Brida
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Posts posted by Brida
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It hasn't been a very productive time, reading-wise, since August (and honestly, since May probably) : I have started reading many books, and finished only one
(The ones I haven't finished - This Side of Paradise, A Personal Matter, Life and Times of Michael K., Age of Iron, and I'm pretty sure there were a few others).
I won't be writing a proper review of South of the Border, West of the Sun by Murakami, but I would like to write down a few thoughts.
I was hooked after the first few pages, and thought that this might be my favourite Murakami yet. As the story progressed, my excitement faded, and while I find it a very good book, it's not my favourite of his (it's probably #3 or #4 on the list
). Because of lack of time I basically rushed through it, which, I believe, was part of the reason why I didn't like it as much as I though I would.This one seemed to deal with 'psychological' aspects of the characters more than his other books. Or at least the focus was more on that aspect. And he wrote about love in a warmer way than usual, which I liked.
Currently I'm reading The Sea by John Banville, and let's hope I finish this one (it's been very good so far).
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REVIEW
*Amsterdam by Ian McEwan*
Synopsis:
On a chilly February day two old friends meet in the throng outside a crematorium to pay their last respects to Molly Lane. Both Clive Linley and Vernon Halliday had been Molly's lovers in the days before they reached their current eminence, Clive as Britain's most successful modern composer, Vernon as editor of the quality broadsheet, "The Judge". Gorgeous, feisty Molly had other lovers too, notably Julian Garmony, Foreign Secretary, a notorious right-winger tipped to be the next prime minister. In the days that follow Molly's funeral, Clive and Vernon will make a pact that will have consequences neither has foreseen. Each will make a disastrous moral decision, their friendship will be tested to its limits and Julian Garmony will be fighting for his political life. A contemporary morality tale that is as profound as it is witty, this short novel is perhaps the most purely enjoyable fiction Ian McEwan has ever written. And why Amsterdam? What happens there to Clive and Vernon is the most delicious shock in a novel brimming with surprises.
You'd think that after reading On Chesil Beach, having high expectations considering how beloved McEwan seems to be, and being a bit disappointed with it I wouldn't give him another chance. Yet I have, and I'm glad. Amsterdam is so much better, and it's helped me understand and appreciate OCB better.
There were things I liked about OCB, and I noticed them in Amsterdam as well. It was well written, a bit dark, blunt, and funny without being humouristic - ironic is more like it.
Well, Amsterdam is much darker, pessimistic, and so true. It's a portrayal of human behaviour, psychology and morality today. It makes you think about the people you know, whether they be your acquaintances, business associates, or even your closest friends - are they really honest with you, or do they have a hidden agenda? Do people really care about other people, or do they just keep them close in order to use them in case they need to? Do we even know ourselves well enough?
It sounds rather dark and pessimistic, but McEwan talks of a more positive subject - love. There is love in his book, love for Molly, the main 'bond' between the characters, and she really is loved. Or was loved, anyway. Different men, different oppinions, different lifestyles but they all had one thing in common and that's their love for Molly. And when she was gone for good, so was their security and sanity, it seems
I am very glad I read this book, and though it's not optimistic, it's wonderfully written, brutally honest, and despite it talking of human meanness...it is a great read
And it'll make you think!
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Don't know if it fits what you had in mind, but David Nicholls' books are funny, light reads, and page turners as far as I'm concerned.
Also I was pleasantly surprised with The Truth behind Melody Browne, which I read last year. Seemed like a great summer read.
Sisterhood Everlasting (not YA).
It's not YA? Might be worth a look; I liked the Sisterhood books when I read them back in high school (not that long ago though), so I guess it'd be nice to see what happens later.
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Hi there, vodkafan, how goes it?
You sure seem to be doing a lot of reading, I guess the kindle is a blessing in that sense
I liked your review for Never Let Me Go, though my impression of it was entirely different - I liked all of the things you didn't
Like Ooshie (I think) said, the 'emptiness' is actually a great characteristic of the book imo, cos it makes the kids seem more like things/instruments, rather than complete human beings, and that's exactly the way they were treated (despite the 'artsy' attempt to keep them human, and by that I mean the poems, drawings etc...). Great review, though!
Happy reading!
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REVIEW
*Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen*
I was trying to think of the appropriate word to describe it, and figured out it was somewhere between 'beautiful' and 'pretty'. Beautiful didn't seem entirely accurate, and pretty doesn't do it enough justice. So there you go, if you can think of that word inbetween - let me know.
It's a story of a young man, Jacob, who is about to finish university and become a vet. Unfortunately, his parents have an accident, and are both killed. He loses not only his parents, but also material possessions and financial support. Overwhelmed with everything, he runs away from university without taking his finals, and just keeps going. Doesn't know where he's going, and he doesn't even care because he has nothing and no one to come back to. Finally, he ends up on a train. Who/what is the train transporting? A circus. Before he knows it, he's the circus' vet. Life on the road (well, railroad anyway) is difficult, the way animals are treated isn't nice, but it's nothing compared to what the people are treated like. Jacob learns a lot about (circus) people, makes friends, falls in love and grows up, all in just a few months. He falls in love with the very lovely, and very married Marlena, as well as forming a bond with a misunderstood elephant named Rosie. And has a purpose once again.
Though I didn't find it as 'bautiful' as, for instance Le testament français, it is a great story. A love story, involving animals, friendship, dealing with ruthless (though insane) people, excitement and a happy ending. Or, at least that's how I see it. I like how it's told retrospectively, though the majority of the story is set in the past, but told from the memories of the 93 (or 90
) year old Jacob. I also liked how the old-man-Jacob was different from the young Jacob with the circus, who, again, was different from the pre-circus Jacob. It seemed realistic. And the ending fits If you haven't read it, go and do it. It might not blow your mind but you won't dislike it, I'm sure.
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REVIEW
*A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke*
Synopsis:
Paul West, a young Englishman, arrives in Paris to start a new job - and finds out what the French are really like. They do eat a lot of cheese, some of which smells like pigs' droppings. They don't wash their armpits with garlic soap. Going on strike really is the second national participation sport after petanque. And, yes, they do use suppositories. In his first novel, Stephen Clarke gives a laugh-out-loud account of the pleasures and perils of being a Brit in France. Less quaint than A Year in Provence, less chocolatey than Chocolat, A Year in the Merde will tell you how to get served by the grumpiest Parisian waiter; how to make perfect vinaigrette every time; how to make amour - not war; and how not to buy a house in the French countryside.
In need of a relaxing and easy read, I chose this book. There's also Merde Actually and Merde Happens.
It's very funny, as I said before, a lot of well written jokes, and witty puns, but I thought it would make a bigger impact. It didn't. But still, it served a purpose, got me laughing a lot which I needed, and though I don't feel like reading the other 2 any time soon, I'll certainly pick them up in case I need a laugh and to put my mind off other things.
Though this doesn't seem like a very cheerful review, I have to admit it's just me being tired
Anyway, here's a few quotes.
"I was also sick of my neighbors, as most Parisians are. I now knew every second of the morning routine of the family upstairs. At 7:00 am alarm goes off, boom, Madame gets out of bed, puts on her deep-sea divers’ boots, and stomps across my ceiling to megaphone the kids awake. The kids drop bags of cannonballs onto the floor, then, apparently dragging several sledgehammers each, stampede into the kitchen. They grab their chunks of baguette and go and sit in front of the TV, which is always showing a cartoon about people who do nothing but scream at each other and explode. Every minute, one of the kids cartwheels (while bouncing cannonballs) back into the kitchen for seconds, then returns (bringing with it a family of excitable kangaroos) to the TV. Meanwhile the toilet is flushed, on average, fifty times per drop of urine expelled. Finally, there is a ten-minute period of intensive yelling, and at 8:15 on the dot they all howl and crash their way out of the apartment to school.”
"What did you have for dinner last night, Sylvie?"
"I made some crap."
"you mean crepes? Pancakes."
"Yes, pan-cak."
The hardest thing was to keep a straight face.''
"At five PM, I was working."
"Good".
"At seven PM, I was sitting on ze train."
"OK"
"At nine, I was listening ze radio."
"Was that AM or PM?"
"No, FM."
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I found it!!!!!!
Yesterday I found a copy of This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald in a bookshop, which was an unexpected find/buy, and it made my day.
I've been looking for that for quite some time now; I started reading the e-book but that was too painful for my eyes, plus I really wanted a copy of my own because the book seemed to great. Now I can finally finish it and not go blind
Oh how I love that bookstore now In other news, I'm almost done with A Year in the Merde, probably going to write a review and start the Gruen book.
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Luckily, members of my family like to read (though every one likes different genres, so we only have the love for reading in common...), and also a few of my friends are bookworms so I have someone to discuss books with, and recommend them to. And get recommendations from, as well.
My mum started reading more again, so now I have even more fun in the library picking out books for her too
And when I go to the library with my friend, she'll sometimes say 'I'd really like to read something like *this* - any recommendations from the forum?'
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I do feel like that, but just because there are so many other books waiting to be read, I don't do it often.
I think I only did it once or twice when I was about 11, with a collection of stories, and a book in which the story takes place in my town, near where I live. And the story was beatiful though pretty sad, but I still wanted to re-read it a few times, as masochistic as it was
Oh yeah, and I think I started reading 'The Song Reader' again right after finishing it.
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Well I haven't been here in a while, have I?
Haven't done much reading in the past month or so. Well, non-uni reading that is.
Currently I'm reading A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke, it's funny, and the jokes are well written. But for some reason I'm not as amazed by it as I thought I'd be. Still, an enjoyable read I'm hoping to finish soon, after which I plan on starting Water for Elephants. I'm really looking forward to that one
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I read this a few weeks back, and though for a long time I've been avoiding it because it seemed too 'Catcher in the Rye'-like, and very teeny, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it.
It's written in the form of letters but very easy to be drawn into the story. Charlie, however naive and odd he might seem, is a very likable character. Also, the book is not shallow at all which, I must admit, I was expecting and it was one of the main reasons I kept avoiding reading it.
I didn't like it because of the story that much, though. I liked it because of Charlie and the atmosphere of the book. It's sad at most parts, and it sure feels like it. Not a very happy book, but still, a good read imo
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Thank you, Kylie.
Haha, well that is one of the bigger issues in the book, but maybe it didn't have much of an effect on you ?
The same thing happens to me too, though. I couldn't remember the relationships between the characters in a book I recently read, and that's the whole point of the book
So I realised it would be better not to read deep/important (to me)/difficult books which I have to concentrate on until exams are over -
REVIEW
*The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky*
Synopsis:
Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie is navigating through the strange worlds of love, drugs, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", and dealing with the loss of a good friend and his favorite aunt.
Though many aspects of the book were off-putting for me (The Catcher in the Rye reference for one), I decided to read it nonetheless. There was something intriguing about it, probably the fact that it had the word ''walflower'' in the title, and I have a soft spot for loners.
The plot itself was not very interesting, usual high-school problems, relationships, unpopular and popular kids, partying, being introverted, etc. Not very ground-breaking stuff. However, Charlie was great. I loved Charlie. In some ways I related to him, and yes I feel pathetic writing this. I don't know if the author himself was introverted, and had some potentially autistic features (like Charlie), but he sure knows how to describe it accurately.
The narration seems deliberately simplified, he (author) might have tried a bit too hard to sound like a teenager, but despite it being a bit tense, it's still honest enough. And it gets through to the reader. Charlie is an honest, sad, confused, and above all lovable character, who seems like he could use some help from others, instead of just giving help all the time. After Patrick and Sam accepted him he seemed to be doing so much better, which just shows that passiveness and helpfulness were a big part of his problem. Don't be too altruistic, people, it's bad for you.
I was happy that in the end he got to the bottom of the problem, and was finally aware what he was dealing with in the first place. He was, again, very selfless and generous, and despite of the bad things that happened to him, he didn't hold a grudge against anyone but was able to forgive. He even said he felt love for everyone, even his aunt Helen, which might just be part of his damaged personality (you can be able to forgive, even not feel hate, but love
the person who molested you? Even if she was molested herself, and even if she was his favourite person in the world when he was a kid,
that's just not normal). That's just Charlie.
A fast and easy read, though very sad. Not shallow at all despite the, you know, teenagers and high-school stuff.
Off-putting as it might have been, I'm glad I read it.
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Ah, yes, Kafka on the Shore
It's probably my fave out of the 4 books by Murakami I've read (the other 3 being Norwegian Wood, DDD and A Wild Sheep Chase - and the never finished Hard Boiled Wonderland... which I will finish some time in the future ). I gave Kafka to my friend after I'd finished it. When we discussed it and it made us frustrated cos we couldn't figure out what really happened, and it was ambiguous as Murakami's books tend to be At the end we just decided we both liked it and enjoyed the fantasy parts (aka those that didn't make sense) as well as the realistic ones (the ones that did make sense).Hmm, well out of the other 3 books I'd probably recommend A Wild Sheep Chase, cos it was the loveliest one for me personaly. And it's a sort of prequel to DDD, though if you were to read DDD without previously reading it, you'd be able to follow the story with no difficulty. But since you're able to find out what happened to the characters chronologically, it would probably be more logical. As for Norwegian Wood, it's the most realistic one out of the 4 I've read, there's no Murakami-fantastic-things happening, and it's autobiographic if I remember correctly. So I guess it just depends on what you're in the mood for reading right now. Biography stuff, or the mind-bending fantastic stuff
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one frustrated, and I hope you enjoy whichever book you choose as much as I did (or more), poppy!
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REVIEW
*Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami*
Synopsis:
High-class call girls billed to Mastercard. A psychic 13-year-old dropout with a passion for Talking Heads. A hunky matinee idol doomed to play dentists and teachers. A one-armed beach-combing poet, an uptight hotel clerk and one very bemused narrator caught in the web of advanced capitalist mayhem. Combine this offbeat cast of characters with Murakami's idiosyncratic prose and out comes Dance Dance Dance. It is an assault on the sense, part murder mystery, part metaphysical speculation; a fable for our times as catchy as a rock song blasting from the window of a sports car.
Though Dance Dance Dance has a lot more going on - literally more things happening and more characters involved - A Wild Sheep Chase moved me more. Probably because of the ending - the atmosphere at the end was more emotional and sad in AWSC, and felt like it really needed to end that way
(the main character crying: he was running around for a while, not just to find the Sheep but also to fix his messy life, or at least figure out whether he wanted to fix it or let it stay the way it was. He didn't really have time to think properly about everything that was happening to him, and he lost a few people [and a cat]. So after all that loss and running around, it felt like he really should have sat down and finally faced everything that's happened to him, and cry.)
. So basically that end made it great for me
Dance Dance Dance is more deep and evolved story-wise, and maybe a bit more elaborated. In AWSC, where many characters were important, and the main character's connection to them was also very important, some of those things were just mentioned, and not explained further. But in DDD, there was a bit more emphasis on the other characters, not just the main one. They were described more deeply, and their stories were just as important as the main character's story. In AWSC it seemed that the emphasis was on the main character and his search, and all of the other characters, however important, were just instruments helping the main character.
The story is interesting and strange, as always with Murakami. It ends, again, unanswered.
The sixth skeleton isn't revealed, we don't know whether the other characters are dead or not, 'moved to the other reality',
but then again, it's a story. Not real life. It doesn't need to be explained, and if things don't make sense - compared to real life - again, it doesn't matter cos it's just a story, and it seems it doesn't really have a meaning, readers can probably never find the same meaning in this book as the meaning it has for the author. It just took me a while to accept that it doesn't have to make sense
It's the way of thinking I use in everyday life because of uni; everything has to be explained and understood.All in all, story wise - better than AWSC (however movie like it may be), but emotionally, moved me less.
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I've noticed Makine being mentioned here and there, mostly in member's reading (b)logs, but I think he deserves a bit more attention than that
So I bring you:
*Le Testament Français by Andreï Makine*
Synopsis:
Locked behind the Iron Curtain, a young boy grows up bewitched by his French grandmother's memories of Paris before the Great War. Yet despite what he also learns of her suffering in the Soviet Union under Stalin and during the Second World War, as an adolescent he finds himself proud to be a Russian. Torn between the two cultures, he eventually makes a choice - which has a wholly unexpected outcome. Capturing the powerful allure of illusion, this unforgettable novel traces a sentimental and intellectual journey that embraces the dramatic history of the twentieth century.
This is one good book!
When I started reading it, the first thing I thought was ''Proust!''. The writing style reminded me of Proust's, because it was descriptive, but in not so many words as Proust might have used
It really is beautifully written.The story is about a Russian boy who visits his grandmother (who is French), at first with his sister, later on alone. He seems to have connected with Charlotte (the grandmother) much more that his sister, which happened gradually. At first, when they were kids, Charlotte was a mistery to them both, and it seemed that she was distant from them (and being a Frenchwoman in Russia, a foreigner, distant from almost everyone else). Then one time they started to get to know Charlotte; she had a suitcase filled with random (it seemed) items: pictures, precious stones, articles from newspapers, poems etc, which were all precious to her, and later on to the boy too. She began telling them stories every night on the balcony of her appartement, about the items from the case. She was telling them about life in France, before her time, as well as the France of her days but more importantly, telling them stories about her life. The boy became inchanted with what he had heard of this ''Atlantis'' as he calls it, and started daydreaming about the people from the stories his grandmother was telling him.
This is also a story about growing up. As the boy grows up, he becomes dissapointed with the daydreaming, because he realises that it's not enough. It's not real. And he's a real person, who, instead of getting involved in real life, tries creating a nonexistant world, which gives him comfort, but also alienates him from the real world. And so, he doesn't quite know how to deal with certain things in his life, because he's not used to it.
Le testament is like a fairytale sometimes. The stories of the grandmother are told in such a way, dealing with real events, but in such a fantastic, surreal way. It's also a real pleasure to read, because of the style. I'll need to reread it because there's so many good things about it you can't take notice of them all at once
Anyone else read this, or anything else by Makine? I'm planning on reading Requiem for a Lost Empire sometime soon.
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Just because I liked this book very much, and am also very lazy atm to think up something new to say about it, I'll just post the link to my review (LINK).
I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's up for a bit of light and humorous reading
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I agree with what was said in post #1. It didn't seem to have a point. There were a lot of memories and invented - possible - scenarios, but in the end, it just didn't come out as strong as I would have wanted it to. However, I didn't hate it, I thought it was worth the read because I liked the narration, but again, the story was a bit disappointing.
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Since there's a lot to say about this book, and I don't know how to put it right now, I'll just post the review I wrote it
Haddon's disturbing yet very funny portrait of a dignified man trying to go insane politely.The last sentence of the synopsis is a very accurate description of the book
By no means is this a comedy, a funny, light read. If anything, it's pretty grotesque (at times). Very direct, sometimes aggressive, and not to mention - disturbing.
George is a man who's recently retired, and doesn't know what to do with all this free time on his hands. He realizes that he hasn't been involved in the lives of his wife and children as much as he thought he's been, and starts feeling useless. On top of all this, he gets obsessed with the idea of having cancer and dying. It's just fear of change, and getting old, and of death. Convinced that he's dying, he becomes a bit (or more than just a bit? ) insane. And he starts observing things about his family he hasn't noticed before, reveals some secrets, and faces some things he's been hiding from. All while being insane
I make it sound funny, though it really isn't funny to read. Sometimes it's shocking and nauseating, maybe even a bit over the top, but I guess Haddon wanted to exaggerate to describe the ridiculousness of the situation, and to show it's not a problem to just put aside and let it be solved on its own. In all that, I'm sure he added the humour to make the story less tragic and scary, but you still don't really feel the humour as much as all of the other...disturbing things.
The chapters are short, and each chapter is told from the viewpoint of one of the characters, so you know how they all feel about a certain event, which makes the story more evolved, and gives you a better insight into it. And you also get to know the characters that way. It's not a typical portrait, though it does focus on the characters and their thoughts, emotions, but it's described through their actions and decisions, instead of analyzing them through regular descriptions.
It's not a bad book, and it certainly did keep me wanting to read on, but despite that, I don't feel like reading it again
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This is a book I wanted to read for a while, and finally did get round to it a while back. I have mixed feelings about it, which is why I didn't even write a review for it - I couldn't figure out what to say.
I was looking forward to this book because of the subject it deals with. BUT. For some reason, the main character annoyed me. I know she was (supposed to be) mentally unstable and all, but to me it just seemed like she was being a rude young girl (most of the time). I like the way the progression of her 'unwell' state was described (it was very believable and smooth, just like such a state would appear and evolve), but the character itself is what was bothering me. She didn't seem insane enough for the state she was apparently in. Again, she mostly seemed rude. Ok, so she was feeling empty and couldn't care about anything, but it wasn't described as such a drastic state (in the beginning, when explaining how she got there in the first place). The thing that made it convincing (for me) was her being helpless in all that, and not being able to get well without the help of others (in the hospital). And also, how simple it was to get from feeling a bit empty to suicide, such a huge transformation and yet tragically so easy to make. Maybe it's because Plath was focused on a certain feature of the character, which was the most important issue for her, and that didn't seem as important to me. Basically, I think I needed a bit more convincing.
Or maybe I just like drama
As for the writing style, I liked that very much, it was very 'fluent' and engaging. If the subject wasn't this grim I'd even say entertaining.
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I probably wouldn't have considered Gogol, Brida, but only because I would have thought it to be a difficult read. But you've set my mind at ease, and between your recommendation and a snippet I read about The Diary of a Madman today, I'm definitely interested in taking Gogol along. Thanks.
Np. That's why I mentioned it (bold)
It's not difficult, but has many layers. There are lots of puns and symbolical things, for example names. Also, a lot of humour, even if it is rather grim, and very insigthful as far as creating interesting (and eccentric) characters goes. That's what I meant by saying it might not be festival-reading material you just might want to give it more attention (though just reading without analyzing it would be fun enough).I realised I kept thinking of a specific story while writing this^^, so I thought I'd post a link to see more info if you're interested
(I hope your book contains that story
)Have fun at the festival.
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There's certainly more books in your TBR pile I intend to read in the future, than I've already read
From the ones I remembered from skimming through your list, I can say Gogol's short stories are interesting. Probably not festival-light-reading but it's not a difficult read (hard to concentrate on etc.), it's pretty insightful, and eccentric at times
So, if you intend to read it any time soon, I think you'll like it As for the festival, dunno, Murakami's books are usually fast reads so that could be a good idea.
Sorry for not being more helpful.
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20 a year I guess. Sad number. This year I have read one book so far.
You've just made my day
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Currently I'm in a Murakami-reading-mood, after reading A Wild Sheep Chase I'm now continuing with the apparently inevitable Dance Dance Dance.
And I keep thinking - what is it about this guy and his strange style?
What I mean is, there's always (or at least has been this far in my Murakami reading adventures) a contrast between a normal, everyday (advanced capitalism etc.
) story, and a strange fantasy-like story. You know, it's like he's talking about his views of the world today, but then he adds something like a Sheep Man and realities, and strange connections between people (and animals) like in Kafka on the Shore. Now I know I'm probably not making much sense here (and not much of a point, for that matter), but basically I'm just trying to explain his books and find a point to his stories. You know, I like to find a point in books, pointless stories are rarely interesting (to me at least ). And by point I don't mean he teaches us something or whatever, I mean why he wrote the book and what he wanted to say. About the characters, about their relationships, how they cope with their problems or something else.I do enjoy his style, his simple and straight-forward sentences which are often humorous, and how sometimes he manages to create very emotional scenes though he usually seems to be very clinical as it's often described. But I keep feeling like I'm missing something deeper in the books, or maybe they just are very strange, trippy stories intermittent with some serious thoughts and realistic descriptions of the modern world?
If this didn't make any sense just ignore me
Hello there again.
in Introductions
Posted
Not sure if you remember me since I wasn't extremely active to begin with buuuuut anyway
I haven't been here in quite a while, however I hope that'll change now.
My reading mojo has also abandoned me for a while but it seems it has returned now so... TBR list, here I come.
I only finished reading the 2nd book of 2012 a few days ago (When God Was a Rabbit), so as you can see mr. mojo was on holiday for a long time.
I hope everyone is well and reading!
See you around