More Books

My latest collection of books read.

I mentioned this book in the last book post and now I've read it I can recommend it to everyone. I thought it was really good, the premise is that the author is a university lecturer with terminal cancer. He is asked to give a 'last lecture' to a group of graduating students. It turns out it will be one of his last lectures before he dies. It is filled with his life experiences and some really good advice. You can watch the actual lecture online, but the book gives a little more info about what happened on the day and some backgroud stuff too. The best piece of advice? 'Ignore everything he says and just look at what he does.'

One of Roald Dahl's book for adults, this is a collection of short stories inspired by his time as a pilot in the RAF. It was ok, but I was glad they were short stories as I wouldn't have been capitaved enough for them to be much longer.

Love this author and love this book. A family mystery that weaves between 3 generations of women over 2 countries (Britain and Australia). I cannot wait to read her next story, although apparently it's about the same size at the bible...

I first picked up this book when I was at school. I couldn't get into it. I tried again at university, and again couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. This time I got into the story and it didn't take me long to finish the whole thing. Maybe I could relate more because I have lived abroad myself or just because I am older but I found it an enjoyable read and a nice insight into living in the Spanish countryside.

This is one of my favourite books and I decided to re-read it out here. It took me a little while to get into it because I already knew the story, but it was nice to rediscover bits I had forgotten from when I first read it, and after I finished the book I watched the film again. Such a magical story!

As I enjoyed Great Expectations so much I was advised to read this one as it is 'better'. In my opinion, it's not. It took AGES to get into and even then I didn't feel for the main character or feel that what happens in the end is really the best thing.

I decided to read this book as I'd read about it's inspiration from 'Travelling with Pomegranates'. It's a lovely story, focused on religion, discovering identity and racism in America. I think it is also a film.

I've only just finished this book and I thought it was fantastic! It's written by a journalist who embarked on a walking adventure through South Korea in the 80s. It's obviously very old, but it's still very relevant (which is kind of shocking as it shows how little Korea has developed in the last 20 years). In the book the author points out the charms and flaws of Korean culture as he recreates the journey taken by the first ever foreigners (Dutch) to arrive (shipwrecked) in Korea. He encounters all kinds of people on his journey and his honesty is refreshing. This book is neither full of propaganda nor a disparaging critique.

I've just started this one, looks like an interesting read and one that will leave me hankering after a long trip on a train. Trans-Siberian anyone?