Saturday, October 09, 2010

Electronic versus print

I finished two books this week. Northanger Abbey on my Kindle and Noah's Compass in print format. The method of reading didn't make a difference, I don't think, but I did enjoy Northanger Abbey more. I loved the characters and the way Catherine Morland was so heavily influenced by novels. This is the first Jane Austen that I have read without watching the film version and I think that makes a difference, because I was able to imagine the characters myself. I really liked the relationship between Mr Tilney and Miss Morland and especially her time at the Abbey. I will definitely try some other Jane Austen now. Now, Noah's Compass...I usually really love Anne Tyler's books, but this one was only okay, just because it was so similar to one of her earlier books, The Accidental Tourist, which I really enjoyed. I did like this book, but there wasn't anything unique about it. It was an easy, relaxing read though, so if you are a fan of her books, then this is still very readable.

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Stargazers

I have just finished a book by Rachel Hore, called A Place of Secrets. I have read all of her books and enjoyed them all. They follow a similar theme, set in a beautiful location, complicated relationships, building on a historical story, fitting the pieces of a puzzle together. This one takes the same pattern but with a different subject area, so with each book, because they are so well-researched, you always feel as though you are learning something. The subject for this book was astronomy and it was fascinating. It was a really brilliant story about an auctioneer being asked to visit a country home in Norfolk to value a collection of books about astronomy. She finds a journal describing the findings of a previous owner of the house and uncovers a mystery, enhanced by the strange dreams that her niece was having. My only criticism is that it was a very complex story, and was perhaps unravelled a little too quickly. I think the author could have spent some more time just unpacking some of the relationships and the mystery itself. I could quite happily have continued reading this story. It was beautifully and cleverly told and the characters were all so real. I enjoyed the ending very much as it was well-put-together.