end the name of this blog "The Narrative Causality" comes from my beloved Terry Pratchett (who I think made it up). Narrative Causality is when on the Disc (the world created by Mr Pratchett) a story or legend is told often enough and believed by enough people it becomes true. I like the sound of that, a story coming true because you believe.

Primarily this will be a book blog but other things (when I can work out how) may creep in.

I am sure to start with I will be all gun ho and keen so all sorts of randomness might appear. Eventually I will have to make a call though on what I can feasibly maintain. This should be fun and hope you like the journey with me.