Athena Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Thanks so much for taking the time to recommend things! When I first saw her headshot, I thought she looked so young -- maybe late teens or early twenties. I was surprised to read that she's 37. Still young, but not quite as young as I'd thought.x Wow, I also thought she was younger. x That's not so bad, right? I try to keep it reasonable or else the list will take on a life of its own.x That's very good, in my opinion ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Excellent reviews on here! March 2014 - Book One Hikikomori and the Rental Sister by Jeff Baukhaus ... Synopsis: In Japanese, the term hikikomori literally means pulling inward, being confined. The word 'hikikomori' sounded so familiar, and when I read your review, I remembered why. And I'm not making fun of hikikomoris now, I'm just making a linguistic observation: 'hiki' is a word in Finnish and means 'sweat' and 'komori', while it isn't anything in Finnish, it is very close to 'komero' which means a closet. So, 'hikikomori' is almost 'hikikomero', a sweat closet in Finnish. Which makes you think of a person, in a closet, sweating and not wanting to come out... maybe because of social anxieties? Some Internet nerdy Finns actually now use the word 'hikikomero' (and 'hikikomori') to describe themselves I really liked the sound of the book going by your review, so it's going on my wishlist! March 2014 - Book SevenA Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole... All comedy aside, however, the most touching aspect of the novel was the foreword, which tells the true story of how this book came into being. As repugnant as Mr. Reilly is, a la Falstaff, there is no better character to rally a confederacy of dunces. "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in a confederacy against him." - Jonathan Swift John Kennedy Toole's story was rather tragic, wasn't it It's a real shame! Have you read his other novel, The Neon Bible? I would recommend it. January 2014 - Short Story #1The Museum of Literary Souls by John Connolly This one sounds great, too, going on my wishlist! March 2014 - Book NineThe Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion I'm so happy you gave it a go in the end! It just goes to show how it really pays off to sometimes go for the books one doesn't think one might like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 The word 'hikikomori' sounded so familiar, and when I read your review, I remembered why. And I'm not making fun of hikikomoris now, I'm just making a linguistic observation: 'hiki' is a word in Finnish and means 'sweat' and 'komori', while it isn't anything in Finnish, it is very close to 'komero' which means a closet. So, 'hikikomori' is almost 'hikikomero', a sweat closet in Finnish. Which makes you think of a person, in a closet, sweating and not wanting to come out... maybe because of social anxieties? Some Internet nerdy Finns actually now use the word 'hikikomero' (and 'hikikomori') to describe themselves x That's so interesting! I showed it to my boyfriend, he thought it was interesting too (he knows more about Japan than I do). We've watched several anime series that deal with hikikomoris, such as Welcome to the N.H.K.!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 (edited) x That's so interesting! I showed it to my boyfriend, he thought it was interesting too (he knows more about Japan than I do). We've watched several anime series that deal with hikikomoris, such as Welcome to the N.H.K.!. I also thought it was really interesting and such a great coincidence, the way how these different languages made such an odd connection Finnish and Japanese have a few things in common, we have a very similar way to pronounce written words, so it's rather easy for a Finn to read a Japanese text and sound understandable to the Japanese, and I expect the same goes the other way around. The syllable system is rather similar in Finnish and Japanese Edited April 9, 2014 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Wow, I had no idea the languages had similar syllables! That's pretty cool . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 (edited) Morning, ladies! I woke up and there was quite an interesting conversation going on here. First off, thanks to you both for taking time to read. They're more my musings as opposed to proper reviews, but it's nice to know they work for someone besides me. Frankie, I'm so glad I gave The Rosie Project a chance as well. Such an unexpected surprise! Reading A Confederacy of Dunces was a surprise, too. It came from a suggestion from the man who notarized some documents for us. I never would have even heard of it much less read it, but the man mentioned it a million times. When I was at the library ages later, I saw it on the shelf and gave it ago. Another pleasant surprise! I had no idea Toole had written anything else. I'll have to check it out. It's very interesting, the linguistic connections. So Finnish has a syllabry, not an alphabet? Japanese has a syllabry that is represented by three different writing systems, one of which is almost exclusively for foreign words that have come into common usage in Japan. It's interesting to see a Japanese word come into common usage elsewhere. I wonder if it's the linguistic similarities that have helped this particular word take hold in Finland...Are there other Japanese words that have done the same in Finnish? The Museum of Literary Souls is just a short story, but I liked it so much. It was only 99 cents, so you can't beat that really. Edited April 9, 2014 by dtrpath27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 April 2014 The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman Publishing Information: ©2012 by Scribner Pages: 343 Genre: Fiction Setting: The island of Janus Rock, Australia Synopsis: Tom Sherbourne is a decorated war hero who has just returned home after four years on the Western front. Looking for peace and solitude, Tom accepts a position as a lighthouse keeper on the isolated island of Janus Rock. Tom eventually brings his young bride to spend what he hopes to be a peaceful life. Things change when a boat with a baby in it washes to shore. Impressions: The first few chapters deal primarily with Tom's life alone on the island as he deals with the emotional aftermath of serving four years at the front. Unfortunately, it felt forced; it was like the author was writing about how she heard people returning from war were supposed to act and feel. The chapter about finding the baby also had the same feel: forced and contrived. The descriptions of the lighthouse keeping were very interesting and descriptive though. At that point in the book, I probably would have given it three stars, only because I enjoyed the lighthouse stuff so much. In the next couple sections when the focus was more on the baby, it picked up a bit. The ending section, where there was a bit of scandal went much better. It was almost as if the writer was more comfortable with the story she was telling. I do still feel that many of the characters and dialogues were still a bit thin, though. I feel like this book could have done with a little better editing and little more exploration of characters before publications. I know it sounds like I hated it, but it really had enough enjoyable moments to keep me reading. When it's all said and done, I think 3.5 out of five would be fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Great review ! It's a shame it wasn't as good as you'd hoped. The book is on my TBR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 11, 2014 Author Share Posted April 11, 2014 Thanks, Athena! It wasn't horrible, just a bit thin, I think. Today I'm switching between reading A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute and Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. That Shute! I just have to take breaks from him sometimes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 So we all went to the book fair again today and guess what...everything was half price! We came away with 28 books for only $22.00!!! So excited with our haul. Between the two days, here is what mine were: Evangeline by Ben Farmer (Totally picked this one up on a whim because guess where it's set? Nova Scotia! I can use it on my Places challenge. I looked it up in the Kindle store and it had 4 1/2 stars. Promising.) The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl Farewell, Shanghai by Angel Wagenstein In America by Susan Sontag The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (I'm giving Christie another go.) The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai The Narnian by Alan Jacobs No One is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Ausubel Now I need to amend my TBR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Wow, 28 books for 22$ is very cheap! I hope you enjoy all your new books . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 April 2014 A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute Goodreads Synopsis: Jean Paget, a young Englishwoman living in Malaya, is captured by the invading Japanese and forced on a brutal seven-month death march with dozens of other women and children. A few years after the war, Jean is back in England, the nightmare behind her. However, an unexpected inheritance inspires her to return to Malaya to give something back to the villagers who saved her life. Jean travels leads her to a desolate Australian outpost called Willstown, where she finds a challenge that will draw on all the resourcefulness and spirit that carried her through her war-time ordeals. Impressions: Another wonderful story told by Nevil Shute. I am quickly becoming a big fan of him. I love his simple and direct writing, his way of making the reader connect with even the simplest of characters. The story is at the same time sweet and tragic, giving hope in the resiliency of the human spirit. It's definitely one I'd read again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Wow, 28 books for 22$ is very cheap! I hope you enjoy all your new books . Thanks, Athena! I was just sorting through them trying to figure out what to read next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 (edited) April 2014 Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank Publishing Information: ©1959 by Lippincott Pages: 316 Genre: Fiction Setting: the town of Fort Repose, Florida, United States Synopsis from back cover: When a nuclear holocaust ravages the United States, a thousand years of civilization are stripped away overnight, and tens of millions of people are killed instantly. But for one small town in Florida, miraculously spared, the struggle is just beginning, as men and women of all backgrounds join together to confront the darkness. Impressions: This was a wonderful book and a great follow-up to On the Beach which I read a few weeks ago. I loved the realism of the story, how both the good and the bad of human nature were explored. It was quite thought-provoking, but in a different way from Shute's novel. I felt that this was more of a cautionary tale, exposing our vulnerability and interdependence, yet maintaining a sense of hope that the human race is resilient enough to endure. In a note at the end of the book, it mentioned Alas, Babylon as being one of three great post-apocalyptic novels published at that time. The other two were On the Beach by Nevil Shute and A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller. I plan to read the third, hopefully giving me another perspective to ponder on this interesting topic. Edited April 18, 2014 by dtrpath27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Great take on Alas, Babylon, dtr. It seems to me I may have read it, many decades ago, but I'd def have to reread. I like the idea of it being a sort of follow up for On the Beach. I read A Canticle for Liebowitz a few years ago. It's great! And different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 Oh good! I looked for Canticle in the Kindle store, but they didn't have it. I'm going to have to find it at a bookstore. I think it really is a great follow-up for On the Beach. I think it addresses some of the concerns that were voiced about Shute only examining one side of things and sort of glossing over the rest. Both are great books, though, in my mind, just different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 April 2014 The Dubliners by James Joyce Publishing Information: ©1914 Pages: 236 Genre: Fiction Synopsis: This is a collection of short stories about people in Dublin at the turn of the 20th century. Impressions: I think of these more as vignettes, little snapshots of moments rather than complete stories. In each, the reader is more like a bystander, emotionally detached from the situation, eavesdropping until they are suddenly caught and the door is shut or the curtains are closed. It might be unsophisticated of me, but I really like some sort of resolution in the things I read and so found Joyce's endings to be far too abrupt and often unsatisfactory. Also, as a result of the detachment, I found it difficult to care about the characters and their fates. It might be that it's something that I'd have to read again to really enjoy, but I don't know that I'd like to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 I didn't much care for The Dubliners either. In fact, as I recall, I didn't even finish it! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 (edited) I have an omnibus of James Joyce's work on my TBR. Won't be rushing to get to it though, there are other books I want to read first. Edited April 22, 2014 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 22, 2014 Author Share Posted April 22, 2014 I was a bit disappointed because it seemed so clever the way it was set up, going from young to old, the controversy it stirred both before and after publication...sigh! I'd like to try Finnegan's Wake and see if I like it any better, but like you, Athena, I have more than a few things ahead of it on the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Hey, wanted to let you know I read The Dark Age last night.....thanks for recommending it! He really put across all the emotional turmoil the father went through. I see the author has lots for sale...../sigh/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 I'm glad you enjoyed it! If you subscribe to his newsletter, he gives away free copies from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 (edited) March 2014 No One is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Ausubel ©2012 by Riverhead Books Literary Fiction 325 Pages Set in 1939 in the Romanian village of Zalischik Synopsis of inside flap: During WWII, the people of this village attempt to save themselves through isolation. When a stranger washes ashore, their illusion is shattered, and they vow to begin the world anew, forsaking all to create a new reality. Impressions: Beautifully written, strangely told. That really is the best way I can think of to describe it. The description on the inside flap sounded so intriguing, that I gave it a chance. The writing is beautiful and really draws the reader in, but the story was just so weird. It was like reading in a fog. She was successful in making it a bit surreal, but maybe too much? Maybe not enough? I'm not sure. I think this is one that would be best to read before judging. Some might find it to be brilliant; I just found it to be, well, odd. Some of the parts were just disturbing. Edited May 2, 2014 by dtrpath27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 I've been stuck waiting in a parking lot for the past twenty minutes without a book. How did I leave this happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Awww. I hope you managed to find something interesting to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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