Monday 3 March 2014

What I Read In February


Once again I'm joining in with Laura of Circle of Pine Trees for The Year In Books. I actually managed to read three books in February,  partly because I was ill at the start of the month.

First off, I read 'A Street Cat Named Bob' by James Bowen. Mostly, I'm drawn to literary  fiction, but sometimes when I see a book with a dog (as in 'Marley and Me') or a cat (as in 'Dewey - the Small Town Library Cat that Touched The World), on the cover, I just can't resist.  'A Street Cat Named Bob' is the heart-warming story of how a stray cat helped recovering drug addict and street musician James Bowen turn his life around. After James gives Bob, the ginger tom with a big personality, a home his fortunes change when Bob goes busking with him in London. It's no masterpiece but an enjoyable read.

While I've watched the Wallander  series on television, I hadn't read any of the detective novels by Swedish writer Henning Mankell as I'm not into crime fiction.
However, a work colleague gave me the loan of 'Italian Shoes', promising me that I'd enjoy it - and enjoy it I did.

Mankell is a master at capturing the bleak Swedish countryside,  where on a tiny island,  Fredrik Welin has taken refuge in the house which belonged to his grandparents. Alone save for his aging dog and cat, the only person he sees is the hypochondriac postman, who calls even if he has no mail to deliver. His self-enforced solitude is broken when he sees a figure making her way across the ice  one morning. It's Harriet, the only woman he ever really loved and who has now come to ask him to keep a promise made long ago. They begin a journey through the winter landscape to where Fredrik was taken to a secret lake in his childhood and he is forced to confront his past.

The book deals honestly with aging and death, but also touches on other issues such as how Sweden deals with immigrants  and those living on the edge of  society. 

The same colleague, who shares my fondness for books,  gave me 'The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared' as a Christmas present. Not for Christmas 2013 but 2012 and sadly it sat in the bookcase as I spent too much time on line.

 It's by another Swedish author, Jonas Jonasson, but there all comparisons with my previous read end. I'm not sure if it's a book I would have picked for myself but once I started reading it, I was  hooked.

Centenarian Allan Karisson hops out the window of the old people's  home as preparations were being made for his birthday party.  He makes his way to the bus depot, steals a suitcase, and boards the bus for the start  of an awfully big adventure. Big and all as that adventure may be (and it's big involving criminals and drug dealing gangs, the Russian mafia, bumbling policemen, and a blond and an elephant), it's nothing compared to his previous 99 years which saw him meet world leaders including Franco, American Presidents Truman, Johnson and Nixon, Mao Tse-Tung, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, Stalin, and Brezhnev.

The book's charm lies party in its black humour and partly is Karisson's outlook on life. If people are nice to him, he will help them, especially if there's vodka involved. He's not concerned with politics or even the consequences of his actions. He bases his philosophy for life on his mother's words of 
wisdom:"Things are what they are, and whatever will be, will be."

A thoroughly enjoyable book which might help us look at old people in a different light. 

For April I'm hoping to read 'City of Fate' by Irish author Nicola Pierce, 'A Star Called Henry' by Roddy Doyle, and 'The Accidental' by Ali Smith. The first, which is aimed at teenagers landed on my desk for review, while the other two were charity shop purchases.

20 comments:

  1. You have been busy! I have only read the last of three books you review here and like you, I really enjoyed it. It was a refreshing read with unexpected encounters. I am in too minds about Mankelly, I read a couple of his novels but I am not a great fan of Wallander. I am a cat lover and the street cat book is definitely one I would like to read. I wonder if it would be suitable for my teenager? He is the biggest cat lover ever. I am in a reading frenzy just now, I have not read as much fiction as last month in years. Love it. Cx

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    1. I forgot to say thank you for your reviews! Thank you.

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    2. My 13 year old read the Street Cat book, (which I think is an adaptation of the original 'Bob, No Ordinary Cat', specially for younger readers) and loved it! I've still to get to it myself.

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  2. It would be fine for a teenager. The language is quite straight forward and there's nothing untoward in it.

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  3. If you like stories about cats, a couple of non-fiction ones I have are 'Cleo' by Helen Brown, and 'I Claudius - Travels with my cat' by Clare de Vries. I have the Jonasson book in my to be read pile, but something more enticing keeps coming along!

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  4. I've read The Hundred Year Old Man, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love a bit of Scandi fiction almost as much as I love a good Scandi drama on the tv. Have you watched The Bridge? Brilliant! I shall look up Mankell too.
    Leanne xx

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    1. Haven't watched The Bridge yet but my husband keeps yearning to so I reckon we will.

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  5. You have been busy I just about managed one book. The Street Cat named Bob sounds a interesting read. Thanks for stopping by my blog
    Clare x

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  6. I'm such a huge fan of Scandinavian fiction. I usually wouldn't read crime fiction but Mankell does it so well! I have The Hundred Year Old Man lined up on Kindle on my ipad but just haven't gotten into reading books in this way yet.

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  7. Hello, thanks for visiting my blog :-) I read 'The Hundred Year Old Man' a while ago and enjoyed it a lot. You've got lots of interesting books on the go - looking forward to hearing what you think of them. x

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  8. ooo i loved the 100 year old man.... love your cat model xxx

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  9. Like the sound of your books.. l am an avid reader and can manage 3 or 4 books in a month, how do I find the time???? I am retired!!
    Lovely blog to read.
    Chris

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  10. I've got the Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed out of a Window and Disappeared queued up for my next read (also a Christmas present except this year) - glad you enjoyed it. I shall look forward to it.

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  11. If you like dog characters you should give "The art of racing in the rain" a go. Told through an old dogs view on the last days of his life. A bit quirky but a really good story. Will make you look at how a dog thinks, differently.
    I'm intrigued by these books you've chosen and will keep them in mind for future reading.
    Cheers!

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    1. Sounds interesting but isn't it awfully sad?

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  12. I'm so enjoying taking part in Laura's Year Of Books ... all these wonderful recommendations of books to add to my wish list!

    Like you I've watched Wallender but not read the books, but I do like the sound of the Henning Mankel you've reviewed here so that's been added to my list :)

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  13. Street Cat is in my teetering pile waiting to be read. I've also read Dewey - yes, a cat lover! I haven't read any of the Swedish fiction yet but think I should give it a go as so many people seem to recommend it. x

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  14. Books about dogs and cats are the best.

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  15. Part of the reason I haven't linked up with the Year in Books thing is that it's taking me so long to read the 100 year old Man book...I'm enjoying it but seem to have read it in fits and starts since December, with other books in between...

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  16. My husband is a Mankell fan, I shall have to see if we have any sitting on the bookshelves and give one a try.

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