Peahen
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Posts posted by Peahen
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What did you think of Toru Okada? Did his passivity, and acceptance, bother you?
I seem to accept this as a trait of the most successful of Marukami's protagonists. Their passivity and acceptance are crucial to the story as it enables them to become channels to these new experiences that they would otherwise miss out upon. It is a statement more on how the power of the universe conspires to ensure that there is movement at all times.
Are you content or frustrated by the way the book concludes, leaving so many loose ends and so much to your own imagination?
I don't find them to be loose ends more life. That is the realism mixing with the mystical in a way, we cannot account for an ending, there is no such thing as an ending or tight fitting ending. He realises why his wife left him, that is a sense of tying things up.
What is your opinion of the interplay between the mystical/magical, and the mundane, in this book?
It is part of the reason I love Marukami. Prior to IQ84, I would not have been so keen on this within a book, but it adds this dimension to the narrative that lends a greater sense of movement in the narrative. You want to read as you simply do not know what can or will happen, as the boundaries are not defined as in other genres.
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Hi Richard :-)
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Hi FelisT2. I am just new here myself but seems a great place with fantastic recommendations for books.
That book Asset is now firmlly on my TBR list for this year.
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Not sure if what you mean, but always have had a soft spot for Greyfrairs Bobby and also enjoyed the novel by Eleanor Atkinson when I was growing up, of the same name.
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Can't wait for the new Kate Atkinson novel - Life after Life
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult looks very interesting and in reading the synopsis alone am quite interested to see how that will turn out.
Middle C by William H Gass is one I read a lot about in the last few months and looking forward also to reading it.
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I have always had the TBR list growth as a problem, long before I started on this forum. But I can see how there is a lot of potential for quicker growth of this through the fantastic recommendations I get here. Though I also see it as saving money in a way, I will buy now more considered choices that I have seen discussed here as opposed to taking more random risks.
I always have to have more books than I can read. I like having the choice of texts to chose from. I like having the knowledge there are books I am looking forward to and that I have the choice even amongst those.
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I never see Heathcliff as a true villian but as a victim of others destructive behaviours. He was abandoned and abused and lost the love of his life, so to me he is not truly a villian more a victim of circumstances. However he remains one of my favourite characters and it is that element of being an anti-hero.
I adore villians with a sense of humour or a strong sense of intelligence such as Hannibal Lecter.
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There are two that completely ran away from the books
Blade Runner from Phillip K Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
The Birds despite being an iconic film is not in any degree close to the short story by Daphne Du Maurier on which it is based.
I also hate any adaption of Wuthering Heights, especially when they stop half way through the novel.
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Have read just the two - this one and The Eye of the Moon. Enjoyed this one very much and did read it as though I was watching it unfold through some random little town in West of America through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino.
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I have this one but have not read it yet, definitely has gone up higher on my TBR list. I always need a kick start :-) None such a good kick start for reading than a recommendation.
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Clean the oven, I have been putting it off for ages. Also, lately have not been cooking as much as used to due to a combo of takeaway being cheaper than fresh food and being wrecked after work.
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Northern Ireland - I live in Belfast :-) Have lived here my whole life.
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I did read this about two years ago. It is an excellent book. I like the way that the story is divided in two parts, both protagonists have their own turn to narrate and in that way you find yourself challenged. It was well written and not as depressing as the movie, it is also a very quick read.
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I read this book and agree with your review. I enjoyed how the story is presented in different formats such as the captain logs and diary and letter excerpts. I did very much enjoy the book and the story, and the cliffhanger at the end of each chapter or section.
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I memorise the most relevant or beautiful verses. I like to spring them out in arguments or have them to mind when writing something that is relevant so i can contextualise it within literature. Others I involuntarily memorise due to their rhythm, such as Dulce et Decorum Est, I studied this as part of my GCSEs and still to this day can recite it as of the fall and rhythm of the lines.
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I have read two of his books. The Book Thief and The Messengers. I was wary as in the past I had read novels such as The Book Theif and then found that the author simply either never had that sparkle in his or her work or tried to redo the same formula over and over again. However with Zusak, I was thrilled, even though The Messengers is YA, it is completelly different in style and genre than The Book Theif yet remains as inspiring and has important messages for older as well as younger adults.
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My favourite is Holy Fools. I read it in such a short span of time as it is a book I devoured. It was mesmerising and I enjoyed the historical but also the mystical element to it and the obssessive love relationship at the heart of it involving a literary villian.
I also recommend Gentlemen and Players and loved the turn at the end.
Blackberry Wine is on my TBR list for the next year.
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I would have said a few classic titles to include at the top of the list Wuthering Heights. However one depiction I have read that conveys my nearest feeling of true and unconditional love is the love of Santo Aldobrandini for Marcella in The Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric. The way he travels the earth, and will do anything to make sure he is close to her and to protect her.
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Burrittos with chicken, rice, jalapenos, and crispy salad
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Narnia - according to C S Lewis I already live in due to his basis for the map he drew of Narnia and its influences (the Mountains of Mourne). Therefore, I would move to the Shire, in Lord of the Rings. If I want to enjoy the idyllic beauty and simplicity, I stay in my little hobbit cottage and if not, I simply have to wander beyond the Shire.
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I have to side with the "Ulysses is a great work" camp. I don't agree at all that all art should be accessible because then what happens to people who really want a challenge and instead have to read stuff written for "everybody". Don't get me wrong, I don't think "difficult" necessarily means "good" but just as there should be books aimed at children so to should there be books written specifically with the academic community in mind and that's what Joyce did. He wrote for the people who studied literature and its conventions on a minute level so when you consider his goals yes Ulysses is absolutely a triumph because it totally succeeds.
As far as what good writing "should" be goes, I think the whole concept is just wrong minded. There is no rule in writing that cannot be broken but only people who have done so with a good reason for doing it get remembered.
I do agree with this a great deal. There needs to be the existence of literature for everyone and that is inclusive of people who do want a greater challenge and something to get their teeth into in regards to symbolism. Joyce would be turning in his grave if he thought for one moment that his work was appealing to 'everyone', as that was not at all what he wanted. He wanted people to struggle and to be conflicted with his work, he wanted people to do more than read his work, he wanted them to translate it, to grasp with it. That is why those who do finish Ulysses have this sense of achievement.
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The Past
When did you start to love reading?I was an only child and had very much older parents and also lived in a place in which retired professionals seemed to settle so I had no other children my age to play with, I was always described during my early years as being in a corner reading.
What books did you love as a child (either read to or to read yourself)?
I read a lot of Enid Blyton, however my first real memories of reading was Peter the Rabbit by Beatrix Potter and the Chornicles of Narnia by C S Lewis
Childhood memories of reading (if you have them)?Always getting told off for not putting my bedside light out and going to sleep instead of reading.
Brightly coloured hardback copies of Enid Blyton books
My grandfather's large library that I wanted to live in.
Did you read books for school?I did read a lot of books for primary and high school, and also was always taking books out of the library. My first memories were The Little Prince, some series on Dragons living in England and the Point Horror books between Primary School and High School. My best friend's mother was the librarian at our school, so we would hang out there a lot over lunch and free periods and she would order books I was particularly interested in, including reference books on authors I liked.
Favourites
Favourite book:Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - it lead me to love the process of reading. I have read many since that I have loved in regards to writing and storyline but this is like my first love/crush in terms of writing so always will be special to me. My other favourites include Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy, The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, anything by Daphne Du Maurier, IQ84 by Haruki Marukami.
Favourite author:The Bronte Sisters, Elizabeth Gaskell, James Joyce, Daphne Du Maurier, Kate Atkinson and Thomas Hardy
Favourite genre(s):Historical fiction, modernism, horror/thriller and classics
Your Collection
Do you own an ereader? No
Ebooks or physical books (or both)? Physical
Hardcover or paperback (or both)? Paperback - I love the cracked spine and signs of having read the book that is on the spine
New books or used books (or both)? New, love the smell of new books
Big books or small books (or both)? Both
What language are most of your books written in? English
Favourite book shop(s): Amazon.co.uk, Waterstones, Easons, WH Smith
Do you buy a lot of books? Yes, around 10 per month
Do you spend a lot of money on books? Yes, I would spend majority of disposible income on books for pleasure and also then books for study or research also on top of that.
Amount of owned books: Just over 1000 at last count
Amount of books read: approx 600
Amount of books TBR: Endless
Reading
How often do you read? Everyday
Where do you read? Sofa, waiting rooms, bed
When do you read? Last thing at night or during the evening
How fast do you read? Page per minute approx
The Forum
When did you join this forum? 3 days ago
How did you find this forum? Searched on Google for book forum that was in UK -
Thank you Pontalba - I like the sound of that, I like suspense and turns in a novel. Hi Devi, nice to meet you and looking forward to reading more of your posts.
Have almost completed Norweigian Wood and hoping to start In Cold Blood by Truman Capote tomorrow. Hubby noticed this one coming in, so rather than getting put in TBR list, if I want to buy any more books in coming weeks, have to be seen to be reading book have just bought.
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I really enjoyed Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. A Clockwork Orange and Fahrenheit 451 have already been mentioned but I feel the need to repeat it because they are absolute favourites of mine so give those a go!
Agree completely with Salma :-)
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
in Previous Reading Circle Books
Posted
I agree completely with this, i enjoy his work also as of the randomness and the flaw of his characters.