Yu Hua's To Live

I took a class this spring which is one of the reasons I didn't write as much for this as I had hoped. But one of the books they had me read for the class was this one. I started off finding it difficult to get into because I really didn't like the main character, but that was the point. We follow him on his redemptive journey through China's modern history. Starting with the civil war and finishing after the Cultural Revolution, To Live describes the desperate struggle to survive of one family in rural China. By the end I was thoroughly involved in the story.
The film is also very good although the setting is moved to the city.

Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby

Finished June 30.
I've been a fan of Ira Levin for a while, having read A Kiss Before Dying and Stepford Wives before. I enjoy the way he drops hints and clues that are subtle in themselves but build a real tension. Rosemary's Baby does this very well. A lot of minor things like a lost glove and a swapped tie are mundane in themselves but pieced together bring Rosemary to the realization of the plans laid for her.
I found the suspense a little undermined just because I know the story from the movie, but still found it wonderful.

Ian Fleming's Casino Royale

Finished June 23.
This was the first James Bond book written by Fleming and was of course the most recently adapted into a film. I have always had a soft spot for some of the Bond movies, notably On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Live and Let Die. I have also read two of the Young Bond novels by Charlie Higson which are just great.
I really enjoyed this. Misogyny notwithstanding. It's tightly plotted and credible enough to keep a layman convinced. I also just loved the movie and found the most salient plot features are well followed.

Alan Clarke's Diaries

So, I finished this book some months ago, but have not been posting lately. This book was a pretty big deal when it came out because Clarke was so indiscreet. He was a member of Parliament from Plymouth at this time and a minister in Thatcher's government. I certainly enjoyed it, but found it far more interesting when he discussed the defence review he was attempting to get adopted. I have read quite a lot of political memoirs and this is one of the more readable. I'm glad I read it at some distance removed from the hype.

Anne Rinaldi's Nine Days a Queen

I'm not a big fan of historical fiction, as I always feel that the liberties taken with history get in the way of the facts. This is also aimed at junior high school kids. All of that being said, this was very good. It is a good exploration of the political manipulations and changing tides of fortune in Tudor England. It felt authentic and the narration from Jane Grey from beyond her grave was unusual and not as jarring as I thought it might be.
Anne Rinaldi Nine Days

Amsterdam

So I finished Ian McEwan's Amsterdam this week. It is the fifth of his books that I have read and the one I have found the least interesting. It was interesting that this was the one that won the Booker prize. Perhaps the reason for this was because it focuses on the arts, politics and newspapermen. It centers around the lovers of a woman who has just died and the repercussions of this event on these four men. Atonement has a much greater sense of the impact on people that both personal decisions and larger events can have on people. Enduring Love also seems to exercise some of these themes more effectively and with the added tensions of obsession. I have also read The Innocent and First Loves, Last Rites which are also both disturbing and enthralling.