Brida

^^Sorry to hear you didn't like it :/ I added it to the TBR list a few days ago, it seemed intriguing. And I thought I might like this since I enjoyed The Hours as well. Was this your first Cunningham?

A book a week is what I'm aiming at, but it seems that when I do find the time to read, I don't feel like it I know, blasphemy... On another note, I have managed to read half of last year's (sad) total in 3 months! Which means I'm reading twice as fast/more than last year *happy dance*

I couldn't agree more As for the library thing, I just had to lol at that I do that all the time. I want to start reading something I bought, but I keep postponing it because I need to finish the library books first. Turns out I read less of the books I'm excited about (with a reason) than those I've just randomly stumbled upon in the library (and might not like). Life, eh...

Thank you, bobblybear I hope you'll like it if you decide to read it

Hi Lainy, welcome to the forum! 200? You'll fit right in here, though the number might exceed 200 xD

REVIEW *A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami* Synopsis: A marvelous hybrid of mythology and mystery, A Wild Sheep Chase is the extraordinary literary thriller that launched Haruki Murakami’s international reputation. It begins simply enough: A twenty-something advertising executive receives a postcard from a friend, and casually appropriates the image for an insurance company’s advertisement. What he doesn’t realize is that included in the pastoral scene is a mutant sheep with a star on its back, and in using this photo he has unwittingly captured the attention of a man in black who offers a menacing ultimatum: find the sheep or face dire consequences. Thus begins a surreal and elaborate quest that takes our hero from the urban haunts of Tokyo to the remote and snowy mountains of northern Japan, where he confronts not only the mythological sheep, but the confines of tradition and the demons deep within himself. Quirky and utterly captivating, A Wild Sheep Chase is Murakami at his astounding best. I've just finished this book. And my mind is entirely filled with question marks. And some confusing, though very entertaining thoughts. Let me explain... Not unusual for Murakami, the book is a mix of ordinary, boring, everyday scenes on the one hand, and the most unusual, impossible, just plain crazy things on the other. But it works. It works just fine: Got a divorce, feel like crap, I meet this girl I like, feel a bit better, have to go look for a strange sheep that enters people and uses them to reach its own goals, smoke a cigarette, watch a few movies, read some Sherlock Holmes. You know, the usual. Reading this book reminded me of trashy 80's culture And I don't mean it as an insult, more like describing the genre. I don't know if anyone else was thinking the same, but this is what I'm thinking of - a guy who's not quite sure what he's doing atm with his life, crazy ear - fetish - sixth sense thing, people disappearing and appearing (with no explanation), talking to dead people, a Sheep Man ( ), all glued together with some music, bars, smoking and real life events Maybe it's just me. It's strange how much I like his style. The plot is strange, the characters are more or less strange, but at the same time he writes about normal life problems and it fits so well together. Whenever there's something strange and obviously impossible happening, there's no need for explanation, you just accept it the way it is and read on. No questioning if it's possible or not. I guess that's why they keep comparing him to Kafka (?). Also, the writing itself is another thing I like, his sentences are sometimes so direct and blunt they seem comical And most of all, descriptive, without using too many words. Now on to Dance Dance Dance

Libraries are one of my favourite places in town Rooms filled with books! How is that not exciting? Though it can be frustrating choosing what to read if there's more books you like. Luckily, they won't be going anywhere - well, sort of - so we can get to read them sooner or later. And librarians, they are just so ... special At least the ones in the libraries I go to.

^^Haha Blame the Robin Hood allusion for that! (Interesting how I skimmed through the page and managed to skip all of the posts saying the author is, in fact, a woman xD How do I do it?!)

Current favourite is cranberry tea I put sugar or honey in whatever tea I'm drinking, I don't like tea without the sweetness...I don't like most food without sugar, mind you

Swear to God, everytime I read this thread title I see ''Robin Hood'' And then I read it again... On another note, I've never heard of him, so I guess this was a good way to find out about an author

That happened to me with Life of Pi. It took me a long time to finish it (actually, once I've gotten through the first half, the pages just flew by!), but near the end I think I was reading faster and faster, like, warp speed And after the end, I felt like starting again, but then I just re-read the last part. Actually, one of the reasons why it took me so long to finish it cos I kept re-reading paragraphs I liked, and there were lots!

I agree with everything you said in the posts quoted above. The Sea, The Sea (as you probably know) is one I have yet to finish But what I have read (150ish pages I think) of it was interesting, and yes, needed a bit of effort to get through (especially the beginning). The story (what I' ve read of it ) was great, full of great descriptions (though some times too long), and the characters were excellent, so strong. Interesting to say the least. And it did seem like there would be twists, so I'm looking forward to that too. Everything is Illuminated - have that one at home, and was going to read it in February with you guys, but didn't manage to. I have skimmed through the first few pages and it seems to me exactly like you described it! Looking forward to the funny stuff, my friend told me she was thrilled with the book, and how the writing (style and use of words ) were very unusual, and that it was one of the funniest books she's read. Another one on the TBR

Haha Ooshie, glad to hear it. Now I feel a bit better In other news, I'm hoping to finish The Bell Jar any day now, and then carry on with A Wild Sheep Chase and Dance Dance Dance. I hope all goes as planned ;D

Hi there, vodkafan, hope all is well with you Even though there are other books mentioned/reviewed in this thread I'd rather recommend than these 2^^ (just because I enjoyed them more), A Spot of Bother is certainly worth the read just because it's unusual, and OCB is a nice though not very happy love story. Good luck with those! Thanks frankie A Spot of Bother is really strange, because it has a *sort of* exhausting effect on you. At least it had that effect on me. I don't know if you understand what I mean. That's probably why people don't like it. I can't say I didn't like it, because I kept wanting to read on to find out what else is going to happen But like I said, I don't feel like rading it again, at least not anytime soon As for Ian McEwan, I see what you mean. I keep wanting to read Atonement, but it's always out of the library Lol.

Hey frankie, thanks for stopping by my thread, and also for the comments I'm glad we agree on 'A Spot of Bother' - I usually seem to get the wrong/completely different idea of a book, so it's nice to see someone agreeing. And yes, the last sentence needed to be bolded, it really is a gem As for 'On Chesil Beach', as I've already said, it's entertaining, nicely written so I'm sure you'll enjoy that aspect of it if not the story itself. Not that the story isn't good, just not spectacular as I expected it to be, I guess. I blame the front cover of the book, with the quote ''Wonderful...Exquisite...Devastating' - now I'm no writer/professional literary critic but c'mon - let's not exaggerate After that kind of quote I'm expecting something...WOW. And I didn't find it here xD Or maybe I'm just ignorant

Hello, welcome to the BCF

REVIEW *On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan* Synopsis: It is June 1962. In a hotel on the Dorset coast, overlooking Chesil Beach, Edward and Florence, who got married that morning, are sitting down to dinner in their room. Neither is entirely able to suppress their anxieties about the wedding night to come... This is the first book written by Ian McEwan I've read. It's a short story about two young people who got married out of love (and lust, judging by Edward), but the love was not strong enough to overcome their inexperience and youth. It seems very simple, and ordinary, not unlike many other (love) stories you'll come across, so what makes it worth reading? I don't know. What I can tell you is this; It's an easy and very enjoyable read. The story flows very naturally from present to past (not a very distant past, mind you, they are only 22 xD), showing the progress of their wedding day/night, intermittent with anecdotes describing their backgrounds. It soon becomes clear they're very different in a lot of ways, but they seem to honestly care for each other. More than that it seems that the idea of marriage appeals to both of them because it's a sort of escape, liberation. Escape from their parents, old way of living, a source of energy and will to start and finish their own projects etc. So what's so strange about that? Well, nothing. It's usual, ordinary, plain, something we've heard/read about so many times before. I was glad (at least the love story), because otherwise it would have been a very pointless (and probably) boring read. Is this an extremely original and never-seen-before story? No. Then why is it worth reading? Probably because it shows that being a certain age doesn't make you mature enough to face some things in life, and make certain decisions. A clichee, yes, but experience can't be replaced with knowledge you've acquired from books. (And when I say experience, I mean it as a general term, not the specific kind of experience this book partly deals with). Along with experience comes patience and understanding, and imo, that's what Flo and Eddie here were lacking. If you're looking for an entertaining and fast read, if your reading mojo needs some fuel go ahead and read it.

So, what have you decided, girls? Or will someone else be joining us? March is just a few hours away so... As far as I'm concerned, you go ahead with The Famished Road. I'll wait for the next group read, there's plenty of other books on the ol' TBR

REVIEW *A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon* Synopsis: George Hall doesn't understand the modern obsession with talking about everything. 'The secret of contentment, George felt, lay in ignoring many things completely.' Some things in life, however, cannot be ignored. At fifty-seven, George is settling down to a comfortable retirement, building a shed in his garden, reading historical novels, listening to a bit of light jazz. Then Katie, his tempestuous daughter, announces that she is getting remarried, to Ray. Her family is not pleased - as her brother Jamie observes, Ray has 'strangler's hands'. Katie can't decide if she loves Ray, or loves the wonderful way he has with her son Jacob, and her mother Jean is a bit put out by all the planning and arguing the wedding has occasioned, which get in the way of her quite fulfilling late-life affair with one of her husband's former colleagues. And the tidy and pleasant life Jamie has created crumbles when he fails to invite his lover, Tony, to the dreaded nuptials. Unnoticed in the uproar, George discovers a sinister lesion on his hip, and quietly begins to lose his mind. The way these damaged people fall apart - and come together - as a family is the true subject of Mark 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

Don't beat yourself up too much over it ^^ Think of all the books out there... Anyway. My vote goes to The White Tiger, just because I can't get hold of The Famished Road anytime soon :/

127 Hours. It was a good movie, though it was hard to concentrate on the movie itself because of the subject it deals with. Makes you amazed by the power of will and...the human body

Hello everyone, I hope you had fun with The Sea, The Sea. I'll have to finish this one sometime during the year, because other things have kept me away from reading in the past couple of weeks. If you agree we could choose a new March/April read, I suggest a new criteria for choosing this read...Its length! Meaning, if we could read something not quite so long as The Sea..., that would be very helpful, but again, we're going to vote over it so any suggestions are welcome.

I thought it might be interesting to discuss this book a bit, so I chose 5 questions from this site here. There's more questions there, and if you like other questions (or if you have your own) just post them here. All the questions needn't be answered. QUESTIONS 1. James is very prominent in both Charles's memories and in the plot, taking on many roles in Charles's mind: spoiled cousin, latent homosexual, Buddhist mystic, patronizing connoisseur, retired general, magical savior, romantic rival, moral conscience, reader of the book of Nature. In light of this plethora of identities, what effect does James have on Charles's own identity? Can James be considered the "guiding angel" of The Sea, The Sea? Why or why not? 2.How does one reconcile Charles's passionate yearning for Hartley with his appraisal of the married state as "that unimaginable condition of intimacy and mutual bondage"? In light of the fact that love and its reclamation, romantic histories, jealousy, and sexual obsession figure so prominently in the novel, is there an example of a happy couple in The Sea, The Sea or are all fated to be, in some sense or another, trapped in "the inferno of marriage"? 3.Compare the three female characters—the mundane and muddled Hartley, the demure and clinging Lizzie, and the fierce and implacable Rosina—in their attitudes toward love and their approaches to Charles. Are any of them free? Do they seek freedom? Compare Murdoch's depiction of them with her handling of the male characters. Is sexual difference and "the nature of women" a theme in the book? 4.Speaking of "some fear of loneliness and death that comes to me out of the sea," Charles observes that "the sea ages one," yet he continually presents it as an object of aesthetic appreciation. Contrast Charles's rich, painterly descriptions of the sea in his writing with the role it plays in the "real world" that the novel presents. How are both the plot and the characters' thoughts organized by and centered on the figure of the sea? 5.Charles's house, Shruff End, is in many ways a character in its own right. Intricately described, the house is explicitly referred to as gloomy and cave-like and can in many ways stand as a metaphor for Charles's own mind. What are some of the ways that events and features in Shruff End indicate Charles's mental state? Discuss his evocation of Plato's myth of the cave and fascination with Minn's Cauldron. What other examples and uses of the trope of the cave punctuate the novel?

I'm also one of those who are yet to read Therapy, and your review of Splinter sounds interesting too. There's no English translation of it (Therapy) here, or any other translation, so I guess I'll have to read the original And that means I probably won't ever get to read it, since my German is not so good Anywhoo, nice review

Haha, I'm sorry to hear you didn't like it (or Pixie ), I just adore that book. But it just shows how different we are, what we expect from a book, and what it turns out to be (to us, personally). Soo many opinions - just one book! (Slightly off topic - Pixie, now I'm afrraid you won't like The Sea, The Sea either, since you seem to hate all of the books I love Now you at least know what not to read xD kidding)