Sarah's books 2009

[chrysalis_stage]

I am reading this at the moment too

 

I have just finished Diet Hell.

 

I'm not sure what I think about them ... entertaining certainly... weird definately!! Perhaps some of them are a little too odd for me but a clever writer nonetheless. I love short stories.

 

I am looking forward to reading a Michael Marshall book though, I have 'The Intruders' waiting patiently in the wings.

 

Oh thats good to hear! They are definitely weird but I'm a sucker for anything off the wall, as soon as I've read one I want to tell anyone close how strange but clever (like you said) each one is, I'm the same with Murakami lol I find myself trying to guess the ending, like we tend to do with all stories but it just doesn't seem to work with Marshalls work, which is fun!

 

I'm loving short stories alot lately too, I have bought at least 6 books recently of short stories and its great to dip in and out whenever one takes your fancy.

[Mac]

Christopher Fowler's The Devil In Me is a very good one to start with, although I began with his novel Spanky. Regardless of it's cover, it's an excellent book full of dark humour, brilliant characters and well researched religious lore (The title Spanky is a shortened version of the antagonist Spancalosiphous Lacrimosae, or something like that, one of the several angels that were booted out of heaven in the bad old days).

 

Sarah, you'll love it. Oooh, and try Michael Marshall Smith's Only Forward, Spares and One Of Us.

[chrysalis_stage]

Finished Carrie - Now thinking about starting The end of Mr Y....................

 

Edit = nearly 300 pages read of The End of Mr Y

 

Edit - 21 May 09 - I have finished 'The End of Mr Y' now and came away from it after reading the epilogue especially thinking hmmm right okay! I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the ending, questions are always more exciting than answers (alot of the time anyway).

One of the major things I took from it was the typical fight between religion and science which was interesting to me. I enjoyed Ariels to the point, no frills personality and would like to re-read the book at some point in the future. It challenged my mind in parts which I love in books, I love reading a book which makes me step back and think for a minute or two before reading on.

Edited May 21, 2009 by chrysalis_stage

[chrysalis_stage]

I am now reading Palimpsest - Catherynne M. Valente

 

Synopsis:

 

In the the Night Garden and In the Cities of Coin and Spice introduced readers to the unique and intoxicating imagination of Catherynne M. Valente. Now she weaves a lyrically erotic spell of a place where the grotesque and the beautiful reside and the passport to our most secret fantasies begins with a stranger's kiss.

 

Between love and death, dreaming and waking, at the train stop beyond the end of the world is the city of Palimpsest. To get there is a miracle, a mystery, a gift, and a curse - a voyage permitted only to those who've always believed there's another world than one that meets the eye. Those fated to make the passage are marked forever by a map of that wondrous city tattooed on their flesh after a single orgasmic night.

 

To this kingdom of ghost trains, lion-priests, living kanji and cream filled canals come four travelers: Oleg, a New York locksmith; the beekeeper November; Ludovico, a binder of rare books; and a young Japanese woman named Sei. They've each lost something important - a wife, a lover, a sister, a direction in life - and what they will find in Palimpsest is more than they would ever imagine.

 

'Enter a city where everything and everyone is more than it seems'.....Oh I want to don't worry

 

I've read one chapter so far and I love it so far.

[Mac]

This sounds interesting, also. I'll keep my eye on what you make of it, Sarah.

 

Hope you're excellent and well, pal.

[chrysalis_stage]

Palimpsest - Catherynne Valente is a beautiful book, I read it quite slowly as I wanted to savour the descriptions of the palimpsest world. I loved every minute, it is definitely a book I will return to and read over again to pick up things I may have missed and to especially read in moments of comfort, even if I just open the book to parts that are in the world of palimpsest and skip the real world parts I would love it all the same.

There are four protagonists and their seperate lives/stories are quite sharply cut off from one another but the book goes on to melt all four together nicely. It does have sexual scenes and descriptions of deformities which may put some people off but I loved it! Valente is apparently part of the 'New Weird' sci-fi genre and has made me search out similar authors of this genre further.

 

I have also read Frankenstein - Mary Shelley and Wow , it is now one of my all time faves and I cannot see it ever moving from that spot.

It is such a heartfelt story and at times I wanted to scream out at Victor and others and cry! I could almost fall in love with the 'monster' he just wanted to be loved by someone! It definitely surprised me, I thought I knew the story but the pop culture has yet again ruined something beautiful. Everyone should read this book at least once in their lives!

Edited June 12, 2009 by chrysalis_stage

[Nollaig]

Glad you enjoyed Palimpsest the whole way through. It's still top of my list.

[chrysalis_stage]

Finished The Elephant Vanishes - Haruki Murakami (collection of short stories)

 

I enjoyed them all, ofcourse there were some I adored more than others, some I found strong meaning in and others I found odd but still loved reading them all.

 

One thing that was quite amusing was Murakami's love of the name 'Noboru Watanabe'. It was the name of a lost cat in one story, a to-be brother-in-law in another as well as an old elephant keeper.

 

The dancing dwarf had one section which hinted at horror which I loved and the silence is one of my faves if not my fave, I will definitely be re-reading it at down times when people are getting to me.

 

Would recommend! Very eccentric as always, got to love Haruki Murakami! Tis a good insight into sections of modern Japanese life too.

 

Now:

 

Currently in the middle of 'Happy Ever After' Leo Tolstoy, which is in a book of 3 short stories, other two being 'The death of Ivan Ilyich' and 'The Cossacks'

 

Happy ever after is quite heartbreaking at times, all fun!

[Mac]

Finished The Elephant Vanishes - Haruki Murakami (collection of short stories)

 

Oooh oooh oooh! I've got this on my shelf! I must start it very soon (maybe after The Other Hand...)

 

Hope you're well, Sarah.

[chrysalis_stage]

Recently finished:

 

Michael Marshall Smith's - What you make it

Stories start out normal then unexpectedly turn bizarre, I loved them all! Brilliant stories, some more strange than others, some with very witty sections. I enjoyed the 'Dark Land' alot, it struck a cord with me and my situation atm.

 

Antoine de Saint-Exupery - The Little Prince

A very sweet book, it made me want to be a child again and reminded me to keep an open mind. Definitely not just for children, I think adults would get alot from this, in seeing how we forget the real importance of things. Every adult should read this even if they read it as a child, read it again!

 

Currently reading:

 

*Hal Duncan - Vellum: The book of all hours

 

*Edwin A. Abbott - Flatland: A romance of many dimensions

 

*Charles Bukowski - Tales of Ordinary Madness

[Mac]

What You Make It is a great book. You ought to have a go at Jack Kerley's stuff, starting with The Hundredth Man. I think you'll like him, too.

 

Hope all's well with you, Sarah.

[Ben]

I finished The Hundred Man not long ago. It's terrific and I agree with Mac who recommended it to me from my TBR pile.

[BookJumper]

Glad you enjoyed "The Little Prince", it's such a beautiful little book about important things - a bit of an "Illusions" for little people great and small.

 

And do let me know how you're getting on with "Vellum" - I require your considered opinion before hunting down the paperback...