Lucy's books '09/'10

[Lucybird]

All I could tell was that there were words...I do have a magnifying glass somewhere

[Lucybird]

Head Trip- Jeff Warren

 

Synopsis (from Amazon)

 

This book will change the way you think, sleep, and dream for good. It is a book of psychology and neuroscience, and also of adventure wherein the author explores the extremes to which consciousness can be stretched, from the lucid dream to the quasi-mystical substratum of awareness known as the Pure Conscious Event. Replete with stylish graphics and brightened by comic panels conceived and drawn by the author, "Head Trip" is an instant classic, a brilliant and original description of the shifting experience of consciousness that's also a practical guide to enhancing creativity and mental health. This book does not just inform and entertain - it shows how every one of us can expand upon the ways we experience being alive.

 

Review

 

I must admit that although I found the topic of this book interesting I was glad when it was over. It was interesting enough, and pretty well written, in some parts it almost read like a novel, but I found Warren tended to dwell a bit much on one point and so it came across a bit waffley. Part of the problem for me though was it was a little over simplified- I had been expecting a bit more technical information, but I think for people with less knowledge of psychology or neurology it would make a good (if long!) introduction

 

2.5/5

[Lucybird]

Wicked- Gregory Maguire

 

Synopsis (from Amazon)

 

An astonishingly rich re-creation of the land of Oz, this book retells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, who wasn't so wicked after all. Taking readers past the yellow brick road and into a phantasmagoric world rich with imagination and allegory, Gregory Maguire just might change the reputation of one of the most sinister characters in literature.

 

Review

 

I did rather enjoy this book. I really liked Elphaba the majority of the time, in parts she kind of reminded me of me, although I did think she took to long to appear. I dislike Galinda but once she became Glinda I began to like her although I always found her a little snobby. Ultimately though I didn't think her actions were meant badly. I can't say I though much of he end though. It didn't seem to fit very well with the rest of the story and

I didn't understand why she wanted the shoes so much

. It's worth a read though, and I may read the sequel if they have it at the library.

 

3.5/5

[Lucybird]

The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath

 

 

Synopsis (from Amazon)

 

Esther Greenwood is at college and is fighting two battles, one against her own desire for perfection in all things - grades, boyfriend, looks, career - and the other against remorseless mental illness. As her depression deepens she finds herself encased in it, bell-jarred away from the rest of the world. This is the story of her journey back into reality. Highly readable, witty and disturbing, The Bell Jar is Sylvia Plath's only novel and was originally published under a pseudonym in 1963. What it has to say about what women expect of themselves, and what society expects of women, is as sharply relevant today as it has always been.

 

Review.

 

This book was really beautifully written, almost poetic. I felt I could really see into Esther's mind, or almost like I was her. It was really clever in that I didn't really feel sympathetic for her because she was so matter of fact about it, it was like I didn't feel I should give her sympathy

I almost even wanted her to succeed in her suicide attempts because she seemed to want it so much, but I wanted her to get 'better' more.

I found some parts fascinating

especially the bits with the ECT

but they were also quite hard to read. I liked how the story was open ended and that the reader could almost pick what happened in the end.

 

4.5/5

[chrysalis_stage]

The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath 4.5/5

 

I've wanted to read this book for so long, your review makes me want to read it even more, I may even give into temptation and order it online although I really shouldn't keep buying.... Good to hear you enjoyed it and I like the idea of the open end

[Lucybird]

Oh do, it's well worth it!

[Lucybird]

A Matter of Death and Life- Andrey Kurkov

 

Synopsis (from Amazon)

 

Marital troubles? Sick of life? Suicide the answer? Why not get yourself a contract killer? Nothing easier, provided you communicate only by phone and box number. You give him your photograph, specify when and where to find you, then sit back and prepare to die. Murdered, you will be of greater interest than ever you were in life. More to him than met the eye will be the judgment. A mysterious killing lives long in the popular memory. Our hero meticulously plans his own demise, except for one detail: what if he suddenly decides he wants to live? This darkly funny tale is Kurkov on top form.

 

Review

 

Having read Death and the Penguin and Penguin Lost in the past I just couldn't resist this book when I spotted it. And I wasn't disappointed. It was certainly on par with Death and the Penguin, possibly even better. It made me chuckle in quite a few places

especially the idea of hiring a hitman to kill a hitman you had hired so he couldn't do his job!

I really liked the main character (and narrator) and felt he could be real. Comparing this suicidal man to the woman in The Bell Jar there were actually quite similar in ways but the tone of this book was completely different and a bit of light relief. It's interesting to see how two different authors can deal with the same subject in different ways. Great book.

 

4.5/5

[Lucybird]

The Book of Unholy Mischief- Elle Newmark

 

Synopsis (from Amazon)

 

It is 1498, and the whole of Venice is abuzz. Hidden somewhere in the labyrinthine city is an ancient book, rumored to contain thorny heresies and secrets of immeasurable power. Luciano, a penniless orphan, has been plucked from the street and taken on as apprentice to the chef at the doge's palace. While learning the alchemy of cooking, he quickly finds himself entangled in the search for the ancient tome, even suspecting the chef, his maestro, may be concealing valuable information. But lurking in the wings are some of the most powerful, dangerous men in Venice, and Luciano's secret will lead him through a perilous maze to the center of an intrigue that will test his deepest desires and loyalties.

 

Review

 

I did enjoy this book, it was quite well written and the idea was good (if a little Dan Brownesque) . It was kind of slow though, it was intriguing enough to keep you going, and peppered with enough action type moments to keep you going to the next one, but at the end it felt like all the action had been crammed into a small section. Personally I don't like all action type books, they seem to lack substance, and I can't say this did that, so although it did go slow that was ok. I wouldn't say I would recommend this book specifically but maybe if it was an option that someone was thinking of buying I'd tell them it was enjoyable.

 

3.5/5

[Lucybird]

The Path to the Lake- Susan Sallis

 

Synopsis (from Amazon)

 

Viv's marriage to David was not a conventional one, but when he died - in an accident for which she blamed herself - it was as if her whole world had collapsed around her. She escaped by running, mainly around the nearby lake, which was once a popular place of recreation but was now desolate and deserted. It became both her refuge and her dread. But through the misery she made some unexpected friends - a couple in the village whose family needed her as much as she needed them. And gradually, as a new life opened up, she could confront the terrible secrets which had haunted her and which could now be laid to rest.

 

Review

 

This book was ok, nothing special but easy to read and it show signs of turning into something which kept you reading. Unfortunately although you found out more about these hints it never really came to anything, the secret was never really revealed although it was fairly obvious to me by the end what it was. It could have been to much more if the secret was built on and when it was never even explicitly revealed I was disappointed. In parts it felt a little like the work of Linda Gillard, but where Gillard's work has a sort of poetry this doesn't flow the same and I didn't feel the same connection with the characters. I found the whole connection with the doorknob a little confusing, and, to be honest, it was kind of pointless, a plot line that didn't need to be there, it felt more like Sallis was trying to add some excitement to the book but didn't know how to. I found the prologue badly written and was confused by the relationship between George and Nellie, the way it was initially written made it sound (to me at least) like he was her stepfather it was only later, and after a fair bit of confusion that I realised she was his girlfriend!

 

3/5

[Lucybird]

Northanger Abbey- Jane Austen

 

Synopsis (from Amazon)

 

At Northanger Abbey Jane Austen’s charmingly imperfect heroine, Catherine Morland, meets all the trappings of gothic horror and imagines the worst. Fortunately she has, at hand, her own fundamental good sense and the irresistible but unsentimental hero, Henry Tilney.

 

Review.

 

This is the first Austen I’ve ever read, and one that I’ve been wanting to read for quite some time. I’ve had a bit of a bad relationship with classics in the past, the only one I can say I’ve enjoyed (other than children’s stories) is Jane Eyre- and that I didn’t really enjoy until after I had finished and studied it, which made me think a bit about it and appreciate it more. It was this relationship that made me hold off on Northanger Abbey until now, I really wish I had tried it sooner though. I found it funny, and clever, and (at least in comparison to other classics) easy to read. I really liked Catherine, she wasn’t perfect, she was nieve, and fanciful, and once she got an idea in her head there was no way she could get rid of it. But she was trusting, and sweet and faithful too. I didn’t like Isabelle, she seemed full of herself, and selfish- or maybe more self serving

even before all the stuff with James

. I found the ending a little abrupt but that was probably the only thing I didn’t really like. Maybe I’ve just been reading the wrong classics up till now.

 

Out of interest does anyone know if Persuasion is any way related to Northanger Abbey? The original edition was apparently a sort of double bill with both books and I thought there might be a reason.

 

4.5/5

[chesilbeach]

So pleased you liked it, Lucy, I love it too!

 

There's no link between the two books story-wise, but both were published posthumously.

[Lucybird]

A Million Little Pieces- James Frey

 

Synopsis (from Amazon)

 

When he entered a residential treatment centre at the age of twenty-three, James Frey had destroyed his body and his mind almost beyond repair. He faced a stark choice: accept that he wasn’t going to see twenty-four or step into the fallout of his smoking wreck of a life and take drastic action. Surrounded by patients as troubled as he, Frey had to fight to find his own way to confront the consequences of the life he had lived so far, and to determine what future, if any, he has. A Million Little Pieces is an uncommon account of a life destroyed and a life reconstructed.

 

Review.

 

This is another book which has been on my TBR pile for a long time. Part of what put me off it the controversy over whether it was fiction or not. Certainly it was written as if it was an autobiography, but in parts it just seemed too, perfect I suppose. Some of the more unbelieveable things I could believe, because although they were hard to believe they fell into the category where you could imagine them happening in certain ways. Ultimately it was Lilly that made me not believe, but I will say no more than that because of spoilers. In terms of writing style it was pretty easy to read, although in parts it felt almost as if you were reading a list, a sort of ‘I did this, then this happened so I did this’. The conversation was hard to follow in parts because it was so infrequently told who was actually speaking. It carried you through quite easily though and the topic was interesting enough that you didn’t get bored with the writing style. At some points Frey would talk for too long about something which really wasn’t interesting, like documenting a fight which was on TV, I really didn’t care, and at these points I did notice how boring the writing style was. As far as topic went at times it was hard or uncomfortable to read, and it parts quite graphic. There was lots of swearing, which was generally unnecessary and might put some people off but I suppose it made things more realistic. As far as the more graphic sections went it was unflinching and almost matter of fact about what was going on which did for me seem the way that someone who had gone through those things would talk about them.

 

Overall, not the best written book, and at time it drags. But when I was interested I was really interested, and I do wish I had read it sooner.

 

3.5/5

[Ben]

Hey Lucy, I notice you're reading Moab is my washpot at the moment - well, that's if your 'reading now' thing isn't behind. What do you think to it? I've heard Fry is a wonderful writer, and it should be one of the first books I try settle into this summer I should think.

[Lucybird]

Hey Lucy, I notice you're reading Moab is my washpot at the moment - well, that's if your 'reading now' thing isn't behind. What do you think to it? I've heard Fry is a wonderful writer, and it should be one of the first books I try settle into this summer I should think.

 

Hi Ben. I only started Moab is my Washpot today so I can't really comment yet. I suppose I have enjoyed what I jave read so far though. I read The Liar earlier this year and really enjoyed it, but it was one you had to really think about while you were reading it.

[Ben]

Hi Ben. I only started Moab is my Washpot today so I can't really comment yet. I suppose I have enjoyed what I jave read so far though. I read The Liar earlier this year and really enjoyed it, but it was one you had to really think about while you were reading it.

 

I imagine that will be similar with most of his books. He writes very intelligently, I've seen that from his blog posts. Nevertheless, I'm sure I'll get around to reading his works over this summer, because I think the man is a genius - oh and the fact that his book is looking at me from my shelves seems to suggest it shouldn't be ignored.

[frankie]

Hey Lucy, you've been a busy bee while the forum's been down, you have not caved in and dwelled in misery but instead actually read some books   I'm real happy that you enjoyed A Matter of Death and Life, the plot sounds really intriguing, I can't wait to get to it myself  

[Lucybird]

Synopsis (written by me)

 

This is the autobiography of Stephen Fry's first 20 years.

 

Review.

 

I really enjoyed this. It was so honest (sometimes brutally so) and unflinching. There were so many things it would have been easier for Fry to have left out, but that he included them shows a real bravery. I have always respected Stephen Fry for his intelligence, and his humour, and his way of managing to make so much sound interesting but somehow knowing he hasn't always had it easy, and hasn't always been the greatest person makes me respect him more. That he has gone through certain things, and has turned his whole life around. It would have been so easy to say he was young and stupid but he doesn't try to excuse himself of anything, he knows he should have done better. I loved how he was so honest about his emotions throughout. He could have just written it as a this is what happened and made a book out of it but then I don't think it would have been particularly special, emotion is something only an autobiography can fully do when writing about fact. At some points he went of on tangents, or even rants which lasted several pages. I suppose for some this could have been annoying but it made the book seem less manufactured to me and more like he was speaking to you. The only other of Fry's books I have read is The Liar. I found that plot wise (if we can say an autobiography has a plot) The Liar carried along more nicely, but nobodies life is all action after all and considering that you didn't really get bored with Moab is my Washpot. I did find this one easier to read in some ways though, they both had the same style of writing which was almost poetic, and they both had words or ideas that I found hard to grasp but I think part of what made The Liar was that it was meant to confuse whereas Moab is my Washpot was quite simple.

 

4.5/5

 

 

Oooh I like how my blog post pastes exactly on the new forum

 

Edited August 2, 2010 by Lucybird

[poppyshake]

Great review Lucy, I loved 'Moab is My Washpot' too and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel which I think he's just finished writing.

[Lucybird]

I'm looking forward to it too now

[Lucybird]

Alice in Wonderland- Lewis Carroll

 

Synopsis (from Amazon)

 

When Alice tumbles down a rabbit hole one hot summer's afternoon in pursuit of a White Rabbit, she finds herself in Wonderland. And here begin the fantastical adventures that will see her experiencing extraordinary changes in size, swimming in a pool of her own tears and attending the very maddest of tea parties.

 

Review

 

My Mum read this to me first time when I was little, and I was really surprised by how much I remembered. I've seen the Disney film a million times but I still managed to remember some bits that weren't in it, my favourite being the Duchess which I remembered fondly anyway. I enjoyed it a lot this time round too, even though there was a page missing (it was the same copy, and used to belong to my Nanna). I don't remember the ending being so disappointing though. I knew that

she woke up and it was all a dream. But then it went into some stupid thing being all nostelgic about childhood

which doesn't have much point in what is meant to be a children's book.

 

Still worth a read. I'm not sure whether to read Through the Looking Glass or not.

 

4/5

 

Edited August 13, 2010 by Lucybird

[Lucybird]

 

Midnight’s Children- Salman Rushdie

 

Synopsis

 

Born at the stroke of midnight at the exact moment of India’s independence, Saleem Sinai is a special child. However, this coincidence of birth has consequences he is not prepared for: telepathic powers connect him with 1,000 other ‘midnight’s children’ all of whom are endowed with unusual gifts. Inextricably linked to his nation, Saleem’s story is a whirlwind of disasters and triumphs that mirrors the course of modern India at its most impossible and glorious.

 

Review

 

The writing on this was beautiful, but sometimes it seemed to sacrifice the plot. I found the first 90 or so pages difficult to get through because the writing style does mean you have to work at it. However by the time I’d got into the plot I really stopped noticing how difficult the writing was to read, in fact I appreciated it because it meant I didn’t just rush through the book. I had to take it slow and that meant I really read every word and appreciated what I was reading.

 

What stopped the writing style overtaking the plot? It’s really got to be the characters. What was actually going on was interesting enough but I wanted to see what happened to the characters I grew to love, Mary, the Brass Monkey, Saleem, and most of all Padma. I liked Padma almost immediately because she said just what I was thinking in the harder sections of the book, it was almost like Rushdie was using Padma as some sort of internal critique of his own writing- a sort of way to point to the read that, yes, he knew he was going on and it gave hope that it would soon get back to the point. Having said that the waffling did make it seem much more like you were being told a story by a real person and I loved that.

 

I also really liked how this book could almost be a historical novel, even with the fantasy element I learnt lots about Indian history that I hadn’t previously known. In fact in the introduction of my edition (the Vintage Classics edition, which is the edition shown at the top of the page) Rushdie said that while in the west this book is read as a fantasy novel in India it is seen more as historical fiction, because in ways it’s so true to life. I don’t know if he’s a reliable source but I’m sure at least some of the history is correct. If you get/have this edition do read the introduction, but wait till you’ve read the novel itself, the introduction will be more interesting then, and make sense!

 

I really liked how the pickles had feeling built into them too, I thought that was a great idea.

 

4/5

 

 

[Chrissy]

I am thrilled that you enjoyed 'Midnight's Children' as it is a favourite book of mine.

 

It is certainly a tricky read at times. The language is so vivid and the story is truly fascinating whether it's the historical or fantasy aspects. Your review really captures the book's 'texture', and I thoroughly agree with your spoilered comment.

[Lucybird]

Synopsis

 

Charlie is a freshman. And while he’s not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can’t stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

 

Review.

 

I really really liked this. It’s been compared to Catcher in the Rye and I can see why, it has a similar tone and both have a teenage boy speaking. However I didn’t feel like I related to Holden whereas Charlie reminded me quite a lot of myself in high school (but more so). Of course me going to an all girls school made me even more innocent than him… I related quite well to him. I suppose mainly it was his thing of not getting involved, just watching that felt like me, I had my friends but I was a bit of a loner. I liked the characters a lot too. I think probably Sam was my favourite, I can imagine being friends with Sam. She seemed to be the one who cared most for Charlie too and actually the one who was trying to help her. I liked Bill too, he was like the perfect teacher. One who actually cared for his pupils and wanted to get the best out of them rather than just getting them through the exams.

 

It’s a very quick and easy read but really has some substance, it doesn’t really loose anything for it. I suppose I would change something and that would be to see a bit more about how the surprise revelation affected him, but having said something in a way everything we had read showed that.

 

5/5

 

My sidebar tells me that there is going to be a film of The Perk of Being a Wallflower, written by Chbosky himself. Seeing as he is writing it I think it could be really good. Apparently Emma Watson and Logan Lerman will be in it. Lerman looks pretty close to how I imagined Charlie, maybe a little more pretty boy but Watson isn’t how I imagine any of the female characters, maybe she could be Charlie’s sister but I certainly cannot see her as Sam.

 

 

Edited August 24, 2010 by Lucybird

[Kylie]

I'm glad you enjoyed it Lucy. And thanks for the tip about the movie! I'll definitely watch out for it.

[frankie]

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed TPoBaW so much! There's definitely a lot more to it than in Catcher in the Rye. I'd definitely go watch the movie, I hope it comes out soon!