vodkafan Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 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 Hi Brida long time no speak . I think I will add those two books to my wishlist thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 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. You don't get the wrong/completely different idea of a book, you just have your own view of it Don't let anybody, even yourself, tell you otherwise. I was only happy to see someone who'd enjoyed A Spot of Bother, from what I've seen I think most people didn't enjoy the novel, and for that I'm sad. Maybe On Chesil Beach got such raving quote on the book because it's Ian McEwan and everybody's supposed to like him At least that's the way I feel. I've never read anything by him yet, but I've always felt he's someone everybody's supposed to like. I don't know where I got that from, though! Hi Brida long time no speak . I think I will add those two books to my wishlist thanks Vodkafan, I hope you enjoy A Spot of Bother! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 (edited) Hi Brida long time no speak . I think I will add those two books to my wishlist thanks 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! You don't get the wrong/completely different idea of a book, you just have your own view of it Don't let anybody, even yourself, tell you otherwise. I was only happy to see someone who'd enjoyed A Spot of Bother, from what I've seen I think most people didn't enjoy the novel, and for that I'm sad. Maybe On Chesil Beach got such raving quote on the book because it's Ian McEwan and everybody's supposed to like him At least that's the way I feel. I've never read anything by him yet, but I've always felt he's someone everybody's supposed to like. I don't know where I got that from, though! Vodkafan, I hope you enjoy A Spot of Bother! 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. Edited March 7, 2011 by Brida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I was only happy to see someone who'd enjoyed A Spot of Bother, from what I've seen I think most people didn't enjoy the novel, and for that I'm sad. I've just looked at the thread about this that I started on here when I read it. It did get very mixed reviews on Amazon, but it seems that the majority of people who posted here enjoyed it. I thought it was great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Unlike you, Brida, I definitely want to re-read it sometime, it was so funny and to me, I don't really know why, but it seems like a very British read. The sort of British read I like Janet, nice to hear you enjoyed it too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I'm quite relieved to see you say that you didn't enjoy OCB that much, Brida, I thought I was the only one! I thought it was OK, just ok, and barely more than a short story; I just couldn't see why it merited such praise at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Sounds like you have some good reading planned, Brida! Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Great review, Brida. That sounds like a very interesting book. Off to find out more on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 Thank you, bobblybear I hope you'll like it if you decide to read it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Great reviews Brida Marakami worries me a bit and messes with my head. I've only read one of his books (Kafka on the Shore) but I spent a great deal of time trying to work out what was really going on and what was really being said. Like you said it's best to just let the story flow over you and not to question it too much or look for neat endings. He's very creative though and you've encouraged me to try some more of his stories because I do like a book that is weird and wonderful. Which one, of those you've read, would you most recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 (edited) 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! Edited May 2, 2011 by Brida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Thanks Brida I'll add 'A Wild Sheep Chase' to my wishlist. Doesn't he just pick the most fantastic names for his books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 (edited) 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. Edited May 8, 2011 by Brida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Great review, Brida. I really need to re-read this because I barely remember any of it, especially the part in your spoiler! I think I gave it 10/10, so I know I really liked it - I just can't remember why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 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." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share Posted August 16, 2011 (edited) 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! Edited August 16, 2011 by Brida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) 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). Edited November 21, 2011 by Brida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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