Author: kepagewriter

I am a writer of literary fiction. My first novel Shattered Reflections will be out in the next couple of months and available through Amazon and Kindle. I am currently working on my second novel.

Eclectic Reader Challenge 2016 – The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley.

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Genre: Steampunk

Narrative Style: Third person from various viewpoints. Some flashbacks but largely chronological.

Rating: 3/5Unknown

Published: 2015

Format: Kindle

Reading Challenges: Eclectic Reader Challenge 2016

Synopsis: Thaniel Steepleton returns home to find that someone has broken in but instead of stealing anything, they have left him a watch. A watch which does not open. At least not straightaway. Six months later, the watch opens and starts to tell time. Later, that day, when its alarm goes of, it saves him from a bomb. When Thaniel goes to find the watchmaker, he meets Mori, a Japanese immigrant. He seems harmless enough but why do the police think he may be involved with the bomb makers? 

This is my first attempt at reading in the steampunk genre and it wasn’t entirely successful. There was a lot of promise in this book. The appearance of the watch was mysterious and when it saves Thaniel’s life, it becomes even more interesting. Certainly, the start of the book had promise and at first, I was keen to read on.

When Thaniel meets Mori, it is clear that he has been expected and straightaway, the reader is led to believe there is some mystery surrounding him. His mastery of clockwork is almost beyond imagining. (I really liked his clockwork octopus which was forever stealing Thaniel’s socks.) Thaniel takes to him straightaway so when the police ask him to spy on Mori as part of their investigation into the bombing, he is torn but he agrees to do it.

It is at this point that the narrative starts to fall apart. Enter Grace Carrow, who its studying physics at Oxford (and has had some narrative attention so far. It is clear that she and Thaniel are intended to meet.) Grace is in an awkward position. She has been left money and a house but she must marry to get them. If she does not get them, she will have to give up physics and become a school teacher. Almost immediately after meeting, Thaniel agrees to marry her so she can inherit, on the promise that his nephews can go to a good school. Grace and Mori are both suspicious of each other and it becomes a battle for Thaniel’s feelings.

I didn’t find the narrative very convincing from this point onwards . It seemed a waste of what could have been an interesting exploration into free will and predestination as it becomes apparent that Mori has some form of second sight.  The characters were somewhat flat and Thaniel was a bit colourless for a hero. Grace was more interesting but still woefully under drawn. Events stretched my willingness to believe to the absolute limit.

Having said all that, I think it is a genre I would like and I would be interested in reading more steampunk books. If anyone has any recommendations, I would like to hear them.

 

Non Fiction Challenge

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2016 Nonfiction Challenge

It has long been a thought of mine to read more non-fiction. When I was studying for my MPhil, I was required to do a lot of non-fiction reading and although I enjoyed that, I haven’t kept up the habit. I read five non-fiction books last year out of 65 altogether. So this year, in order to ensure I do a little better, I am signing up to The Introverted Reader’s Non-fiction reading challenge.

The challenge is as follows:

The Challenge: Read any non-fiction book(s), adult or young adult. That’s it. You can choose anything. Memoirs? Yes. History? Yes. Travel? Yes. You get the idea? Absolutely anything that is classified as non-fiction counts for this challenge.

I always like levels in my challenges, so here are mine:

Dilettante–Read 1-5 non-fiction books

Explorer–Read 6-10

Seeker–Read 11-15

Master–Read 16-20

This challenge will last from January 1 to December 31, 2016. You can sign up anytime throughout the year.

I am going to sign up at Explorer level – I think 10 non-fiction books is reasonable to aim for. I already have two definite that I am reading for another challenge – The Power of Beauty by Nancy Friday and The Art of Fiction by David Lodge. I also received Patti Smith’s autobiography for Christmas so that is high on the to read list. I’ll add books as I read or decide to read them. This is the list so far,

  1. The Hell of It All – Charlie Brooker
  2. The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins
  3. The Power of Beauty – Nancy Friday
  4. We of the Never Never – Jeannie Gunn
  5. Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Classes – Owen Jones
  6. If this is a Man / The Truce – Primo Levi
  7. The Art of Fiction – David Lodge
  8. Suffragette: My Own Story – Emmeline Pankhurst
  9. Just Kids – Patti Smith

Plans for the Future

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Or is it really that time again already. Another year has flown by and I am still no further forward then I was last year. A large part of this was my own fault. Losing files is inexcusable. It took me a while to forgive myself.

I’ve decided that I’m not going to blog every book this year. I got fed up with it towards the end of the year and it was never really what I wanted the blog to be about. It was supposed to be more personal – about my journey as a writer and a person. It has been helpful to do these last few years when I have been going through a lot of personal things and it kept me blogging but now it is time to get back to what this blog was originally for.

I have signed up to do the Eclectic Reader Challenge again and I am looking for another challenge to take the place of the TBR Challenge. I have looked at a few but have not yet made up my mind – any recommendations would be gratefully received.

After the stupidity of losing the final version of Choose Yr Future, it was a while before I could bring myself to rewrite the parts that I had lost. Some of which I had paper copies of but some had been written straight onto the computer so I had to hope that I was getting it right. In the meantime, I was writing but I was working on other projects – the next novel, The Practise of Deception and a number of new short stories.

Now I am at the stage I was at before I lost the file. I have a finished version of Choose Yr Future which has been redrafted and edited. I suppose the next step is beta readers so I need to discover the best way to do that and also the best way to publish. There are a lot of possible platforms for self publishing if I decide to go that way again. Again, any advice would be gratefully received.

 

Books Read in 2015 58. Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott

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Genre: Adventure, Classics

Narrative Style: First personUnknown

Rating: 3/5

Published: 1817

Format: Paperback

Synopsis: Francis Osbaldistone doesn’t want to continue in his father’s business, forcing his father to appoint his cousin Rashleigh. This is the beginning of an adventure that will involve Francis in the Jacobite Rebellion and the ways of highwayman Rob Roy. He also meets the love of his life, Diana Vernon who is involved in events more than he can imagine. 

Reading Challenges: TBR Challenge. Time on Shelf – 20 years.

The synopsis I’ve just written makes this book sound more exciting then it actually is. The book is 500 pages long – the story could easily have been told in a lot less. It takes a long time to get properly started and even once there is action, Scott insists on documenting just about every second of our hero’s life. Every meal and conversation. This makes it very hard going, particularly Frnacis’ conversations with his servant which are written in a dialect that bordered on incomprehensible at times.

Francis is not a very exciting character. Quite why he didn’t wanted to become a clerk when he was so well suited to it is beyond me. He is not nearly as interesting as Rob Roy. Given that the book is named for him, he is in remarkably little of it. This is a shame as he seemed much more interesting than Francis.

When there is action. it is exciting and well written and the plot is actually quite interesting. It became a slog because of all the extra information and scenes that weren’t strictly necessary. Like Dickens, Scott tends towards long and complicated sentences with multiple clauses which sometimes left me wondering exactly what I’d just read. This also made it less enjoyable.

Towards the end, when the story was quite action packed, I started to enjoy it more. And any part of the book where Roy was mentioned was also exciting. It was a shame that those parts weren’t more frequent. I’m not sure I would read anymore of Scott’s novels based on this one.

Eclectic Reader Challenge 2016

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This will be the fourth year I have participated in this challenge and it looks to be the most interesting yet. It is hosted by Book’d Out and involves having to read books in 12 different genres. This year there are a lot of genres that are completely new to me so that is exciting. I have some ideas about what to read for some of them but would welcome recommendations for any of the others. Below are the 12 genres. If you fancy having a go, follow the link above to sign up.

  1. A book about books (fiction or nonfiction) – The Art of Fiction by David Lodge
  2. Serial killer thriller – Joyland – Stephen King
  3. Paranormal romance – The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
  4. A novel set on an island – Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
  5. Investigative journalism (non-fiction) Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Classes – Owen Jones
  6. Disaster fiction – The Kraken Wakes – John Wyndham
  7. Steampunk sci-fi- The Watchmaker of Filigree Street – Natasha Pulley
  8. Any book shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize – Half Blood Blues – Esi Edugyan
  9. Psychology (non-fiction) The Power of Beauty – Nancy Friday
  10. Immigrant Experience fiction – Small Island – Andrea Levy
  11. YA historical fiction – Queenbreaker – Catherine McCarran
  12. A debut author in 2016 – Behind Closed Doors – B. A. Paris

Books Read in 2015 55. Ghostwritten by David Mitchell

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Genre: Post-modern, literary fiction

Narrative Style: A range of first person monologues that are linked in subtle ways51MnXKfLFfL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_

Rating: 4/5

Published: 1999

Format: Kindle

Synopsis: The story starts with a member of a cult who is on the run then moves to a jazz lover in Tokyo and then to a lawyer in Hong Kong who is in over his head and continues moving through seemingly disparate narratives to the end. However, there are links between the characters – some more subtle than others – and slowly an overarching narrative is revealed.

This is an exceptionally clever book. The range of different voices is astonishing and all are carried off with aplomb, all the more remarkable given that this is Mitchell’s debut novel. As the novel progresses and more of the underlying plot is revealed, the more you have to admire Mitchell’s skill.

As you might expect, with such a novel, some of the characters were more appealing than others. Some I could have read a whole novel about and felt bereft when the story moved on, others I found I just wanted to get through their chapter. This is particularly true of the chapter from the point of view of a spirit (if that is the right word) who has floated from person to person until they are eventually reborn in Mongolia.

However, the overarching narrative kept me reading and I was curious as to how the tale would end. The ending was satisfying whilst also offering a scary commentary on the uses of AI in war. The different narratives investigate different ways of being, different ideas about the soul, about intelligence and about free will. It makes sense then that this novel would end with a machine that is virtually sentient.

Overall, this was an enjoyable novel where the reader had to work in order to put the pieces together and make the links that Mitchell requires. I always enjoy having to work in this way and it certainly made me feel that I wanted to read more of Mitchell’s writing.

Books Read in 2015 – 54. The 100 Year Flood – Matthew Salesses

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Genre: Literary Fiction, Magic Realism51HTxer-rdL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_

Narrative Style: Third Person from different perspectives, non-chronological

Rating: 4/5

Published: 2015

Format: Kindle

Synopsis: Tee is living in Prague when the floods come. He is trying to find a new identity for himself and a new home. When he is asked to model for artist, Pavel, his life begins to change. Little does he realise exactly how much of his identity will be washed away when the floods come and he finds himself back in America.

It has to be said that Prague is the perfect setting for a story that is full of magic and legends. The city is beautiful and has an air of wonder about it that I have never experienced in any other city. Salasses certainly does justice to the setting with this tale of love, identity and wonder. The city is almost like another character, adding its own personal touch to the story.

The action shifts between Tee in America in hospital with no memory and his life in Prague after he meets Pavel, the artist and his beautiful wife, Katka. Tee immediately falls in love with the older woman and soon they are having an affair. Katka seems almost magical herself, spinning stories of her childhood and of the legends of the city.

As they only meet when it is raining, it makes sense that when she finally leaves Pavel, it should be at the start of the flood. However, when the pair ignore the warnings about evacuating, things start to take a darker tone.

This was one of those books where I wanted to start it over again immediately so I could try and recapture some of the magic and wonder that was destroyed by the horror of the ending. I could not put this down and felt bereft at the end, a sign of how powerful the characters and the story were. An excellent debut.

Top Ten Tuesday – Top New To Me Authors Read in 2015

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I haven’t read that many authors that were new to me this year but here is my top ten – in no particular order.

  1. The Hundred Year Flood – Matthew Salesses
  2. The Fight – Norman Mailer
  3. July’s People – Nadine Gordimer
  4. Divergent – Veronica Roth
  5. Just my Type – Simon Garfield
  6. We are all Completely Beside Ourselves – Karen Joy Fowler
  7. Fever – Mary Beth Keane
  8. Sleepyhead (Tom Thorne 1) – Mark Billingham
  9. Shutter Island – Dennis Lehane
  10. The Secret History – Donna Tartt

I’m quite pleased that this list is 50% female authors as I did make a bit of an effort this year to read more female authors. (Last year was pretty woeful in the male: female reading ratio stakes.) My favourites are probably Shutter Island, We are all Completely Beside Ourselves and The Hundred Year Flood. There is also the start of two new series here but, as yet, I haven’t read the next book. I’m fairly certain that I’ll carry on reading the Tom Thorne books but I’m less grabbed by the Divergent series.

Books Read in 2015: 53. Persuasion – Jane Austen

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Genre: Romance, Classics

Narrative Style: third personimages

Rating: 3/5

Published: 1818

Format: Paperback

Reading Challenges: TBR Challenge

Time on Shelf: I’m not really sure where this copy of Persuasion came from – my husband wasn’t sure either – but it was definitely with us when we moved to this house 8 years ago and quite possibly has lived with us for a lot longer.

Synopsis: Eight years before the start of the story, Anne Elliot allowed herself to be persuaded against marrying Captain Wentworth. Anne completely regrets this decision. She is 27 and still unmarried when Wentworth reappears in her life. Her family are on the brink of financial ruin and Wentworth is in a much better position than before. Will they be reunited in their love or will persuasion again work against them?

I may have mentioned before that I don’t often read the classics. And one of the reasons is that it always feels a little like a school assignment. I’m reading this because it has been deemed a classic rather than I have chosen this because it sounds good. This was no different. It wasn’t particularly a chore – indeed Austen’s prose is pleasurable enough to read – but it didn’t really grab me.

The other thing against it is the fact that it is a romance. This is not my favourite genre. And while there is some interest to be had from the ironic social observations and the well drawn characters, in the end it was just another love story. The only thing that saved this from a lower rating is the fact that it is so well written.

Austen is very good at satirising vanity. The satire was particularly sharp when it came to the vanity of Anne’s father and her sister, Elizabeth. Their vanity was out of keeping with their financial standing and Austen never missed an opportunity to point out their ridiculousness. There was also amusement to be had from the description of the third Elliot sister, Mary who is ridiculously self serving. Their is no doubting that Austen is a master of her craft, this is just not really the sort of book I enjoy.

Books Read in 2015 52. The Woman in Black – Susan Hill

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Genre: Supernatural Thriller, Historical Fiction

Narrative Style: First person, flashback framed by a story telling session on Christmas Eve51cxm9AmChL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_

Rating: 3/5

Published: 2001

Format: Kindle

Synopsis: It’s Christmas Eve and the Kipps family have settled down for the traditional telling of ghost stories. Arthur Kipps is reminded of his own supernatural experience, something that is has taken him years to recover from. He then tells the tale of Eel Marsh House and the Woman in Black that haunts it. 

I’d been meaning to read this for a long time – from before the release of the film. I love a good ghost story and this had a lot of promise. And indeed, the beginning of the tale sets the scene quite successfully. Kipps is reluctant to tell his story and the descriptions of Eel Marsh House also seem to suggest that there is a terrible tale to be told.

And at first, it is suitably creepy. The locals warn him against staying at the house but everybody clams up when the probed too closely. However, Kipps is young and determined to prove his bravery so he does not take heed. It isn’t long before things start to go bump in the night and Kipps nerves (like those of the reader) are in shreds.

However, this early tension is wasted and the story fizzles out. Although Kipps finds evidence of who the Woman is Black is and why she is haunting the area and even though she exacts a final revenge, I was left oddly untouched. It seemed hurried and so the scares were not as effective as they could have been.

It may be another case of better read before the movie is viewed. Or maybe it is just that film as a medium is so much better able to scare. Whatever the reason, I felt let down by this in a way I didn’t by the film.