Robert鈥檚 Year in Books

What did you read this year?

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2024

24,124

pages read

books read

Robert Gill

The Tragic Life of Lady Tina DeSilva by T.J. Klune

Shortest Book

pages

Longest Book

639

pages

Average book length in 2024

313

pages

Most Shelved

8,854,587

people also shelved

Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists by Angel Martinez

Least Shelved

610

people also shelved

Robert鈥檚 average rating for 2024

3.9

Highest Rated on 欧宝娱乐

4.63 average

Robert鈥檚 first review of the year

really liked it

This review is for the "Mission Audio" unabridged audiobook.

Well, this year I was casting around for a story to read over Christmas and, having finished much of what I wanted to read and not really wanting to start a new novel immediately, I realised that in all of the films and plays of this novel I have seen over the years, I realised that I didn't recall reading the original. So, I had intended to read this over Christmas, then things got in t This review is for the "Mission Audio" unabridged audiobook.

Well, this year I was casting around for a story to read over Christmas and, having finished much of what I wanted to read and not really wanting to start a new novel immediately, I realised that in all of the films and plays of this novel I have seen over the years, I realised that I didn't recall reading the original. So, I had intended to read this over Christmas, then things got in the way and, long story short, I ended up listening to it almost non-stop today, New Years Day, and I really enjoyed it.

I should say that I'm not usually a huge fan of Dickens' works. For some reason, this story aside, they have never resonated easily with me as perhaps they do for others. Indeed, the one performance of this story which, until now, I have really enjoyed was "A Muppet Christmas Carol". Even when listening to this version I found myself missing Gonzo as the narrator. I still have to remind myself that it's "Fezziwig", not "Fozziewig", but I digress...

What surprised me about this original novel is that Scrooge is not as mean, cold and somewhat cruel in the original as he is in many of the film adaptations and stage shows. I now find myself wondering whether he is often over-acted. In the novel he's cantankerous, bad-humoured, irritable and, honestly, pretty sad and lonely. I found myself feeling very sorry for him, thinking that such behaviour must be coming from a place of great pain for him.

And, as the novel progresses, and I came to see not only the good times of his life but also the key sad moments, I think I began to empathise with him and started to understand how he became this crotchety old miser that we meet at the start of the novel.

I still love the four ghosts in this novel; Marley and the three Christmas spirits. Of these, and this is my love of a good supernatural horror story coming out, I always most looked forward to the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-come. I have always found the Grim Reaper figure somewhat fascinating, even as a child (yes, I could be an odd kid, but pleasantly odd), and this ghost is the one which as a kid both terrified me and intrigued me. I still think of an old friend whenever I see or read about it though (he played the character in a Christmas play at school, complete with painted greyed, clawed hands and sinister performance). Also, "We're Marley and Marley" now goes through my head each time I read Marley's scene, even though there is only one Marley in the novel. Possibly Statler and Waldorf's best performance...

And the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-come is probably one of the most subtly chilling but directly-confronting scenes I think I have ever read in a classic. It delivers its message not so much as a lesson to be learned as much as a hard punch to the gut; it never gets any softer and I never get any more used to it each time I see the films, watch the plays or, in this case, read the novel. I love that the novel doesn't shy away from it.

The other thing about this story: no matter how many times I experience it, Tiny Tim still breaks my heart. It's kind of funny that in the original draft of this novel, it's said that its publishers specifically asked Dickens to state what happened to Tiny Tim as if he had forgotten all about giving one of his most powerful characters an ending to his story. This time was no exception to me: yes, once again, he had me in tears, even though I knew very well what was coming and the ultimate ending for this character.

And I think that is what I always have loved about the final ghost: whereas the others were joyous and fun, the most powerful piece of the writing in this novella comes from this last spirit who, ironically, never speaks a word, but who through the power of a few gestures in the right places to the right things and scenes, manages to deliver possibly the most drama in the whole story.

On the other hand, the miraculous transformation of Scrooge at the end always did stretch my suspension of disbelief a bit, even as a kid and possibly even more so now as an adult, but as a way of wrapping up a novella in a pretty short space of time, it works.

So, yes, I think this novel is a mini masterpiece of the classics. Often repeated, very well-known, sometimes overdone but always timeless. A book of fun, horror, supernaturally-endorsed morality and transformation, and tremendously entertaining which is worth reading at least once. ...more

搁翱叠贰搁罢鈥橲 2024 BOOKS

it was amazing

Macbeth (Folger Shakespeare Library) by William Shakespeare

Geoffrey the Very Strange by Angel Martinez

it was amazing

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

A Beginner鈥檚 Guide to Death, Demons, and Other Afterlife Disa... by Shannon Mae

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

Fluke and the Faithless Father by Sam Burns

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

it was amazing

Fluke and the Faultline Fiasco by Sam Burns

Fluke and the Frontier Farce by Sam Burns

Fluke and the Fantastic Finale by Sam Burns

Howl鈥檚 Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

it was amazing

The Lightning-Struck Heart by T.J. Klune

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists by Gideon Defoe

A Mage's Guide to Human Familiars by A.J. Sherwood

it was amazing

Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters by Angel Martinez

it was amazing

it was amazing

A Beginner鈥檚 Guide to Mistakenly Summoned Demons and Other Mi... by Shannon Mae

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams

Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams

it was amazing

Jesus Goes to Hell on Vacation! by T.J. Klune

Robert鈥檚 last review of the year

it was ok

This review is for the audiobook.

Well, as 2024 draws to a close, I have just about managed to finish this series, although this last novel was more a case of "the end is in sight and I need to push towards it" than "I really enjoyed this last novel in the series".

For me there is something about this novel that just doesn't work to interest me. Dorothy is back in the plot, this time having been involved in the San Francisco earthquake. Yes, she's ...more

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