This is my reading group’s book of the month. I read it last night in one sitting; it’s very easy to read. It’s one of those books that reads more like a film than a novel, especially with its beautiful lead characters and dramatic settings. I quite enjoyed the romantic aspect of it, which is very well handled; it feels fresh and innocent. But overall this book isn’t for me. It’s unchallenging and mawkish. Also I couldn’t help thinking that The Lovely Bones got there first with the idea of exploring the afterlife.

(43rd in 2012)

I wasn’t intending to pick this up straight after Wolf Hall but I found that I could listen to the audiobook for free by ‘borrowing’ it from the library. I thought I’d give it a go while my head was still in Cromwell mode.

Bring Up the Bodies is leaner than Wolf Hall. Not only is it shorter but the pace is faster and there is more scandal, plotting and violence. The cast seems smaller too. I enjoyed Bring Up The Bodies very much and, unlike Wolf Hall, it didn’t feel like hard work at all. I think HM has done a much better job with this. Some of the scenes are stunning. My favourites, in chronological order, are 1) when Henry first asks Cromwell if there might be some reason why his marriage to Anne might be void, 2) when Henry momentarily turns against Cromwell and, of course, 3) Anne’s bloody end.

Hilary Mantel talking about the book on Radio 4’s Bookclub

I wasn’t sure whether I should count audiobooks into my ‘book a week in 2012’ total but since it does take concentration to listen and, at normal pace, longer to listen to a book than to read it, I will count them. I might listen to a few more too; they are fantastic for keeping me amused while doing boring chores.

(42nd in 2012)

I decided to read this on the recommendation of two different friends. I had no doubt that I’d enjoy it with it being a Booker Prize winner to boot. I could not have been more wrong. This book was extremely hard work. It has taken me six weeks to get through it. Six weeks, when I’m supposed to be reading one book every week! For the first time this year I am behind schedule.

I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy any aspect of it. I hardly know any history at all so I certainly learned a lot and had plenty to think about. There are a few beautifully written passages. But this book failed me overall because I simply didn’t enjoy it. The writing style is very dull. It has a cast of thousands. It’s difficult to work out what is significant and what seems to have been thrown in on a whim. For at least the first third of the book I didn’t realise that ‘he’, unless otherwise stated, refers to Cromwell.

A couple of weeks ago, when Hilary Mantel won another Booker Prize for the sequel, I decided that I must be missing something, so I downloaded the spoken (unabridged) version of Wolf Hall. That certainly helped me to figure out who was who but after a while the spoken book started to grate on me. At 24 hours long it felt like a marathon. I discovered that it takes longer to listen to a book than to read it. In some ways it’s more difficult to listen; it’s easy to get distracted, just by thinking your own thoughts. Then it become necessary to rewind which isn’t easy on the Kindle.

I am relieved 1) to have finished Wolf Hall and 2) to see that, according to Amazon reviews anyway, that I’m not the only one to have found it hard going. Having said that I’m not ruling out reading Bring Out The Bodies in future, because I’m somehow hooked, but I would definitely like to read a few books that are more to my taste before taking on what may be another struggle.

(41st in 2012)

This was this month’s reading group book. I enjoyed it very much. There is plenty of anger coming through at the attitudes towards women at the time and rightly so. It sounds like the 50s and 60s was a horribly claustraphobic and restrictive time for an intelligent woman living in the sticks. The writing is searing, brutally honest but nostalgic too. There is so much insight crammed in too that it’s quite dizzying. I got through the book in what seemed like no time at all. Definitely recommended.

(40th in 2012)

This is a great little book which came to my attention through Kindle Daily Deal. It’s science administered to the reader in an entertaining and easily digestible fashion. Packed with facts and food for thought, I’d thoroughly recommend it.

(39th in 2012)

This is a very strange tale. Throughout I felt uncomfortable and even more so after reading the letter in the appendix at the end. I suppose I should have expected it; this is classic McEwan: disturbing, well written, well researched and razor sharp when it comes to thoughts and interactions. There isn’t anyone I’ve read who can take you into a character’s mind like McEwan can. So, while it’s not a happy read and doesn’t seem as polished as On Chesil Beach or Amsterdam, it’s still worth a read. When you’ve finished it, (re)consider the meaning of the title.

(38th in 2012)