Brian.
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Posts posted by Brian.
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How did you find American Psycho? Is that the one that was made into a movie with Christian Bale and Reese Witherspoon? Not sure if I'm getting my memory wires twisted.
There is certainly a movie that has Christian Bale in it although its been a long time since I seen it. I has to confess I didnt really enjoy the book too much, its far more graphic than the movie if memory serves me correctly and I found it hard to stick with. I'll post up a more in depth review before too long but I don't see myself reading it again.
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Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb
Synopsis
Amelie Nothomb was born in Japan, is Belgian by nationality and living in France when the book is written. She takes up a job working for Yumimoto Corporation for a year. The book is her experience of the east/west divide and culture clashes that she experience during her time there and also her struggle with adapting to the Japanese way of doing things.
My Thoughts
Normally I doubt I would pick up a book like this to read, I hadnt heard of the author and the cover is fairly uninspiring. It was a title mentioned in something I read recently, probably one of those endless 'books you must read' lists. Its a short book (132 pages) and I thought a great way to start the year. Being someone who has had to work in foriegn lands I instantly related to some of the oddities picked up by Nothomb. She portrays the unease you intially feel when dropped into a different culture very well, only here its enhanced because of the difference between Japanese and Europeans. I couldnt help but feel sympathy for her situation and yet at the same time laugh at the peculiar customs she encounters. Her battles with her immediate superior Mori Fubuki show the massive contrast between two different out looks on life. At the same time as feeling sympathy for Nothomb because of Fubuki's actions towards her I felt sorry for Fubuki because society demands that she is the way she is.
Overall I found this to be a very pleasant book to read and great way to spend a few hours. It doesnt try to be more than it is and although I probably wont seek out any more Nothomb titles in glad I decided to read this one. I've already lend the book to my sister who was an interest in Japanese culture and she loved it.
7/10
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First reads, I only read got into read fiction just over a year ago, before that I only read non fiction. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley pretty much changed all that and since then I've been picking up some of the classics. I've got a load more to add to the list, I buy far far too many books.
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On Hold.
Reply away
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This will be ever growing no doubt.
To Be Read
Casino Royale - Ian Fleming
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Alone In Berlin - Hans Fallada
Crime & Punishment - Dostoyevsky
The Secret Agent - Joseph Conrad
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Germinal - Emile Zola
The Shipping News - E. Annie Proulx
Lustrum - Robert Harris
Pompeii - Robert Harris
Enigma - Robert Harris
Archangel - Robert Harris
Contact - Carl Sagan
The Black Dahlia - James Ellroy
Tales from the Thousand and One Nights
The Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdie
Arnhem - Lloyd Clark
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe
Berlin Soldier - Helmut Altner
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
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I meant to do one of these last year but never got round to it. My TBR pile is ever growing and this should be a good way to keep track of how close I get to reading 50 books this year. I am going to stick 2 holding relpies onto this so I would appreciate no replies until they are done.
1. Fear And Trembling by Amelie Nothomb (My Review)
2. 3,096 Days by Natascha Kampusch (My Review)
3. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (My Review)
4. Phoenix Squadron by Rowland White (My Review)
5. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (My Review)
6. Stealing The Wave by Andy Martin (My Review)
7. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Moshin Hamid (My Review)
8. The Coming Insurrection by The Invisible Committee (My Review)
9. My Booky Wook by Russell Brand (My Review)
10. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (My Review)
11. Fatherland by Robert Harris (My Review)
12. The Damage Done by Warren Fellows (My Review)
13. A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronnie Reng (My Review)
14. Bringing Down The House by Ben Mezrich (My Review)
15. The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson (My Review)
16. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (My Review)
17. Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein (My Review)
18. Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (My Review)
19. Junky by William S. Burroughs (My Review)
20. Cold War by Jeremy Isaacs & Taylor Downing (My Review)
21. Lustrum by Robert Harris (My Review)
22. On the Road by Jack Kerouac (My Review)
23. The Hacienda: Hot Not To Run a Club by Peter Hook (My Review)
24. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (My Review)
25. Snow by Orhan Pamuk (My Review)
26. Fremder by Russell Hoban (My Review)
27. Slave Girl by Sarah Forsyth (My Review)
28. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (My Review)
29. White Noise by Don DeLillo (My Review)
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I always try to read the book first. On the odd occasion ive seen the movie first its always spoilt things a little for me. I also like to see how a movie is visually different from what I imagined in my head when reading the book.
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At least Catcher is relatively short, its not a whole load of wasted time if you dont like it.
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Baby Darling Doll Face Honey (Album) by Band of Skulls
Saw them recently supporting The Dead Weather at the Roundhouse. Great band with a classic rock/bluesy feel at times.
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Ive had one of the Sony e-books readers for a while now and 2 things have struck me about the experience. Firstly, I miss the physical nature of having a book. There is something about the texture of pages and the smell of a book that I miss. The second thing and its my biggest bugbear is the price of e-books. They are very similar in price to the real thing and in some cases more. Im of the firm belief that authors should be rewarded for their efforts. It seems to me that the e-book sellers are making a lot of profit on each book sold without the manfucturing costs of a physical book.
Ohh and I always forget to charge it up but thats my failing
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Set it to record as I was out at the cinema watching Iron Man 2 (decent enough action movie). Im hoping for good things from Luther, especially as Idris Elba is in it.
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Yeah its bjork.
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Finished it now and I enjoyed it immensly. Ive got the next one in the trilogy sitting on my next but im going to read 'iWoz' by Steve Wozniak first. Its a non fiction book about the early days of computers, Silicon Valley and Apple.
Its nice having a job where I get a few hours reading in a day
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I tend to use either an index card (3x5inch) or lately I seem to be using the jokers out of a deck of cards.
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Thanks for the warm welcomes.
Peacefield - Ive been bouncing about in regards to fiction. I read Fatherland by Robert Harris and enjoyed it immensly, then The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. Read Animal Farm, Brave New World and a few other modern classics which to my surprise I also enjoyed. The only book I felt let down by was Veronika Decides to Die, I guess its just not my thing.
Mexicola - Im about halfway through series 2, its not quite upto the standard of the first series imo but im still enjoying it.
Ooshie - I think the 3rd book in the series came out on 1st April. At least thats what I recall seeing on the Amazon website.
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I signed upto the forum a little while ago but only just decided that its about time I made a post or two. For years I stuck to reading non-fiction books but towards the end of last year started reading fiction and some or the classics for a change. Cant say I really have a favourite book.
Currently enjoying 'The Wire' on DVD and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in book form.
Any questions ask away.
Brian's Books 2011
in Past Book Logs
Posted
3,096 Days by Natascha Kampusch
Synopsis
In 1998, 10-year-old Natascha Kampusch was grabbed off a street in Vienna suburb by Wolfgang Priklopi. From there after she spent 3,096 days as his prisoner, most of which was spent in a cellar un able to communicate with the outside world. This book is her story of the ordeal, how she coped with her situation and eventually, her escape.
My Thoughts
This book had been on my radar for a while and I'm not sure how I came across it. I think it must have been recommended by a newspaper article or by a bookstore email. Once I scanned through the spiel on the back cover I just knew I had to read it, the story must have passed me by when it happened as it was new to me. Very quickly into the book I realised that this wasn't just another one of those stories about a crime. Kampusch approaches the story from a slightly different angle and is very honest about her emotions about her parents foe example prior to the kidnapping. The inital shock of the kidnap gradually subsides into her attempts to defy her captor in small but no doubt important ways.
I had wondered how much can be said about her time in a cellar and how it would fill the pages but at no point does it feel repetitive. Even during her small victories and calmer moments violence is just around the corner. The beatings and physical torment caused to her make harrowing reading but one thing remains unsaid. At no point does she mention any sexual torment she may or may not have faced and for that I am very glad. Doing so would have spoilt the overall tone of the book I feel and is not needed.
I felt the pace quicken as her escape approaches and yet there are further twists which are heart wrenching. After her eventual escape she addresses her emotions towards her ordeal, her parents, the police and also Priklopi. Its her emotions towards Priklopi which are naturally the most fascinating, I expected hatred, she gives almost forgiveness. Once I had finished the book I hit google to find out more. There are photos of her prison, Priklopi and her but also many articles. The articles reveal that her life afterwards has causes much controversy. She has bought the house in which she was held captive and she refuses to accept her status as a 'victim'. She is also very public, has a TV show and has given many interviews and her approach is at odds to what many expect the appropriate response to be. I can't help but think that there is more to come.
9/10
I would have no hesitation to recommend this book.