BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » Susi's books

SusiGo · July 10, 2012 8:43 am

Here I'd just like to post about books I've read or want to read and like or don't like. I read a lot in English so many of you might know one or the other.
I'd like to start with a list of my all-time favourites that left a lasting impression (there is no hierarchical order).

William Styron, Sophie's choice (also a beautiful film with Meryl Streep)
Jonathan Safron Foer, Extrem laut und unglaublich nah (Extremely loud and incredibly close)
Audrey Niffenegger, The time traveller's wife
Lionel Shriver, We need to talk about Kevin (one of the creepiest and emotionally demanding books I've ever read)
Franz Kafka, Die Verwandlung/Der Prozess/Das Schloss
Marguerite Duras, La douleur (Der Schmerz)
Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead revisited
John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire
Leon Uris, Trinity
Stephen King, The shining (my first King, shall never forget my fascinated horror)
Carson McCullers, The heart is a lonely hunter
Hermann Hesse, Der Steppenwolf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Der Herr der Ringe
Daniel Kehlmann, Die Vermessung der Welt
Niklas Frank, Der Vater
Thomas Mann, Buddenbrooks/Der Zauberberg

Crime: all novels by Dorothy L. Sayers, Elizabeth George (although she's been getting weaker for some years)
Thomas Harris, Red Dragon
Robert Harris, Fatherland
Iain Pears, An instance of the fingerpost

I could go on with this but I'll have some work to do .

carrot · July 10, 2012 4:46 pm

I like your taste, SusiGo!

Franz Kafka is one of my favourite authors too (esp. "Die Verwandlung" - brilliant!).
I can also recommend Sartre ("La Nausée"/"Der Ekel"), John Irvings "The World According to Garp" or Jeffrey Eugenides ("Middlsex")!

What about Doyle, have you read some Sherlock Holmes stories yet?

SusiGo · July 10, 2012 6:23 pm

Thank you, carrot .

I suppose you know Benedict's reading of "Die Verwandlung"? If not search for "Metamorphosis" on Youtube .
Makes you appreciate Kafka in a totally new way.

I read Garp, Meany, Cider House Rules and Son of the circus and like Garp and Owen Meany best (apart from The Hotel New Hampshire).

I don't know "La nausée", but I read "Huis clos" at university. "Middlesex" I'll still have to tackle.

When I was about 12, I read all Holmes novels and stories. Now I'll have to start over again because I've forgotten much. Recently I read some pastiches: "The seven-percent solution", "The house of silk", "Dust and shadow" - which are good to fine - and "The last Sherlock Holmes story" which I couldn't finish (I wrote about that in Smoggy's book thread).

veecee · July 10, 2012 9:03 pm

IMHO
William Styron - excellent choice.
Middlesex -- unusual subject and fascinating.

SusiGo · July 12, 2012 6:24 pm

I just finished "The case histories" by Kate Atkinson (2006) - a very good and unusual book. The "hero" is Jackson Brodie, private eye in Cambridge and former police inspector. After a period of dull and boring cases he is confronted with three tragic cases that happened in the past - the disappearance of a four year old girl from a tent in her garden, the murder of a young girl in her father's office and the case of a young mother who killed her husband with an axe. The intricate plots are intertwined and at the end you discover that all stories are somehow connected. Part detective novel, part human comico-tragedy, very well written. I really got to love many of the characters, they are deeply convincing. I read that it was filmes by the BBC some years ago.

Last edited by SusiGo (July 12, 2012 6:24 pm)

carrot · July 13, 2012 12:53 am

SusiGo wrote:
Thank you, carrot .

I suppose you know Benedict's reading of "Die Verwandlung"? If not search for "Metamorphosis" on Youtube .
Makes you appreciate Kafka in a totally new way.

Oh really? Benedict reads "Die Verwandlung"? How could I miss that ??

veecee · July 13, 2012 3:29 am

SusiGo wrote:
I just finished "The case histories" by Kate Atkinson (2006) - a very good and unusual book. The "hero" is Jackson Brodie, private eye in Cambridge and former police inspector. After a period of dull and boring cases he is confronted with three tragic cases that happened in the past - the disappearance of a four year old girl from a tent in her garden, the murder of a young girl in her father's office and the case of a young mother who killed her husband with an axe. The intricate plots are intertwined and at the end you discover that all stories are somehow connected. Part detective novel, part human comico-tragedy, very well written. I really got to love many of the characters, they are deeply convincing. I read that it was filmes by the BBC some years ago.

Kate Atkinson is wonderful. I was thinking actually, that I should have added her to my recommended detective/crime authors when I posted. I love the way she makes everything connected. Yes, PBS showed what I guess was the first Jackson Brodie series here just last year. I'm hoping for more this year. I read the latest not that long ago. I think it's called "Started Early, Took My Dog."

She also wrote a book called Not the End of the World which is fascinating. It's not crime or detective, but totally engrossing. I don't usually care for short stories, but these were so good, and also intertwined.

SusiGo · July 13, 2012 7:07 am

Yes, I think I'm going to read another one. Do you know which one is next after "Case histories"?

veecee · July 13, 2012 6:13 pm

I don't remember the order, but you might be able to figure out from here: http://www.kateatkinson.co.uk/.

hepzibah · July 14, 2012 8:00 am

I read a couple of Kate Atkinson books years ago, can't remember too much about them, will have to download them to my Kindle. Have I mentioned that I have a Kindle? There must be a topic somewhere on the boards where I haven't mentioned it

Anyway, the point of this post is to mention that Amanda Abbington, Martin's ladylove, has a role in the series. Serendipity or what? I haven't seen it yet, but as it stars the lovely Jason Isaacs, I guess I will track it down eventually.

SusiGo · July 31, 2012 4:20 pm

I've read "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Sign of Four" and more than once thought, great, I know that from the films. Now I'm reading "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". My Kindle accompanies my everywhere

SusiGo · August 2, 2012 3:55 pm

Today I read "The Adventure of the Man with the Twisted Lip". Very original story, what a way to make a living.

Mattlocked · August 2, 2012 3:58 pm

You are so quick!
I'm still reading some crime story written by a German writer... errr... just forgot her name, sorry.
Page 115 so far, and very nice!

SusiGo · August 2, 2012 4:01 pm

That's good, you'll have to give me the name of the book so I can read it as well .
And I'm not so very quick, I've only read 16 % of Parade's End so far. Of course it consists of four novels, so it should be okay.

SusiGo · August 4, 2012 4:21 pm

I just realised that there are books I wouldn't have touched but for their being connected to actors I like. And some of them were great discoveries. Here's a list:

Books I've only read because they've been filmed or were meant to be filmed with actors I like

T.E. Lawrence - Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Joseph Conrad - Lord Jim
Thomas Pynchon - Inherent Vice
Jakob Wassermann - Der Fall Maurizius (The Maurizius Case)
Rose Tremain - Restoration
Ford Madox Ford - Parade's End (in progress )
Ernest K. Gann - Masada
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
James Plunkett - Strumpet City

What about you?

SusiGo · August 19, 2012 11:12 am

WARNING. THE SECOND PARAGRAPH CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS.
Actually I wanted to write a review on "Parade's End" but Benedict and others have said so many intelligent things about the books that I just would be repeating them. It has been a deeply moving and impressive read even if sometimes I thought "now go on, Ford, I don't have to know everything about the inner workings of the British army or Government". The novels are a demanding read, that's for sure. I marked 128 memorable passages on my Kindle.

For the last fifty or sixty pages I was totally on edge and I was just thinking, don't let him die, sure he's gonna die, he's suffered so much, now the author will let him die as well. She'll lose the baby and he's going to die. And that's the end of it. But it wasn't. I nearly cried because I was so relieved.

SusiGo · August 23, 2012 8:37 pm

Just finished - "Stuart - A Life Backwards" by Alexander Masters
I read the book after having seen the film with Benedict and Tom Hardy which is quite true to the book. The moving and often surprisingly comic biography of Stuart Shorter, a tragic, self-destructive but never self-pitying man the author meets as a campaigner for homeless people. They become friends, unbelievable as it may seem, and Alexander decides to write Stuart's biography in order tell about his extraordinary life. A victim of disease and child molestation, prisoner, criminal, homeless man who never begs for cheap pity or but carries himself with dignity. As Stuart finds a traditional biography which begins with birth and ends with death quite boring - to put it mildly - he challenges Alexander to do something more "Tom Clancy like". So Alexander tells his life backwards.
At the end of the book you'll find further information about various relevant subjects.

Last edited by SusiGo (August 23, 2012 8:38 pm)

SusiGo · September 5, 2012 4:17 pm

tobeornot221b · October 6, 2012 2:32 pm

Yes, I know, you understand "Susi's books" differently, but I didn't know where to put those pics.

For the first time in a book store, I ran into your books and hadn't to search for them.

Store 1:
(the city in black and yellow, you know...one book)

Store 2:
(same city, two books)

detail of store 2: The position.
Leo's close to Mr. Grisham. (I did NOT manipulate this!)

Seems as if some congrats are due, Susi!

SusiGo · October 6, 2012 4:31 pm

Thank you so much, Tobe, I'm very very happy that they finally made it to the tables. Hooray!