Brian's 2012 Book Log

[Brian.]

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

 

 

 

Synopsis

Awe and exhiliration--along with heartbreak and mordant wit--abound in Lolita, Nabokov's most famous and controversial novel, which tells the story of the aging Humbert Humbert's obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze. Lolita is also the story of a hypercivilized European colliding with the cheerful barbarism of postwar America.

(Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

My Thoughts

As a classic, this book has been on my radar for quite a while but anytime I went to one of my local bookshops they never had a copy. Finally, last week I managed to buy a copy in London and I couldn't think of a better book to read as my 50th of the year. I had set myself a goal of 50 books this year on Goodreads and I am surprised at how easily I have got there after last year's attempt.

 

I have to say that the subject of the book is fairly unsettling and I have heard of people getting very negative reactions from uneducated people when seen reading it in public. Despite this I only even got words of approval from anyone who saw me reading this with many people telling me how great a book this is. I would guess that it is one of the most recognisable book titles because of the way it has found itself into modern culture.

 

I enjoyed the first 2/3rds of the book so much so that I was going to award it 5 stars but I dropped this to 4 stars as I didn't enjoy the last 1/3rd as much. I don't know what to put this down to, it may possibly have been that I was tired reading the last 3rd. The story moves along at a great pace which makes this a very easy book to read.

 

The thing that stuck out most for me and the reason why I enjoyed it so much is Nabakov's writing style. His word play is simply fantastic and I kept finding myself re-reading a passage that I had just read because it was so great. What makes this even more remarkable to me is that he wrote the book in English instead of Russian. He understood English wordplay far better than most native English speakers in my opinion.

 

This is a great book and I can see it is so highly regarded.

 

4/5 (I really liked it).

[wordsgood]

Well I think it's a great review Brian! You've convinced me to add another to my wish list. I've heard about it off and on for years but never got around to looking into it. Part of the reason is I was one of those idiots who made assumptions based one the title. That and I've only gotten really into reading classics that are from non-english writers and countries in the past couple of years. I'd run across some very bad translations when I first tried so it put me off attempting it again for a long time.

 

Not sure if you're aware, but there was a case in the states about the early 1990's about a 17 yrd old teen who shot and wounded the wife of her much older lover. The media started calling her the Long Island Lolita (based partly on where they all lived) and could be one reason some people assume it's fluff, smut or chic lit. Here's a quick summary about the story I grabbed off Wikipedia so you could see what I mean.

 

 

Amy Elizabeth Fisher (born August 21, 1974) (who has since changed her name to Elizabeth Bellers) is an American woman who became known as "the Long Island Lolita" by the media in 1992, when, at the age of 17, she shot and severely wounded Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of her lover Joey Buttafuoco. She was initially charged with first-degree attempted murder, but eventually pled guilty to first-degree aggravated assault and served six years in prison. After her parole in 1999, Fisher became a journalist and writer, before embarking on a career as pornographic artist in 2007.

Edited October 10, 2012 by wordsgood

[Brian.]

Well I think it's a great review Brian! You've convinced me to add another to my wish list. I've heard about it off and on for years but never got around to looking into it. Part of the reason is I was one of those idiots who made assumptions based one the title. That and I've only gotten really into reading classics that are from non-english writers and countries in the past couple of years. I'd run across some very bad translations when I first tried so it put me off attempting it again for a long time.

 

Not sure if you're aware, but there was a case in the states about the early 1990's about a 17 yrd old teen who shot and wounded the wife of her much older lover. The media started calling her the Long Island Lolita (based partly on where they all lived) and could be one reason some people assume it's fluff, smut or chic lit. Here's a quick summary about the story I grabbed off Wikipedia so you could see what I mean.

 

 

Amy Elizabeth Fisher (born August 21, 1974) (who has since changed her name to Elizabeth Bellers) is an American woman who became known as "the Long Island Lolita" by the media in 1992, when, at the age of 17, she shot and severely wounded Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of her lover Joey Buttafuoco. She was initially charged with first-degree attempted murder, but eventually pled guilty to first-degree aggravated assault and served six years in prison. After her parole in 1999, Fisher became a journalist and writer, before embarking on a career as pornographic artist in 2007.

 

This year is the my first delve into Russian literature and I could really tell that Nabokov wrote in English when compared to translated works of other writers. Lolita is by far the easiest to read although I found Tolstoy fairly straight forward reading as well.

 

I wasn't aware of 'the Long Island Lolita', thanks for the wiki summary, I can see why see got that nickname.

[Brian.]

In an attempt to get some semblance of order on my bookcases I went through my 'to-read' list on Goodreads. I TBR now stands at 123 and that is only fiction books, I haven't gone through my non-ficiton, I think I will put that off for a while yet.

[wordsgood]

You're welcome!

 

You have my sympathies, I've been trying to organize both my physical "real" and virtual collections for a very long time. For physical collection it's a matter of them getting shuffled all over the house to make room for other people's garbage, er, stuff. For the virtual/digital ones, it's a matter of being not interrupted every ten minutes and/or having finding out my computer has acquired yet another virus. Hope you have better luck. If you have one, I strongly recommend retreating to your own personal cave where none can enter when tackling your non-fiction.

[Brian.]

Been away for a bit including a bit of time in Berlin so I've not been posting. I have 1 book review to do and the I have to decide what will be my next read. Its a too up between the next (for me) Nesbo book or Memoirs of a Geisha.

[Brian.]

The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton & Daniel Coyle

 

 

 

Synopsis

Over the course of two years, Coyle conducted more than two hundred hours of interviews with Hamilton and spoke candidly with numerous teammates, rivals, and friends. The result is an explosive book that takes us, for the first time, deep inside a shadowy, fascinating, and surreal world of unscrupulous doctors, anything-goes team directors, and athletes so relentlessly driven to succeed that they would do anything—and take any risk, physical, mental, or moral—to gain the edge they need to win.

 

Tyler Hamilton was once one of the world’s best-liked and top-ranked cyclists—a fierce competitor renowned among his peers for his uncanny endurance and epic tolerance for pain. In the 2003 Tour de France, he finished fourth despite breaking his collarbone in the early stages—and grinding eleven of his teeth down to the nerves along the way. He started his career with the U.S. Postal Service team in the 1990s and quickly rose to become Lance Armstrong’s most trusted lieutenant, and a member of his inner circle. For the first three of Armstrong’s record seven Tour de France victories, Hamilton was by Armstrong’s side, clearing his way. But just weeks after Hamilton reached his own personal pinnacle—winning the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics—his career came to a sudden, ignominious end: He was found guilty of doping and exiled from the sport.

 

From the exhilaration of his early, naïve days in the peloton, Hamilton chronicles his ascent to the uppermost reaches of this unforgiving sport. In the mid-1990s, the advent of a powerful new blood-boosting drug called EPO reshaped the world of cycling, and a relentless, win-at-any-cost ethos took root. Its psychological toll would drive many of the sport’s top performers to substance abuse, depression, even suicide. For the first time ever, Hamilton recounts his own battle with clinical depression, speaks frankly about the agonizing choices that go along with the decision to compete at a world-class level, and tells the story of his complicated relationship with Lance Armstrong.

(Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

My Thoughts

I was in a bit of an odd mood trying to decide what to read next so I decided to have a quick look on the kindle store and this caught my eye. With everything that has been in the news recently about professional cycling and Lance Armstrong I thought it would make an interesting read. Whilst reading it I discovered that it has been long-listed for the 'William Hill sports book of the year'. Last year the winner was A Life Too Short by Ronald Reng, a book which I thought was fantastic.

 

The first thing I want to point out about this book is that although he does feature often in this book it is not primarily about Lance Armstrong. He does feature, as do all of Hamilton's team mates but the main focus is what Hamilton and the wider professional cycling circuit did in regards to doping. Hamilton is very keen to make is known that everyone was at it and that there are no real heroes or villains, just dopers.

 

Everything is explained in a very simple and easy to understand way, there is very little in the way of technical jargon. This, coupled with the writing style makes this a very easy book to read and I found it hard to put down. Everything is laid bare and its fairly obvious to me that Hamilton feels genuine remorse for what he and others did but he also feels that the UCI needs to be held accountable as well. Rightly or wrongly he feels that the UCI knew what was going on and helped to keep it under-wraps and protect its biggest stars.

 

He also goes into some detail about riders who refused to dope under extreme pressure and as a result lost their rides and ultimately their careers. These are the real victims in this whole sordid affair and its these people who probably lost most.

 

Although Hamilton says he holds no ill will towards Armstrong I thought it was clear that he wishes that he would admit his part in the doping. Whilst not attacking him directly he does describe what happened to him and others who got on the wrong side of Armstrong and the bullying tactics he also used towards journalists who questioned the validity of his tour results.

 

I don't know if this will win the prize this year, I haven't read the other books but it is very well written. Whilst it isn't up to the standard of last years winner it is a very good read and would make a worthy winner. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in sports in general.

 

 

5/5 (It was amazing).

[Alexi]

Great review Brian - I also loved this book. It really opened my eyes to the world of cycling and I came to really like Tyler, despite his choices. Armstrong definitely doesn't come out of it very well!

[Brian.]

Wow, my mojo has been really weird lately. I started a new shift pattern at work and that seems to have really had an effect on my reading.

 

Despite this I have started Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney. I seem to be favouring novellas at the moment so it's just as well that I have plenty on hand. I am enjoying it so far but not as much as I hoped I would and I usually love books full of debauchery.

[wordsgood]

Hey, who doesn't enjoy a bit of good old fashioned debauchery now and then?

[Brian.]

Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney

 

 

Synopsis

With the publication of Bright Lights, Big City in 1984, Jay McInerney became a literary sensation, heralded as the voice of a generation. The novel follows a young man, living in Manhattan as if he owned it, through nightclubs, fashion shows, editorial offices, and loft parties as he attempts to outstrip mortality and the recurring approach of dawn. With nothing but goodwill, controlled substances, and wit to sustain him in this anti-quest, he runs until he reaches his reckoning point, where he is forced to acknowledge loss and, possibly, to rediscover his better instincts. This remarkable novel of youth and New York remains one of the most beloved, imitated, and iconic novels in America.

(Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

My Thoughts

I'm not sure where I picked up the recommendation for this book but it would have been a list somewhere. From what I can tell this is held in some regard and liking a good dose of debauchery I couldn't wait to get stuck in.

 

For some reason it just didnt really work for me. I found the writing style, especially the fact that it is written in the second person to be quite entertaining. The story moves along at a good pace and it kept my attention throughout. Despite this I felt that something was missing for me. For this kind of story I much preffered Junky by William S Burroughs.

 

I can see why it is really tied in with American Psycho, another book that I really didnt like although for different reasons.

 

There isnt really anything for me to add, it was ok but no more.

 

2/5 (It was ok).

[Pixie]

Hi, Brian.

I'm glad to see you enjoyed Lolita. Nabokov's command of the English language is extraordinary, and this beautiful novel is a brilliant but disturbing character study.

It's one of my favorite books, so I just wanted to make a comment.

[Brian.]

Hi, Brian.

I'm glad to see you enjoyed Lolita. Nabokov's command of the English language is extraordinary, and this beautiful novel is a brilliant but disturbing character study.

It's one of my favorite books, so I just wanted to make a comment.

 

Thanks for the comment. You are right, his command of the English language is simply amazing given that it's not his native tongue.

[Brian.]

Donated more books to my local charity bookshop and this time only came out with less than I took in. I am determined to get the number of books I have at home down to the ones I really cherish and those I want to read instead of endless ones that I read but have no interest in reading again.

 

The 3 I picked up were

 

Put Out More Flags by Evelyn Waugh

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

 

and a travel photography book by Lonely Planet.

[Brian.]

The Upgrade by Paul Carr

 

 

 

Synopsis

Bored, broke and struggling to survive in one of the most expensive cities on earth, writer Paul Carr is a man in need of a plan.

 

When his landlord threatens to increase his rent even further, Paul comes to the surprising realisation that it would actually be cheaper to live in a hotel in Manhattan than in his one-bedroom London flat. Inspired by that possibility, he decides to sell most of his possessions, abandon his old life and spend a year living entirely without commitments – as a modern-day nomad.

 

Thanks to Paul’s highly-developed blagging skills, what begins as a one-year experiment soon becomes a permanent lifestyle – a life lived in luxury hotels and mountain-top villas. An existence solely of fast cars, Hollywood actresses and Icelandic rock stars. Of 6,000-mile booty calls, of partying with 800 female hairdressers dressed only in bedsheets, and of nearly dying at the hands of Spanish drug dealers. And, most bizarrely of all, a life that still costs less than surviving on cold pizza in London.

 

“Yet, as word of Paul’s exploits starts to spread, he finds himself constantly upping the stakes to keep things interesting. With his behaviour spiralling to dangerous – and sometimes criminal – levels, he is forced to ask the question: is there such a thing as too much freedom?”

(Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

My Thoughts

I downloaded this a while ago onto my Kindle and completely forgot it was on there. I think I initially bought it because of the fact Las Vegas form part of the tale. Sadly, Vegas doesn't feature as prominently in the book as I had led to be believed. Being in a slight reading slump I decided to check out the start of this book and see what it was like.

 

The book starts with Paul Carr deciding that living in London is too expensive and that he can live in hotels around the world cheaper. It sounds like a ludicrous plan but the economics sounded solid and Carr knows the hotel world quite well, so could it work?

 

Ultimately the book turns into a collection of tales of drunken adventure on the road in America and a little of Europe. I should warn that drinking features on pretty much every page. At first this is entertaining, then eventually it gets a little tiresome. Despite this the book is fairly well written and I managed to read through it very quickly.

 

Two parts of the books really shine though. Carr pretty much admits that all books of this nature which encourage people to do what the author has done fit in with a very very small selection of the population. For example, being a writer allowed Carr to make a living on the road, something he says many people can't do. The second part which really stands out is where he comes to the realisation that he an alcoholic and needs help. This part is really heart felt and feels alien compared to the drunken bravado of the rest of the book.

 

This book was entertaining and would probably appeal to fans the Ben Mezrich.

 

2/5 (It was ok).

[Brian.]

Another few books landed in my possession today, not my fault at all

 

Bret Easton Ellis - Less Than Zero

Jean Rhys - Wide Sargasso Sea

Aleksandr Sozenitsyn - Cancer Ward

[Brian.]

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

 

 

 

Synopsis

This story is a rare and utterly engaging experience. It tells the extraordinary story of a geisha -summoning up a quarter century from 1929 to the post-war years of Japan's dramatic history, and opening a window into a half-hidden world of eroticism and enchantment, exploitation and degradation. A young peasant girl is sold as servant and apprentice to a renowned geisha house. She tells her story many years later from the Waldorf Astoria in New York. Her memoirs conjure up the perfection and the ugliness of life behind rice-paper screens, where young girls learn the arts of geisha - dancing and singing, how to wind the kimono, how to walk and pour tea, and how to beguile the land's most powerful men.

(Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

My Thoughts

This has been sitting on my TBR for a while now, so long that I can't remember where I got it from, it looks second hand though. I picked it up mainly because it's one of those books that appears on a lot of lists but I have to say that it's not the kind of thing I would normally read. With this in mind I decided to give a shot and see if it moved me in any way.

 

The way the story started was ok but because of the title I knew where it was headed. I guess the title is very fitting but it does point the way that the plot is going in the early stages. Fortunately this period of the story doesn't last very long and it struck me quite quickly that the writing style is nice and relaxed. This makes the books very easy to read and I found that I could read in long stints or dip in and out without having a detrimental effect.

 

There are quite a few characters but at no point did I feel I was unsure as to who was talking or the subject of discussion. After a while the main characters had formed a very strong mental image in my head and this is testament to the writing. After finishing the book I read a few reviews in which people complained that the book only really skims the surface of the Geisha culture in early Japan. I felt that Golden fed me as much information as I wanted without it feeling out of place. I'm sure that he could have gone into more detail but that would have taken away from the story. Maintaining the pace of the plot is very important in this kind of story and I feel that he got this just right.

 

While I was enjoying the book I didn't think that it had grabbed me emotionally. That was until I got to the big life changing things that happen to Sayuri. At this point I realised that I felt nervous when she felt nervous and I wanted to know what was round the corner. I found the ending was heading where I suspected it was but the way it was reached made me doubt that it was going to happen a few times. The situation that Sayuri found herself in with Nobu was a fantastic part of the story and the thoughts that she wrestled with got me thinking on more than one occasion.

 

This is a fantastic book made even more sweet given that I didn't expect to like it that much. I have already given my copy away so that other people get a chance to enjoy the story. If you haven't read it yet then don't delay.

 

5/5 (It was amazing).

[Brian.]

I started Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut today. I have received some very generous birthday tokens to spend on books, my family know me so well

[Brian.]

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

 

 

 

Synopsis

It took Vonnegut more than 20 years to put his Dresden experiences into words. He explained, "there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre. Everybody is supposed to be dead, to never say anything or want anything ever again." Slaughterhouse Five is a powerful novel incorporating a number of genres. Only those who have fought in wars can say whether it represents the experience well. However, what the novel does do is invite the reader to look at the absurdity of war. Human versus human, hedonist politicians pressing buttons and ordering millions to their deaths all for ideologies many cannot even comprehend. Flicking between the US, 1940's Germany and Tralfamadore, Vonnegut's semi- autobiographical protagonist Billy Pilgrim finds himself very lost. One minute he is being viewed as a specimen in a Tralfamadorian Zoo, the next he is wandering a post-apocalyptic city looking for corpses. Slaughterhouse Five-Or The Children's Crusade A Duty-Dance with Death is a remarkable blend of black humour, irony, the truth and the absurd. The author regards his work a "failure", millions of readers do not. Released the same time bombs were falling on South East Asia, this title caused controversy and awakening.

(Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

My Thoughts

Slaughterhouse Five, a modern classic and a book that everyone who is a bookish type must have read by now. Well, not quite. My copy has been sitting on my bookcase for a while and despite picking it up a few times I always returned it in favour of something less intimidating. Intimidating in a strange way, it is by no means a long book, in fact at about 200 pages it is pretty short. I found it intimidating because it is held in such high esteem, if I don't get it then I must be a fool.

 

From the outset I had no idea what the book was about or what kind of book it is, I just knew it is a modern classic. The first chapter is a kind of introduction making the reader aware that the book is autobiographical to a certain extent. I have to admit that I really didn't like the first chapter, I found it to be a complete jumble of information and thoughts and it just didn't flow for me. At this point I really hoped that it wasn't indicative of what was to come but I decided to give chapter 2 a shot and see what comes.

 

Fortunately the second chapter kicks the story off properly and I found it very easy to read if fairly haphazard in terms of time jumps. It was far from what I expected containing alien life, planets far away and time jumps. At this point I could start to detail my thoughts of what Vonnegut is trying to say and what I think we should learn from it but I won't. I have no problem with these kind of reviews, in fact, I like to read them, but, they are not my style so I will concentrate on other things.

 

The main character, Billy Pilgrim is an interesting fellow but none of the characters in the book made any kind of emotional connection with me. That is not to say that they are bad characters, in fact, they are fantastic and utterly insane but I just didn't care for them. I particularly liked the English POW's though, they had me laughing on more than one occasion.

 

As the book wound to its conclusion I started to find the refrain 'so it goes' more and more depressing. I've have since read that this is a comment in the inevitability of death and war. I'm not sure I agree entirely with this but the more it went on the less the lives lost seemed to stir any emotion and were just met with a meh!. This lead the end of the book to leave me feeling heavy with the sheer horror of story and the amount of lives needlessly lost. This is one book that I can certainly see would benefit from many readings.

 

The only book I can compare this with would be Catch-22 by Joseph Heller which I also read for the first time this year. I have to say that I preferred Catch-22, I found it a bit easier to read because the plot is more linear and funnier. The fact that I read Slaughterhouse Five in one sitting speaks volumes as I very very rarely do this. The only things that stops me giving this 5 stars is that although the messy plot is, i'm sure, intentional I found it a bit annoying.

 

4/5 (I really liked it).

[Kidsmum]

Great review Brian, my other half read it but his only comment was it's not bad so not really sure if he liked it or not

[Brian.]

Great review Brian, my other half read it but his only comment was it's not bad so not really sure if he liked it or not

 

I think it's one of those books that can leave you wondering what the hell happened for a while. You definitely need to think about what is being said while reading it.

[Alexi]

I'm also a bit too intimidated by it to start! But then I've also been intimidated by Dickens, and I'm now 70 pages into Oliver Twist...

 

Your review is certainly tempting me to move it onto the more immediate to read list

[Brian.]

I'm also a bit too intimidated by it to start! But then I've also been intimidated by Dickens, and I'm now 70 pages into Oliver Twist...

 

Your review is certainly tempting me to move it onto the more immediate to read list

 

It is very easy to read so that is a huge redeeming feature to it. Sometimes books that are meant to be modern classics with a message are a pain to get through but this one was a pleasure to read.

[Brian.]

Picked up some books today with my birthday proceeds.

 

The Plague - Albert Camus

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Goodbye to Berlin - Christopher Isherwood

The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey

Robopocalypse - Daniel H. Wilson

Out - Natsuo Kirino

 

Racing Through the Dark - David Millar

[Brian.]

South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami

 

 

 

Synopsis

Growing up in the suburbs of post-war Japan, it seemed to Hajime that everyone but him had brothers and sisters. His sole companion was Shimamoto, also an only child. Together they spent long afternoons listening to her father's record collection. But when his family moved away, the two lost touch. Now Hajime is in his thirties. After a decade of drifting he has found happiness with his loving wife and two daughters, and success running a jazz bar. Then Shimamoto reappears. She is beautiful, intense, enveloped in mystery. Hajime is catapulted into the past, putting at risk all he has in the present.

(Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

My Thoughts

I fancied a short book so opted to pick this off my TBR and give it a shot. I have loved the previous books I've read by Murakami this year and hoped this would not let me down.

 

Hajime bears a lot of similarities with Murakami himself in that he has a love of literature and opens a Jazz bar in Japan. Music plays a huge part in this book and somehow Murakami manages to really pick the perfect story for the music. Star Crossed Lovers by Duke Ellington is mentioned a few times in the book so I decided to dig it up on youtube. In short, its perfect for the story, or the story is perfect for the tune.

 

The female characters are melancholic, mysterious women who rarely let us into their inner thoughts. I always find the female characters far more interesting than the male ones and it make me wonder what happened to Murakami in his early life to lead him to create the female characters that he does.

 

Like Norwegian Wood this book creates wonderful dream like images in my mind. I don't know how he catches the mood in the way he does, he is like a god damn wizard He manages to grab my emotions like no other writer and he really gets inside my head and my heart. After finishing this I felt pretty emotionally drained, again, I have no idea how he does this.

 

I have more to say but I don't know what or how. This is a book that will resonate in my head for a long time to come.

 

5/5 (It was amazing).