welloflostplots

Good Omens?

2009-01-19T21:42:00.004+11:00

For a book entitled Good Omens, it has certainly been bad luck for me.... well... at least in the case that I hold it responsible for a rather nasty case of sunburn. But that is another story.

This was a text for my book club, and not one that I was that enthused about reading. However, it was a moderately entertaining story about how a seemingly inevitable apolcaypse came to be averted. It has some interesting characters - a demon not so much hellish, but just less than angelic - and a whole host of interesting character names. How does Anathema Device sit with you? Or Adam, the son of the Devil?

There are a few giggles along the way (check out the names of the four OTHER riders of the apocalypse) and while there was no real compulsion to keep reading, it was an easy enough time to do so. Read the interview at the front with the authors too, its kind of interesting.

Nineteen Minutes

2009-01-15T15:42:00.001+11:00

This was a list text, not because the author is Jodie Picoult (who ridiculous amounts of people cite as their favourite “literary”(?) author), but rather due ot the subject matter. Nineteen Minutes is about a school shooting – the before and the aftermath, covered through a variety of perspectives from parents, students and the investigators.

While Nineteen Minutes places the responsibility squarely on the individual, it does emphasize the role of bullying in making this tragedy occur. In fact, it would be difficult to read this novel and not feel at least slightly sympathetic for Peter Houghton, the high school student who killed ten of the classmates and wounded another nineteen in the nineteen minutes of the title. In fact, in a somewhat unexpected twist at the end, the book could also be interpreted to suggest that under the right circumstances, each of us could be capable (is this the right word?) of this seemingly terrifying action.

If you are also a teacher, then this book is a must read, for the psychological aspect. I was left absolutely determined to take real action against bullying, as the novel points out how insubstantial many school’s bullying policies are – and woe betide the school that does not take this problem seriously.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

2009-01-03T11:16:00.002+11:00

There have been a lot of disappointed readers of this slim volume of fairy tales from the world of Harry Potter. However, this is much the result of those readers being uninformed. This book should be viewed as more akin to “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” as opposed to one of the Harry Potter novels. It is simply a glimpse into the literary myth of the characters’ world. They are sweet little stories – the whole collection is probably only an hours worth of reading.

Each story is accompanied by notes from Albus Dumbledore – whose witty tone still does not fail to amuse. Rowling herself adds footnotes to the piece, to allow muggle readers to understand Dumbledore’s notes. These are often as fascinating as the stories themselves. On a further connection, Hermione is credited with the translation of the stories from the original runes.

This is a bit like walking down memory lane, nothing more. No mentions of Harry, but this shouldn’t be a surprise.

Before I Die

2009-01-02T18:02:00.002+11:00

It’s always interesting subject matter – how people deal with the imminent and inevitable coming of death. And more interestingly, this novel appears to be aimed at younger readers. Tessa is a 16-year-old girl with cancer that has advanced to such a degree that she is no longer continuing treatment. Thus, she is left at home with her father and brother (her mother left the family many years ago, and still plays a peripheral role in Tessa’s life).

Tessa goes through many of the expected stages of grief, and it is actually refreshing that she handles it badly. This is no glib story of angelic patience and acceptance – Tessa experiences a wide variety of emotions and is a pain in the ass to those around her a lot of the time. Much more realistic, really!

As a way of coping, Tessa makes a list of all the things she would like to do before she dies. She starts with sex – awkward, but uncomplicated (for her at least, not so much for her adventurous friend Zoey who orchestrates many of these experiences). These early parts of the list are particularly adolescent; breaking the law and so on. But Tessa allows her list to be shaped by those around her. What is particularly beautiful, is the way she is still able to be touched by the people she meets in the last weeks of her life.

The last few chapters had me in tears, real page turners. If the idea interests you, give it a read. I think Jenny Downham does it better than others.

South of the Border, West of the Sun

2008-12-31T12:22:00.003+11:00

If you are the sort of reader who needs answers, Murakami is not your man. Like his other books, South of the Border, West of the Sun leaves the reader with so many questions...

Hajime (interestingly, the main character's name is always seldom used in Murakami's novels) met Shimamoto when he was twelve. They grew up and grew apart - but he never forgot her. His subsequent relationships always lacked something. Then she walks back into his life many years later, a mysterious figure who comes and goes on her own timetable. And just when Hajime is prepared to throw his whole life away for her, she disappears for good.

We never know why Shimamoto does any of these things - although unlike many of Murakami's other novels (and the ones I prefer) there does not seem to be a supernatural explanation. And so, we are just left to deal with that feeling you get, when you can never know the truth.

Rest of the Twilight series...

2008-12-29T11:47:00.004+11:00

Still very readable... and all your questions will be answered to your satisfaction. Will Bella become a vampire? Will the rivalry between Edward and Jacob come to a close? Will there be peace between vampires and werewolves? It's all there.

New Moon is a little slow, although important in developing the series. Once you've read it, the meaning of the title will be obvious! Eclipse is my favourite. Jacob explains it best - Bella's love for Jacob is like the sun - but when Edward is around, it is like an eclipse. Quite poetic really.

The final book, Breaking Dawn is in three sections, and most of the action occurs in the second. Interestingly, this section is told from Jacob's perspective. The final section just spins it all out to a satisfying ending....

Sadly, I have also read a first draft copy of Midnight Sun, which is Twilight from Edward's perspective. Worth a read of you are a fun - very informative!!!

Twilight....

2008-12-15T22:04:00.001+11:00

I resisted the idea for a long time, but finally succumbed to read this Stephenie Meyer series that is second only to the success of Harry Potter.

Isabella Swan moves to Forks and quickly is drawn to the enigmatic Edward Cullen – who appears both drawn to and repulsed by her. But Edward has a secret – and Bella is determined to uncover it.

Of course, everyone knows that Edward is a vampire. But he doesn’t drink human blood (no matter how good Bella smells!). He and the rest of his family have sworn off this bloodthirsty lifestyle, and try to live as normal lives as possible.

It IS kind of a Mills and Boon for teenage girls, but I must say, a compulsively readable one. It is the comforting kind of predictable – even though you have a fair idea of how it is going to turn out – you still want to know. It’s the perfect read for this time of year, when you just want an easy read that allows you to enjoy the sensation of getting caught up in a book. It will do me for now – I am already onto book two, New Moon.

Still puzzling out the title – Edward says twilight is his favourite time of day. But it is also the crossroads between light and dark. And this is where Bella is now – dating a vampire brings up many, many questions about Bella’s future. I am sure the series will provide though!

The White Tiger

2008-12-11T12:04:00.004+11:00

Meet Balram Halwai: Servant, Philosopher, Entrepreneur, Murderer…

This is how we are introduced to this year’s Booker Prize winner. Intriguing, yes? But is it really the best book of the year? My answer is – probably not. But it is well worth a look.

The White Tiger is a sharp and condemnatory look at Indian’s caste system and depicts a fairly likeable character whose awareness and growing dislike of his lot in life leads him to murder. Now this gives nothing away as he tells you himself in the opening chapter.

In a series of letters to the Premier of China (who is about to visit India), Balram unfolds not only his story, but the true story of a modern Metropolis built on the blood, sweat and tears of the disenfranchised.

The family name Halwai denotes “sweet-maker” and it is interesting that this is the life which Balram’s name dooms him too. But he finds himself poorly suited to this profession. His keen intelligence (leading him to be described as the rare white tiger of the title) has him listen in on client’s conversations to pick up tips and information. It is a habit Balram cannot break – either from curiosity or deviousness – throughout the novel. And when Balram turns his back on his family obligations to seek a more highly paid position as a driver, he continues this bad habit, although more surreptitiously.

Although many reviewers call Balram very likeable, I cannot. He is devious and cold – but I can sympathise with him. He is a man who is too self-aware, too in tune with the injustice of his life to simply accept the way things are. But his success comes at the suffering of so many others… admittedly, they are not likeable either! Others call him psychopathic – I’m not sure this is fair either.

For many India is a kind of “land of opportunity”, but Adiga reminds us of the other side of the story. In some ways, Balram’s story is the story of India.

The voice is fresh, the content relevant and interesting. A great first novel. Watch the white tiger escape from the coop.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

2008-12-01T10:58:00.001+11:00

If you have ever read much of this blog, you will have to know that Murakami is my new favourite love. But this one took me a long while to read, not because it isn’t good but because it is long and meanders.

“The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” sells itself as a story about stories – and it is true. Our main character, Toru Okada (called “Mr Wind-Up Bird by one of the other characters) meets a lot of interesting characters in this book, and the stories they tell him become interwoven with his own story. It starts when Toru’s cat disappears. Then his wife leaves him, for reasons that appear to be both supernatural and inexplicable. And somehow caught up with his sinister brother-in-law, Noboru Wataya.

How this comes to resolve itself (as much as Murakami resolves anything) are through Toru’s interaction with these other characters. His young neighbour May Kasahara who traps him down a well and gives him the eponymous name. The psychic detective and her sister – Malta and Creta Kano who take an interest in Toru’s story. Lieutenant Mamiya, who was also once trapped down a well (see how the stories become intertwined?). Nutmeg and Cinnamon Akasaka, designers whose “fittings” are a little more than fashion.

There is so much to this text, it is hard to summarise and explain. It is worth reading – all Murakami is – although I still prefer “Kafka on the Shore”.

Kate Grenville's Lieutenant

2008-11-27T15:17:00.003+11:00

Kate Grenville’s The Lieutenant feels very much like a follow up to The Secret River, and in many ways it is. It is the result of the very same research. But The Lieutenant is softer, less complicated.

Daniel Rooke has been an outsider all of his life. His intelligence separates him from others – his fascination for numbers, the way he views the world differently and so forth. His schooling leads him into the navy and a commission to go to Australia.

In this novel, it is the soldier’s perspective that is explored, and Rooke is a gentler character than Thornhill was, seeking only knowledge and in a strange way, arguably belonging.

Sydney provides him with ample opportunities to study and be alone, and he finds a connection with a young native girl – Tagaran, who teaches him her language. Rooke’s study and ruminations on the language is one of my favourite parts of the book.

Rooke is eventually put in an impossible decision, facing a moral dilemma he would rather have hidden from. I wont ruin the story though..

The Lieutenant lacks the hard edges and character complexity of The Secret River, but is nonetheless not bad. Worth reading if you have read the former.

Anansi Boys

2008-11-18T19:23:00.004+11:00

I apologise for the length of time between entries. Strangely enough, I have not been in the reading mood. Or, more accurately, I have been too tired and busy to read for pleasure. In fact, this one is cheating - I listened to it on CD. It did make a lovely relaxing addition to my weekend though!

I wasn’t that impressed with the only other Neil Gaiman I read, finding American Gods over-rated. But I picked this up from the library and thought I might give it a go. I’m glad I did. Anansi Boys is a lot more fun than American Gods.

The two books share a lot of similarities, and it is clear that Gaiman loves to put old Gods in new world contexts. This time, the God is Anansi – the spider God inextricably bound with storytelling. “All the stories are Anansi’s”- and he usually ends up on top. With a few laughs, at someone else’s expense.

This novel is about Anansi’s sons, who are trying to come to terms with both their human and divine heritage. I enjoyed it much more and found it lighter than American Gods. It was a good weekend read. Worth a look.

Chinese Cinderella

2008-10-24T23:20:00.002+11:00

Despite being a little way into another fabulous Murakami, work is drawing me into young adult fiction at the moment. In researching some titles for me new job, I could not get over the plethora or fabulous titles and stories available. Many of the were rather good – such as Parvana by Deborah Ellis, as well as Jackie French’s Walking the Boundaries.

However, Adeline Yen Mah’s Chinese Cinderella is really worth writing about. The adult version of the book is called Falling Leaves, and I can only imagine that this is truly wonderful too.

Chinese Cinderella – a true story -is a must for those of us who fell in love with Li Cunxin’s Mao’s Last Dancer. It is the story of an unwanted Chinese daughter whose broth caused the death of her mother. She and her older siblings are routinely mistreated by their stepmother, especially Adeline (Jung-ling) who is most loyal to her aunt and grandfather who oppose her stepmother’s greedy and self-indulgent rule.

Adeline is regularly shipped off to various boarding schools, but finds solace in books and learning. She is a real scholar, and despite never being truly appreciated by her family, is able to prove her worth in some measure and improve her situation without going against her moral scruples.

It is a beautiful and sad story of a remarkable young woman, and one that re-affirms the power of literature and learning. I loved it – read it in a day.

The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly

2008-10-13T00:57:00.003+11:00

The Diving Bell represents the huge pressure on his chest - and the butterfly is the freedom if his mind...

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was written by Jean-Dominique Bauby, a man with locked in syndrome. After a stroke Bauby was left paralysed except for one eye, and through a system of blinks he dictated this story.

There is no doubting that Bauby is an amazing man, who is better able to deal with his condition than I could ever imagine I would. His prose is suprisingly beautiful, although it jumps around quite a bit as Bauby striggles to come to terms with his memories and his new life.

I am glad I read it, although the book had no power over me, no compulsion to make me keep reading. It was interesting though - plus I had to read it for book club. No more non-fiction for a while now though, okay?

Back to a favourite now - Murakami calls and I will blog again soon.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

2008-10-03T12:20:00.003+10:00

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner was one of those books that everyone was reading – and deservedly. It is a wonderful book, epic is scope and clever in its structure. A Thousand Splendid Suns therefore has a very tough act to follow. Many people would have read it simply because of it’s predecessor.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a very different book to The Kite Runner. This book is about women for a start, and it has a shifting narrative. It is also a bit of an homage to Afghanistan in better times - the scene in the countryside with the Buddhas really is wonderful.

We start with Mariam, the illegitimate child of a local businessman in Herat, Afghanistan. When Mariam’s mother dies, she is married of to Rasheed, a much older man she has never met before, who takes her to live in Kabul. While we don’t expect any grand love story, initially we feel Rasheed may be kind towards Mariam, but her inability to carry a pregnancy to term brings out his innate brutality.

The narrative shifts time and perspective here. Laila, a neighbour of Mariam’s is left orphaned and decides to accept Rasheed’s marriage proposal to protect herself and a dangerous secret. Mariam initially resents Laila immensely, especially when she announces her pregnancy – the one thing Mariam wants more than anything but cannot have. But eventually, the two are brought together almost because of the brute they are both tied to. And as the situation in Afghanistan worsens, so too does the situation within their home. Rasheed exerts more and more power of the women, and Laila, the warrior fights back. Mariam, the carer is also eventually forced to fight to protect those she loves.

There is a devastating climax, but one that reinforces the power of real love and a woman’s ability to endure. It is quite a feminist text in many ways, really.

In making the inevitable comparison, readers would have to conclude that A Thousand Splendid Suns is not as good as The Kite Runner, although it is good. The relationship between the two women is wonderful, as is the “wake up” call you inevitably receive from reading such as text – it really makes you value the freedom of lifestyle we have. I do have a few small complaints though. I really enjoyed Part One with Mariam’s story, and never really felt like her voice came through as strongly in the rest of the text. It took me a while to relate to Laila because of this. Also, I could have done without the final few chapters in which everything is wrapped up a little too neatly. Sometimes, a bit if uncertainty in a bad situation is a more realistic ending.

American Gods

2008-09-25T10:26:00.000+10:00

This book was a recommendation from my “book brother”, and also reinforced by a friend. Thus, there was a high set of expectations that accompanied my reading. And as in most of these cases, I could not help but be somewhat disappointed.

The premise of American Gods is that all the gods of all the cultures around the world, old (Odin, Thor, Easter) and new (the Internet, the Media etc) are alive and well and fighting for supremacy (and worship) in modern day America. Of course – America is the centre o

Shadow is our main protagonist – an outsider just released from jail whose initiation into this strange world allows us to enter it too. Shadow’s wife has just died in a car accident – so he has no strings attaching him to the “normal” world.

It is a somewhat intriguing story that will keep you guessing. But not entirely my cup of tea. Took me ages to read too, which is usually the sign that a book hasn’t really gotten under my skin. It was not bad though –I am glad I read it and did enjoy it. It just wont become one of my favourites.

Popcorn

2008-08-27T14:31:00.001+10:00

Comedian Ben Elton’s books are known for their biting social satire. Popcorn questions whether or not any of us are willing to take responsibility for our actions – or whether it is too easy to blame the media or the movie industry…

Bruce Delamitri is a Tarantino-esque shock-horror film director who “shows us the gritty realism of life on the streets” (?). That meaning, he makes money from producing blood and guts films that titillate a certain kind of audience. At the same time that he wins his first Oscar, he is at the centre of a controversy surrounding whether his films, and films like them, inspire violence in society. Mentioned especially are Scout and Wayne, the Mall murderers. While Delamitri maintains that no-one comes out of a movie and just starts shooting people, when Wayne and Scout show up at his house, this is exactly what they would like him to announce to the public.

Hollywood is entirely sent up here in a semi-gory, black humour, tongue-in-cheek kind of a way. You laugh, you shake your head in embarrassment (sometimes at yourself for laughing) but you cannot escape that Elton has seen to the heart of an issue in our society.

I have been evaluating this as a text for study – it is certainly meaty enough, but the violence concerns me….

Tim Winton's Breath

2008-08-20T21:51:00.002+10:00

Two days after finishing Tim Winton’s Breath, I still find myself puzzling over what to write in this entry. It wasn’t awful, nor did it make me want to stay home from work just to keep reading. It was kind of interesting, but had no suspense, no pull.. in short, it was a disinterested although not entirely disappointed reading that I made.

Breath was the first title chosen for the book club I have just joined, and is probably an apt choice for our first book given Winton’s status amongst Australian authors. I can confidently say he is not really my cup of tea. Although, I did find Cloudstreet kind of brilliant and do enjoy many of his short stories. The Riders was completely over-rated and so probably, is this.

Breath is about Bruce Pike, an paramedic who encounters a case that inspires him to reflect upon the reckless years he spent as a teenager with his fearless friend Loom, his surfing guru Sando and his difficult wife Eva. Each of them were testing themselves and going beyond the boundaries of what their fear told them was enough. For a while it makes ‘Pikelet’ feel alive, although the endless experimentation of the other characters eventually becomes too much for him. It is a feeling that stays with him for the rest of his life.

The book sets itself up to be circular in structure, but never really goes back to the initial point of the narration. This has to be a flaw – and a somewhat unsatisfying one. Again like much of Winton’s work, I find his character portrayals sketchy. As if his writing reflects that lack of self-analysis so often found in Aussie Blokes. It is a great quality for a short story writing, but dissatisfying in a novel.

It takes an odd little turn at the end – not completely unexpected but still strange. Let me know if it surprises you.

Kafka on the Shore

2008-08-12T17:52:00.001+10:00

Reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami is like getting a glimpse into a world that exists parallel to ours. It’s magical and intriguing, and so “other” – and yet we cannot understand it because we are not part of it. Some of us will still appreciate the beauty, and others will be baffled.

Kafka of the title is a fifteen-year-old runaway escaping a negligent parent and a series of disturbing prophecies. But telling you what they are will spoil the tension. He is also strongly connected to a boy named Crow. Kafka is drawn into a small library and lives of Oshima and Miss Saeki who run the library, each of whom has their own secrets.

Meanwhile, Nakata is an old man who is mentally impaired as the result of a childhood ailment. However, he does have the ability to speak to cats. The talent draws him into a world he could never imagine, and this unlikely hero goes on a quest to protect us all from an unsure fate.

This is one of those books that I simply could not put down. Murakami is an artist in terms of how much knowledge to let you have... bit by bit the mystery unravels in front of you. But like After Dark, you can never fully understand it. And somehow, I was not disappointed. It’s like something rare and wonderful. I have bought three more and will ration myself on them in the next few weeks..

The Book Brother...

2008-08-08T23:34:00.002+10:00

Today two marvellous things happened – and happened at the same time which makes them all the more remarkable.

I was wandering around a foreign (i.e. not my local) shopping centre, killing time and avoiding peak hour traffic that I avoid like a Danielle Steel and thus never get used to. I was searching for more Haruki Murakami (nearly finished the enchanting Kafka on the Shore – just wait for my entry). A new chain store had opened in the centre, and to my delight that had two for three in the whole store. I decided right then and there that if they had even one Murakami I would buy three. They did, although not the ones I was most desperate for.

While this all sounds good, in determining the identity of the other three books, I met my book brother, my reading soul mate. We knew it from the moment I declared my undying love for H.M. – a few other authorial comparisons was all we needed.

Ironically, this was possibly the most romantic moment I have had in a long while. and all we exchanged were ideas.

The result? A bag full of books (ahem, yes, slightly more than three), a bunch of new recommendations and a deep desire to avoid more traffic some Friday soon…

I will keep you posted about how his recommendations are going.

Daisy Miller

2008-07-29T11:08:00.003+10:00

This short little novella was one I found languishing in my bookcase. It is not a list text, and according to the rules I needed to read a non-list text. This appealed to me at this time as it was short, and the Murakami on my bed-side table (which is on the list) was beckoning. So, Daisy Miller by Henry James it was.

This is an interesting little story about social mores and how women should behave in society. Daisy is an incorrigible flirt; an attractive little American let loose in various European cities. She seems harmless though, like she does not realise her actions could be misconstrued. In fact, I think this is why readers are so sympathetic towards Daisy.

The story starts in Switzerland where the somewhat serious Mr Winterbourne (possibly a symbolic name?) becoming enamoured with the eponymous girl (again, symbolic - daisies are a fresh and unsophisticated flower), who immediately suggests a trip to a nearby castle, even upon their short acquaintance. Later, when Winterbourne meets Daisy in Rome, he finds her the talk of the town due to her scandalous friendship with the handsome Mr Giovanelli - who appears to be a fortune hunter.

Daisy shrugs off any chidings of Winterbourne and various other members of high society who giveher the cold shoulder, essentially driving her further towards the carefree and charming Giovanelli.

Of course, a thoroughly modern girl like myself finds the double standard distasteful, but perhaps our Daisy's sympathetic portrayal is more feminist than not.

The ending is tragic and poignant and James wonderfully balances between Daisy's innocence and flirtatiousness. A likeable novel, and worth a read.

The Dice Man

2008-07-26T15:24:00.003+10:00

This book has achieved cult status, and it is really an interesting text. It’s cult status would be mostly due to male readers admittedly, and it does read as a little long – but it is the kind of book everyone should read.

Lucius Rhinehart is a psychologist who is bored with life. He considers having an affair, but cannot make up his mind. After an embarrassing confrontation with his wife he makes a spur of the moment decision – a roll of the dice with dictate his next move. When a frightening experience turns out to be liberating, continuing with the dice becomes a passion.

As the story progresses, Rhinehart turns more and more of his life over to the dice. It eventually becomes part of his therapy, leading to shocking but revealing results. His dice paradigm achieves cult status and picks up an astonishing amounts of followers.

Worshipping the dice is like worshipping fate. Shake up your life and you might never turn back.

The book has an interesting narrative structure, sometimes first person, sometimes third person, at other times it shifts entirely – as if the dice determined how the story should be told. In fact, the author (ironically Lucius Rhinehart) tells us the very same thing.

It was interesting enough to make me think about reading the sequel – so I think that’s a good sign!

Maybe I’ll let the dice decide…

Knife of Dreams

2008-07-10T16:11:00.003+10:00

Another excellent chapter of the Wheel of Time series. Mat finally marries the Daughter of the Nine Moons - fulfilling an Aelfinn prophecy, the clever Seanchan heiress Tuon. However, as she returns to her people (and inevitably the invasion), we are unsure as to how her relationship with Mat will continue.

The Chosen are directed towards Mat and Perrin, but Semirhage advances on Rand anyway, destroying his hand with balefire. She is captured, and will no doubt prove an important part of the next book (oh when??). She has valuable information to share with Rand - and "helpfully" shares the truth about Rand hearing the voice of Lews Therin Telamon with Min, Cadsuane and others. Again, we see even more evidence that Rand is being irrevocably changed by the One Power. He is colder than ever - a far cry from the boy we met in Emond's Field in Eye of the World. When he loses his hand, he does not even mourn, but simply moves on.

Perrin rescues Faile from the Shaido, but gives up his claim to the Manetheran legacy when bargaining with the Seanchan. Their relationship may become more complicated now though, as Faile was attracted to another man in her imprisonment and Perrin seems to be showing more regard for Berelain (perhaps she has more of a role to play, as she appeared in Min's viewings of Perrin).

Elayne struggles with her pregnancy (Rand's twins) but wins the Lion Throne. She fights six sisters of the Black Ajah, but is confident as Min has promised her babies will be born healthy. Aviendha (who is to bear him quadruplets at some point in the future, according to Min's visions) returns to the Aiel waste to continue her training as a Wise Woman.

Again, it is a fascinating glimpse into this saga, but I worry about finishing up the series, now that Jordan has passed. It may have gone on too long - and this is certainly why I stopped reading the series a few years ago. But, I was not disapointed with Knife of Dreams. Jordan is still the master, but someone will have to try and match him if we are ever to reach Tarmon Gaidon!

Quick Catch Up

2008-06-17T11:45:00.002+10:00

Just a quick catch up to let you know I am still out here... and reading....

I tried Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down, but just could not get interested in the lives of the characters. They all meet intending to commit suicide from the top of a building on New Year's Eve, but manage to talk each other out of it - for now anyway. Problem is, the characters are not likeable. I did not really care whether they jumped or not. In fact, sometimes you wished they would so you could get to the end of the novel quicker.

I didn't finish, which lets you know exactly what I thought of the book. It's a shame as it was a list text, and I have great respect for Hornby in some ways. Maybe I'm just not into his Weltanschauung.

I'm back at an old favourite right now - Robert Jordan's (seemingly endless) Wheel of Time series. It's a fabulous fantasy epic, that has unfortunately been stretched out too much by the author. But one of my students is progressing through the series, and keeps bringing the books to class, so I have been inspired to give it another bash. I am into the last one of the series - the one after I gave up and decided it would never end.

Of course, my student thinks I am "cheating" by not reading them all again. But they are all 1000 pages long and this is Book 11! You'd never read another entry on this blog again, ever!

So, I will post again when I finish.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

2008-06-01T15:31:00.003+10:00

Although not a list text, this was a book that I had seen around a lot and heard good things about. So when a friend lent it to me, I put it on the reading pile which Rushdie has been severely holding up.

This was an enjoyable read, and certainly not as dense as the Rushdie (even though I enjoyed that too). It surrounds a young doctor (David Henry) and his beautiful wife Norah and begins on the night she gives birth to twins. The boy is healthy and strong, but the girl has Downs Syndrome.

It’s set in the sixties, when such children were carted off to institutions – so we can sort of understand why the doctor’s first reaction is to do this. The problem is, he never tells his wife who believes the baby has died.

Enter Caroline Gill – a trusted nurse who just happens to be in love with Dr Henry. She takes the baby to the facility, and decides she cannot leave her there.

Ultimately the text is all about what makes us do the things we do, and all the characters lives and motives are more complicated than you can imagine. But it is a satisfying read, which refuses to be boxed into stereotypes. Worth reading.

Midnight's Children

2008-05-21T23:03:00.001+10:00

It took me a ridiculously long time to read this book.. and I wont make any excuses. I will only say that it wasn’t because it wasn’t good. It was very good, just a little uneven in places. The story shifts around a lot, and aspects of it are better than others.

In many ways, Midnight’s Children is a fairy-tale. It’s also a family history of mythic proportions. The main character, Saleem Sinai, begins by giving us a family history of his grandparents, parents and the hand of fate that leads him into their family.

Saleem is born at midnight in Bombay, at the very moment that India gains it’s independence – and he and the group of children born at this time are intrinsically linked to the fate of the country. They also possess amazing gifts, ranging from an ability to change genders to the gift of magic. Saleem’s gift is an ability to read minds, and converse with others over great distances. He discovers this in a quirky little story involving a washing basket and his naked mother….

Saleem’s abilities link together the children of midnight, as he establishes the Midnight’s Children Conference. At first they have grand plans for how to change the world, but soon they fracture, and when Saleem’s gift is “drained” and he is taken to Pakistan.

The story is all told by Saleem in retrospect (who talks about himself in the third person throughout) – the changes brought about by his move to Pakistan, his forbidden love, his memory loss and the birth of is son, who seems to have his own legacy.

My favourite parts were Saleem’s childhood and the magic that Rushdie creates in linking the infant nation to the infant Saleem. It’s a beautiful wacky story, well worth reading. Remember it won the booker of Bookers!

The Road

2008-03-24T12:59:00.003+11:00

There is always the danger in reading “it” books, that the book you read can never match the book that has been raved about by everyone you know.

This should not be your concern in approaching Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.

McCarthy paints a bleak picture of a post-apocalyptic world, and a father and son who are trying to make their way through it. Food is scarce, crops and animals virtually non-existent, but McCarthy manages to argue that even in situations such as these, to simply survive is not enough. We must also hang onto what makes us human, or else all is lost. So, the father and his son (whose names we never know), walk through the tattered and dangerous landscape, calling themselves “the good guys” who carry “the fire”. This is how the father makes his son understand how important their humanity is to them.

As they march on and see things that are truly chilling, it is ironically the father who teeters on the edge of losing this precious spark, the boy never falters.

I wont spoil the ending, as wondering what is going to happen is one of the primary joys of a book such as this. But it is well worth reading, and has not been so talked up as to be a disappointment to anyone. But be prepared for quite a few tense moments. Not for the faint of heart.

Amsterdam

2008-03-19T22:07:00.001+11:00

I’m not exactly sure I found this Booker prize worthy, but it wasn’t bad. To be fair though, I do find McEwan a bit hit and miss.

The novel begins at the funeral of Molly Lane, introducing us to the two main characters – ex-lovers of hers and now friends – Clive Linley and Vernon Halliday. The funeral starts Clive, an erratic composer, thinking about his own mortality…. Molly had been very ill and was greatly altered in her last days. Thus, Clive asks Vernon if he is ever in that situation, would Vernon just help him die? Vernon, a methodical newspaper man finally answers – only if you do the same for me.

In these scenes, McEwan builds up a seemingly beautiful and unshakeable friendship. But as the novella progresses, this is slowly broken down… and McEwan presents us with an ending that the blurb describes as a “delicious shock”. I didn’t think it was that shocking… I had expected it by then. But it is still an interesting story about two self-involved characters, and how quickly rancour can occur to poison a friendship… you’ll get it when you read it!

Memories of My Melancholy Whores

2008-03-10T10:01:00.005+11:00

I am a big fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Somehow he can make even the most unusual of stories beautiful (I mean, have you ever read Love in the Time of Cholera?). And this new novella, his first in ten years is no exception.

The main character decides on his ninetieth birthday that he will treat himself to a virgin prostitute. But when he meets her, asleep on the bed, all he wants to do is watch her. So, he goes back night after night and kisses her sleeping figure, reads to her, plays her music in her sleep - all this has a dramatic effect on him. For the first time in his life, he is in love. The weekly column he writes for the newspaper reflects this and the whole city celebrates him as a grand lover and lover of life.

Of course, there are always complications, but the novel tells us that is never too late to love - nor is it ever so unlikely as to be impossible. A beautiful little story.

After Dark

2008-03-06T21:04:00.001+11:00

After reading so many duds lately, it was just wonderful to delve into something truly fascinating. Haruki Murakami may not be one of those authors who likes to spell it all out for you, but he sure knows how to inspire interest.

After Dark spans one night that is somewhat eventful for each of the characters. The character it settle most often on is Mari Asai, a young woman who does not want to go home. She plans on spending the night reading in a Denny’s, but has a few adventures instead. She is approached by Takahashi, who has met her before, and while she rejects him at first, the two eventually talk and bare their souls to each other.

She also is caught up in the scandal of a beaten up Chinese prostitute, left stranded at a love hotel. The befriends the employees there, who eventually make her feel safe enough to sleep.

Meanwhile at home, her extraordinarily beautiful sister Eri Asai is sleeping. In fact, she has been sleeping for quite some time now. But tonight she is touched and drawn into a whole other world… its hard to explain – and in fact Murakami never does – but nonetheless very interesting.

It’s Mari’s story really – of coming into her own, escaping the shadow of her sister and finding a way to reach her in her somnambulistic state. I loved it, even though it didn’t answer all my questions. Want to read more.

A Minimum of Two

2008-03-02T22:04:00.000+11:00

Tim Winton can be visionary at times, and this collection of short stories is one of the most brilliant things I have read by him.

The stories surround a collection of characters who are all struggling with a feeling of loneliness, even though they are surrounded by people. They are also quintessentially Australian, in terms of the setting and characters.

This text has been studied at VCE, showing a range of themes and values being espoused.

Short stories can be very refreshing – you can finish them quickly and no time is wasted on building a plot. You simply get an interesting character at a pivotal time in his/her life.

The Brief History of the Dead

2008-03-02T22:03:00.000+11:00

I picked this book by Kevin Brockmeier up on a whim when last at the library – it looked kind of interesting. The whole premise is that the dead go to a place much like here “in between worlds”, while there are still those on earth who remember them.

So, the book goes on about this for a little while, and eventually we learn that some kind of extinction level event has occurred on earth. A plague of some description. Slowly the waiting place dwindles to just a few. Intertwined through the story of this is the story of Laura Byrd, a scientist in the Antarctic. Laura finds herself alone on the ice, and struggles to understand what has happened the world she is at the remotest end of.

Where Brockmeier could have been subtle, he is heavy handed, explaining concretely to the reader that everyone left is someone who knows Laura. I really do hate that expectation that a reader to too obtuse to pick up this kind of subtlety.

In the end, it was a struggle to finish this for precisely that reason. Give it a miss.

The White of Zadie Smith's Teeth

2008-02-16T23:48:00.002+11:00

It took me ages to get through Zadie Smith’s White Teeth – one of those books that everybody raves about and inevitably disappoints because of the high expectations put on it.

I’m not saying it is a bad book – it is in fact a rather good book. Smith explores the lives of two families of immigrants- the Jones and Iqbal families, eventually (oh yes, I mean eventually) settling on their children. Irie Jones is a quarter Jamaican. Her mother turned her back on her strict religious upbringing to marry Archie Jones, a much older Englishman. Twins Magid and Millat Iqbal suffer under their father’s desire to preserve the traditional Muslim and cultural background of his family. To this end, he sends Magid, the elder and more sensible of the two, back home to Bengal.

Irie grows up completely besotted with handsome womaniser Millat. After an incident at school, Irie and Millat become involved with the Chalfen family – a clan of English “intellectuals” – who are ironically narrow-minded in certain areas. The father is a famous scientist working on the Futuremouse genetic project – a project that ties together all the characters in the novel. Irie goes to work as Mr Chalfen’s assistant, but finds that it is Magid and Millat who are the real centre of attention. Chalfen begins communicating with Magid overseas – who returns as a man of science (rather than religion – stroke of irony number two). In irony number three, Millat joins a group of Muslim fundamentalists who violently oppose the Futuremouse project – as does Irie’s religious grandmother and the members of her bizarre church, who spend all their time attempting to calculate the end of the world. A whole lot of weirdness follows, including a perhaps unnecessary and unexplored link back to a story much earlier in the novel. Plus, Irie gets pregnant to either Magid or Millat after having slept with both in a strange mixture of desire, revenge and some desire for Millat to be the first son for once?????

There are a lot of interesting threads, although I am not sure Smith manages to pull them all together effectively. She begins to explore the parent generation, and then moves onto the children without really putting a lot of issues raised earlier in the book to bed. The ending feels contrived and the last few paragraphs are certainly tongue-in-cheek which left me feeling unsatisfied.

I have read somewhere that this is an “ambitious” book – and I would have to agree. I’m just not sure Smith managed to achieve her vision.

I also tried to get into her The Autograph Man, but am just not up for it at the moment. Stick with On Beauty – that was wonderful.

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

2008-02-13T21:26:00.001+11:00

Been meaning to write this one for a while…

I listened to this on CD – I think it was only a taster of a whole series of stories. They are quite cute little mysteries set in Botswana. The cases are reasonably run of the mill and it is in fact this rural charm which provides most of the interest. It was an ideal text to hear on CD, with the original accents.

I would not go out of my way to recommend it, but it was quaintly appealing.

More Jeeves

2008-01-28T21:57:00.000+11:00

I’ve got to say, I am really enjoying Wodehouse’s Jeeves stories. They are each a gorgeous English comedy of manners where the silly Bertie Wooster has to be rescued by his loyal (and far cleverer) butler, Jeeves.

In Joy in the Morning, it is (again) an unwanted romantic entanglement that Bertie is trying to extricate himself from, whilst helping some good friends get the permission of the formidable Uncle Percy for marriage – the very same Uncle who makes him shiver in his boots.

In this story, the incredible intelligence and insight of Jeeves was recognised by more characters, as even lords requested his counsel. Very cool. This nearly matches the coolness of listening to this on CD, and hearing the crisp British accents. Mwah!

The Riders

2008-01-27T22:29:00.000+11:00

This isn’t my first foray into Winton, I’m a fan of some of his short stories, and really loved the strangeness of Cloudstreet. There were these gorgeous chapters from the perspective of a boy with a mental disability.

The Riders is much more mainstream – and probably the most commercial and well-known of his works. Fred Scully is fixing up an old place in the Irish countryside, awaiting the arrival of his wife Jennifer and daughter Billie who are selling their house in Fremantle. They have been travelling around Europe for years – Greece, London, Paris… Scully is looking forward to settling down, but when he goes to the airport to pick up his family… Billie emerges from the plane alone. She is clearly traumatised, and takes days to speak to Scully, who is frantically trying to figure out what happened to his wife.

What follows is an Odyssey throughout Europe, with Scully trying to re-visit the towns of his past – not only to look for physical signs of Jennifer, but also metaphorically to re-visit those places for clues as to what lead her to leave him.

It is frantically paced, and includes interesting characters. Scully, described as a man who looks like a serial killer, is surprisingly gentle. He has been the main caregiver to Billie for years and is a man who can do “womanly things” such as cooking, cleaning etc. Yet he drags poor Billie around, obsessed with finding his wife. Ironically it is Billie who understands Jennifer more, and who longs for Scully to give up his search and accept that nothing will be the same again. The roles are gradually reversed as Scully’s desperation leads him to drink, and Billie is left picking up the pieces.

It is the emphasis and greater understanding of their love that pulls the novel together. I didn’t find it as riveting as the quotes on the front cover, it was interesting and a worthwhile read.

Send Kerouac back On The Road

2008-01-20T18:01:00.001+11:00

This book – although on my list due to it’s cult status – was definitely not my cup of tea. It is semi-autobiographical and unfortunately reads more like non-fiction than fiction. The cast of characters, some of whom are based on prominent figures of the time, are all in love with the idea of going out on the road, and leading a kind of baseless, wandering life, going from town to town and woman to woman. I simply found it difficult to relate to any of the characters. I would not have even finished it if it had not been so short. I would be interested to hear from anyone who would like to passionately argue the case.

On a Pale Horse

2008-01-18T10:04:00.000+11:00

This book was a recommendation from one of my new students, and I thought it was only fair to try to read something that they recommended to me, before I make recommendations for them.

Written by Piers Anthony, On a Pale Horse begins with Zane – a man who is down on his luck. Being broke brings out the worst aspects of his personality. He trades a blossoming romance for a wealth stone, which works dismally. In utter desolation, Zane picks up a gun and points it at his own head. Then everything slows down and as the black-caped death approaches, Zane turns the gun onto him. Having killed death, Zane must thus take his office.

While it seems to Zane like a strange twist of fate, it soon becomes apparent that his becoming death has been orchestrated by the highest powers. Zane is to become an important player in the destiny of the planet.

The book is full of personified forces – death, fate, time, war and nature. Not to mention God and Satan.

It took me a while to get into this, but the storyline is rather intriguing and Zane is an interesting character who develops and changes throughout the novel. In the (rather long) author’s note, Anthony has some interesting things to say about how the novel is a comment on life, death and the status of the soul. In several places the novel discusses how good deeds can also be sins, whereas doing nothing to stop evil can sometimes keep your soul clean.

It is the start of a series of you are interested in getting into it, each of which deals with a different personified force (called "Incarnations"). Here is a link to some info on the other books:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_A_Pale_Horse

Chuzzlewitt v. Copperfield

2008-01-16T09:42:00.000+11:00

I have been re-reading quite a lot of books for work these holidays, but have also managed to ingest a bit of Dickens in a variety of ways. David Copperfield is apparently the most autobiographical of Dickens’ novels, and thus I find it interesting that much of the plot goes on around David, who takes on more of a spectator role to what is going on around him. Of course, many of Dickens’ concerns about the social classes in his England, and the prison system are certainly reflected (largely through Wilkins Micawber), however the novel certainly lacks the fascination of Great Expectations.

Martin Chuzzlewitt has more plot, although the concerns may not resound as well with modern readers. There are two characters in the novel by this name – a rich grandfather and his namesake. The elder Martin Chuzzlewitt is convinced that his wealth means that everyone around him is only after his money. So, he adopts Mary, an orphan girl and trains her to be his nurse in his old age. He promises her he will look after her while he is alive, but will leave her nothing upon his death. Thus, he ensures that she will work to keep him alive. However, when the younger Martin falls in love with Mary, his plans are ruined. If they marry, she will inherit upon his death.

Young Martin defies his grandfather and sets out to make it on his own. This involves a disastrous trip to America (showing Dickens’ distaste for the place) which nearly kills him and his companion – a man who is so good –natured, he puts himself into dire straits to see whether he can keep it up. The younger Martin returns penitent and apologises to his grandfather for his arrogance.

Interestingly, the elder Martin had planned the match all the time, and had actually been helping Young Martin all along.

One of the best characters is the odd little Pinch, a truly good-natured and kind man. Poor Pinch falls in love with Mary, who of course marries Martin in the end. But this only serves to make us like him more.

Obviously I was also attracted to this particular story due to its association with The Eyre Affair - I just had to see what Fforde was on about!

Anyway, I will report on more Dickens when I have time.

The Penelopiad

2007-12-30T14:48:00.000+11:00

Margaret Atwood’s work usually has a feminist slant, so it is no surprise that she chooses to reinterpret Homer’s The Odyssey, with a concurrently weepy and wily Penelope as the central character.

It is a fascinating idea, and Atwood researches around the myth to inform the reader of Penelope’s childhood and her kinship with the famed Helen of Troy – Penelope’s more beautiful and famous cousin. In fact, as Penelope tells her story from the Underworld (one of the nicer levels, fortunately) she runs into her cousin, still surrounded by suitors.

Penelope tells us of her childhood – the daughter of Spartan royalty and a Naiad, and how her father threw her into the ocean as a child. Fortunately she survived and went on to be won by the adventurous Odysseus as his bride. While Penelope feels that Odysseus may be a little indifferent to her, she is entranced by the tales of his adventures. Thus, she is devastated when the ever troublesome Helen starts a war that takes Odysseus away.

This is where it should start getting interesting, but Atwood skims too quickly over the years that Odysseus is away. We hear snippets of tales about his adventures – those immortalised in The Odyssey and much more mundane possible versions – but as is proper, the focus remains on Penelope’s story. The problem is – there is not much of it. We hear about how the suitors come and raid her lands and she uses the stratagem of the never-growing shroud – again reported in The Odyssey – but also how she uses twelve of her young and most attractive maids as spies. These maids are perhaps the most interesting aspect of the novel. They are raped and misused by the suitors, and as Penelope never shares her plans with any of the other servants, they are promptly hanged by Odysseus upon his eventual return.

The maids act as a Greek Chorus, commenting upon the action of the play in verse, song and sometimes comic scenes. They are pitiless towards Odysseus who they haunt in the Underworld, keeping him running from reincarnation to reincarnation so that he does not have to face their accusing stares. They avoid Penelope too, so that she can never explain herself or expunge the guilt of their deaths for acting upon her orders. However, they do tell a slightly different story – one which briefly (and again only too briefly) suggests lascivious behaviour with the suitors.

While Atwood strives to make the maids a focus of the novel, they are in reality nothing more than phantoms hiding behind the scenes, haunting but not possessing the novel. And the weepy Penelope, in a struggle to act in accordance with her mothers instructions “Water does not resist. Water flows… If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does”, is an almost invisible character in her own story, which is still driven by the men around her. I cannot help but feel that I have still not gotten to know the real Penelope – perhaps the myth of her steadfastness and cleverness (all of which seem to be demoted as virtues by Atwood) was better after all.

Wodehouse's Jeeves

2007-12-23T18:31:00.000+11:00

P. G. Wodehouse’s Thank You, Jeeves was a short but enjoyable “read” (which I actually listened to on CD). The author’s name looked familiar last time I was in the library, and I grabbed this on a whim.

I am pleased to report that Thank You, Jeeves is a comedy of manners that would rival Oscar Wilde. Jeeves, the servant of Bertie Wooster, is the brains of the operation, and manages to help his laughably accident prone master out of a whole array of sticky situations. Bertie is certainly a man for whom Murphy’s Law constantly applies. In this story (as there are a number of pairings between Wooster and Jeeves, whereby Jeeves always has to “save the day”) there are broken engagements, several cases of mistaken identity, blackened faces that cannot be cleaned off without the missing butter, and a horribly tuneless banjolele.

I will definitely be getting into more Wodehouse.

Chart Throb

2007-12-22T10:13:00.000+11:00

After starting and stopping a number of disappointing books, this witty satire by Ben Elton was a refreshing change. Although I will never be able to view Australian Idol the same way again!

Chart Throb is one of those reality TV shows where the search is on for a star – and talent is not on the menu. Calvin Simms, a parody of the mean Simon Cowell (or for Aussies, Kyle ore Dicko) collects characters who simply “make good telly”. These he calls “clingers, mingers and blingers”. Together with his fellow judges, chosen carefully for their formulaic and highly recognisable “mumsy” (although casting a transsexual reality TV star in this role is extra funny) and… well… “stupid” qualities, Calvin sets out to manipulate the contest at every turn. Except this year, he HAS to manipulate the contest. The honeymoon is over in his marriage and the master manipulator has found himself with a wife strategically positioned to take half his fortune.

So, Calvin, to reassure himself that he is master of the universe, makes the following bet – if he can get anyone Dakota chooses to win Chart Throb, she will walk away with nothing. So, Calvin finds himself in a position where he either gets the ridiculously dorky Prince of Wales to win, or he loses everything.

But the rules are changing for all of the judges this year. Calvin falls in love, and finds himself distracted from his work. Beryl is wrapped up in her desire for more plastic surgery, whilst fitting this around the demands of her stupid wife and her daughter’s own failing pop career. And poor Rodney is forced to judge a wily ex-lover he would rather avoid. And behind it all, is an enigmatic contestant who seems to be willing to die (or kill?) to win…

It’s an entertaining book, that beautifully sends up our reality TV culture, and ends by stating that by 2050 EVERYONE will be a reality TV star. Now there’s a scary thought.

On Beauty...

2007-12-10T17:49:00.000+11:00

This is an enormously rich text, and I could not possibly sum it up for you in this format. Too much to say! But I enjoyed the study of humanity that Smith puts forth – as well as her prose. Although some find her wordy… perhaps listening to it on CD makes a difference. It was a long but rewarding process.

On Beauty centres around the Belsey family, Howard and Kiki and their children Jerome, Zora and Levi. Each is dealing with something major in their life. Then, there is also the Kipps family, headed by Howard’s nemesis Sir Monty Kipps. Both patriarchs are academics. Monty is a more successful, ultra-conservative version of Howard, so obviously Howards abhors him. But as the book goes on, we find that they have more in common than otherwise assumed. A similar parallel is drawn between their wives, who strike up an unlikely friendship. Kiki is a big, loud beautiful black woman who is seriously questioning Howard’s success as a husband, whereas Carleen is a more traditional, demure housewife. She lives to support her brilliant husband, but never assumes she is his equal. She is also extremely ill.

Each of the children are in their own worlds – Jerome begins the novel by declaring his love for the daughter of Kipps – much to Howard’s dismay. Zora is also struggling with love, in a storyline that is very much caught up with class. The relationship that she has with penniless rapper Carl is fascinating. At first, she would like nothing more to avoid him, but in Carl’s desire to be a part of the world of the Wellington University elite, he ends up making the plain and dumpy Zora fall hard for him. Levi, usually the most carefree and self-absorbed of the Belsey’s, meets a group of Haitians, and becomes caught up in their plight.

A number of social and political themes underlie the story, as well as obvious references to E.M. Forster’s Howard’s End – a connection which bodes ominously for Howard and his mid-life existential crisis. However, a working knowledge of this text is not necessary for the enjoyment of this one. There is also a host of other fascinating characters and scenarios. Victoria Kipps, whom Jerome proposed to, is not at all as she appears. And one of my favourite scenes involves Howard – a professor of aesthetics who has woven emotional reaction out of his appreciation of the Arts, is brought to tears by the music played at a funeral.

I could never fully encapsulate all this is special about this text in one entry, so here are some links for further reading if you are interested. All I know is I will certainly be venturing into the work of Zadie Smith again.

http://www.oxonianreview.org/issues/5-1/5-1hay.html

http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/generalfiction/0,,1566399,00.html

http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/generalfiction/0,,1562117,00.html

Never Let Me Go

2007-12-03T20:16:00.000+11:00

This is a surprisingly moving novel, and while I can’t remember why I put it on “the List” but I am glad I did.

Before you start reading, Ishiguro states that his story is set in England in the late 1990s, although this is a very different 1990s than we know.

The narrator is Kathy, who spends a large portion of the book sifting through her memories of her time at Hailsham, what appears to be a selective private school in the English countryside. Like real memories, Kathy’s narrative is disjointed, as she jumps from memory to memory, each linking to another as she attempts to come to terms with the mystery of her existence. While this sounds confusing, it simply adds to the interest of the reader. Who are these children? Why are they so special? Why must they look after their health more than others? Why can they not have children? Why must the produce artwork pieces, that reveal their soul? Why are there no mention of parents, only the “guardians” that walk Hailsham’s corridors? And what are “donations”, anyway?

This could fall easily into the category of science fiction, but it is subtle and beautiful and far more character driven than something like The Island. The relationship between Kathy and her friends Tommy and Ruth is a true portrait of the complexity of human relationships, which is ironic when one comes to understand the story that is being told here. While it is no great secret and you will work it out long before Kathy does – it doesn’t matter. The nature of the search is part of the answer to the mystery. Humanity is real and unshakeable, and no-one can take that away from you.

It’s a must-read, I devoured it.

The Fourth Bear

2007-11-30T11:43:00.001+11:00

I'm a bit over the Nursery Crime series. Don't get me wrong, Jasper Fforde is awesome, but I'm just a much bigger fan of Thursday Next.

These are kind of fun, there are lots of literary allusions (my favourite was Dorian Gray in this one), but that's really where the quality stops. Don't be fooled by the recommendations on the back cover, plot is not high on Fforde's list in these novels. This one is based on Goldilocks and the Three Bears, with some other random nursery characters. And I mean random! Try the Quangle Wangle, for example. Ever heard of him?

In the end I skimmed through the last few chapters. It got old and I stopped caring about what happened. Skip in favour of a Thursday Next novel.

Time's Arrow

2007-11-15T23:05:00.000+11:00

Martin Amis did something really different with Time’s Arrow. The narrator lives his life backwards… no, that’s not right. He watches his life backwards. His consciousness is born as an old man, and is irrevocably attached to a man who is called (at this point anyway) Dr. Tod Friendly.

At first, the book is simply an entertaining, vivid and clever look at life backwards. We hear about the pain of going to the toilet in the morning (oh, just think about it), emptying food onto empty plates, letters than appear in the fireplace and fling themselves into your hand, starting relationships with a slap on the face and most disturbingly, the eventual descriptions of Friendly’s job. Imagine patients who walk in happily looking healthy and rested. Then Friendly and his colleagues go to work on them, unplucking stitches, implanting bits of broken glass, sewing back on ruined limbs. The narrator (well, you cannot really call him Friendly) is sickened by his work. He is also plagued by nightmares that he assumes comes from his sickening job.

Life goes on, and the novel could simply be an interesting study of life lived backwards, but Amis eventually takes us to Nazi Germany and the death camps of Auschwitz and Treblinka. Perversely, our narrator thinks he has come to the most wonderful place; they make human beings in ovens! Oh what great work, bringing to life so many pale corpses! Sewing together his beloved Jews from nothing but a bucket of body parts! They look so skinny and sick at the beginning, and grow fatter and more rosy cheeked until they are sent off on trains into the world. Later (earlier?) he also re-lives going and fixing the broken houses of his beloved Jews, and giving them money from his own pocket. We meet his wife and then they get married. Then he goes right back into his childhood, until he cannot even remember who and what he is.

This is a fascinating read, and certainly makes you think about the world around you going backwards. But what was missing for me was a sense of purpose. Why did he have to experience his life this way? A punishment for his sins? But Amis doesn’t go here. It’s just the story of an extraordinary life told backwards.

Everything's Eventual

2007-11-11T21:27:00.000+11:00

Stephen King is a genius – although he and I have a somewhat tempestuous relationship. I want to read him, but sometimes he just wont let me. For example, I loved the film The Green Mile, but do you think I can get into the book? And the new book, Lisey’s Story. Do you think I can get into that? That’s not to say that I haven’t read and enjoyed many of his books (does it get any better than the Dark Tower series?), but sometimes, we are not a great fit.

Fortunately for me, Everything’s Eventual – a series of short stories - was a great fit. We have King at his scary best in the title story, as well as the truly frightening 1408 (soon to be out on film with John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, so it will have to be good) and a few good moments in Autopsy Room Four. For Dark Tower fans, Kings returns to tell us the story of The Little Sisters of Illyria. Very cool.

But don’t forget that King also wrote the story that The Shawshank Redemption is based on. So Lucky Quarter and The Death Room deserve a mention too.

This collection is out again at the moment because of the film release of 1408 – so grab a copy if you can.

Crowded House

2007-11-09T10:28:00.000+11:00

I don’t usually deviate from books here, but seeing as I did once for a film, I could hardly not express my praise for the Crowded House concert I saw last night.

Some bands you see live, and you can really hear the effect the studio has had on their sound – but Crowded House is even better live than their studio albums are. Like a fine wine, Neil Finn’s voice has only improved with age, it is rich and clear. From classics in the rock style like Locked Out, to the new single almost entirely in falsetto A Sigh, Finn was breathtakingly flawless.

He is also one of the world’s most amazing songwriters, so I thought I would leave you with a few of his words…

There is freedom within,

there is freedom without

Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup

Theres a battle ahead, many battles are lost

But you'll never see the end of the road

While you're travelling with me

Hey now, hey now

Dont dream its over

Hey now, hey now

When the world comes in

They come, they come

To build a wall between us

We know they wont win
Don’t Dream It’s Over

I've been locked out

I've been locked in

but I always seem to come back again

when you're in that room

what do you do?

I know that I will have you in the end

And the clouds

they're crying on you

and the birds are offering up their tunes

in a shack as remote as a mansion

you escape into a place where nothing moves

Locked Out

I have all I want, is that simple enough?

a whole lot more I'm thinking of

every night about six o'clock

birds come back to the pond to talk

they talk to me -- birds to talk to me

if I go down on my knees

it feels like nothing matters

in our private universe

And it's a pleasure that I have known

and it's a treasure that I have gained

and it's a pleasure that I have known

Private Universe

She came out of the water

Into my horizon

Like a cumulo nimbus

Coming in from a distance
Burning and exploding

Burning and exploding

Like a slow volcano

When you come

Cover the ground with ashes

When you come

When You Come

A sigh

from the deepest well

you can tell a lot

by not saying a thing

It's true

between us, my friend

this longing...A sigh

for loneliness to end

no changing the story now

A Sigh

These walls, have eyes,

Rows of photographs of faces like mine,

Who do we become,

without knowing where we started from,

It's true,

I'm missing you,

And I stand alone,

inside your room.

Everything that you made by hand,

Everything that you know by heart,

I will try to connect all the pieces you've left,

I will carry it on, let you forget,

I remember the years, when your mind was still clear,

All the flickering lights,

That filled up this silent house.

Silent House

The List - Most Recent Version

2007-11-04T19:22:00.000+11:00

1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
J.K. Rowling

2
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Thomas Hardy

3
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck

4
1984
George Orwell

5
A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving

6
The Woman in White
Wilkie Collins

7
Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand

8
A Room With A View
EM Forster

9
The Yellow Wallpaper
Charlotte Perkins Gilman

10
The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway

11
A Child Called It
Dave Pelzer

12
The Penelopiad
Margaret Atwood

13
Double Vision
Pat Barker

14
Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen

15
The Turn of the Screw
Henry James

16
The Mermaid Chair
Sue Monk Kidd

17
Ethan Frome
Edith Wharton

18
David Copperfield
Charles Dickens

19
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens

20
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

21
Zorro
Isabel Allende

22
Amsterdam
Ian McEwan

23
Memories of my Melancholy Whores
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

24
The Road
Cormac McCarthy

25
The Surgeon of Crowthorne
Simon Winchester

26
Island of the Day Before
Umberto Eco

27
A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess

28
Slaughterhouse Five
Kurt Vonnegut

29
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov

30
The Ground Beneath Her Feet
Salman Rushdie

31
Enduring Love
Ian McEwan

32
On The Road
Jack Kerouac

33
Possession
A. S. Byatt

34
Briefing for a Descent into Hell
Doris Lessing

35
Time’s Arrow
Martin Amis

36
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Phillip K Dick

37
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Tracey Chevalier

38
The Same Sea
Amos Oz

39
In Cold Blood
Truman Capote

40
If On Winter’s Night, A Traveller
Italo Calvino

41
The Infinite Plan
Isabelle Allende

42
Boy in the Striped Pajamas
John Boyne

43
Sleep, Pale Sister
Joanne Harris

44
The Count of Monte Christo
Alexandre Dumas

45
The Complete Polysyllabic Spree
Nick Hornby

46
The Stories of John Cheever
John Cheever

47
Nineteen Minutes
Jodie Picoult

48
The Ringmaster’s Daughter
Jostein Gaardner

49
The Dice Man
Luke Rhinehart

50
The Sea
John Banville

51
Kafka on the Shore
Haruki Murakami

52
How the Dead Live
Will Self

53
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Milan Kundera

54
The Outsider
Albert Camus

55
The Woods
Harlan Coben

56
Shakespeare’s Wife
Germaine Greer

57
Mister Pip
Lloyd Jones

58
The Thirteenth Tale
Diane Setterfield

59
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
Thomas Kenneally

60
Life of Pi
Yann Martel

61
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch
Alexander Solzhenitsyn

62
The Outsider
Albert Camus

63
The Trial
Franz Kafka

64
The Red Queen
Margaret Drabble

65
The Poisonwood Bible
Barbara Kingsolver

66
A Long Way Down
Nick Hornby

67
On Beauty
Zadie Smith

68
The Green Man
Kingsley Amis

69
This Boy’s Life
Tobias Wolff

70
Hangover Square
Patrick Hamilton

71
Housekeeping
Marilynne Robinson

***Books in pink have already been read***

The Complete Polysyllabic Spree

2007-11-04T19:13:00.000+11:00

Note: This is a list text.

I am not usually a non-fiction reader, but when the book is about books, I had to give it a go!

The Complete Polysyllabic Spree is a column author Nick Hornby wrote for the enigmatic magazine, The Believer. The monthly entries detail his relationship with books – what he bought, what he read and what he abandoned. Hornby says he is a reader’s reader – he is not interested in wanky novels by authors that are trying to be as clever and obscure as possible. This kind of sends up warning signals – I wonder what Hornby would make of Italo Calvino, for example.

Naturally the only test of this is to look at books we have both read. Hornby gives Dickens the big thumbs up (score one), and The Da Vinci Code and The Poet the big thumbs down (scores two and three). He was disappointed in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (score four) and describes Finnegan’s Wake as “inpossible to get through” (score five – and an extra point for going against general literary belief!). McEwan’s Saturday does well (score seven), but then so does Catcher in the Rye (yes I know, I am supposed to love it, but I don’t!). So overall, I guess we tend to agree on books. That said, I have added six books recommended by Hornby to my list (check out the updated version). I could flick through the pages of the book again in a couple of months and no doubt get more recommendations. You would every time you looked through it.

As a read, The Complete Polysyllabic Spree was enjoyable, although it is not the sort of book you would read in one sitting. I would spread it over, a bit at a time and absorb it. Too much in one hit and it starts to get monotonous. But I think that could be more of the nature of my relationship with non-fiction than anything else. Hornby himself approaches the subject matter well. He talks about the web that is created by our reading – one books leads us to another, and then another. We follow authors and subjects and styles and so on. He is very readable, often discussing the strange group of people who edit The Believer and their even stranger rules for his column (he is banned no less than three times during the publication dates of the entries) and ruminates on what makes a good book. It’s worth a look for any keen reader – especially one who writes her own book blog!

If interested, apparently this volume is followed by Housekeeping vs The Dirt.

Life Class

2007-10-31T16:23:00.000+11:00

Let’s put it out there – Pat Barker is a genius. While the storyline and setting of Regeneration may not have been right up my alley, Border Crossing is pretty amazing and we can now add Life Class to that subheading. You have got to admire an author who is not afraid to tackle any of the “nasties” of modern life.

Life Class starts off concerning itself with the lives and loves of a group of students at the Slade School of Art, although ultimately it the war, and art and the war that is the focus of the novel. Paul, a somewhat disgruntled and nearly failing artist, is attracted to Elinor (like many other men on campus, including the hugely successful Kit Neville). However, Paul soon finds himself caught up in a relationship with Teresa, an artist’s model. Teresa is dark and mysterious, but Paul is not sure how much he trusts her, or her stories about her abusive husband. With such a lack of trust, it is no wonder when this fizzles out.

As we begin to see the growing attraction between Paul and Elinor, the narrative becomes interspersed with references to the possibility of war, and Neville and Paul both feel bound by duty (and artistic greed in Neville’s case) to make their way to the front in medical positions.

Although the narrative largely follows Paul, he, Neville and Elinor have very different experiences of the war, especially as artists. Neville, desperate for acclaim, wants to paint the war; it’s real, relevant and not subject matter that everyone has access to. Paul initially can’t think of painting, but eventually the horrors seem to flow from him into his paintbrush. The culmination of this is a sketch of a man with his jaws blown off that he later shows the art teacher who was previously so contemptuous of his work. Paul acknowledges that it is not a work he can ever display or sell, but he wants his teacher to see what he has become. The reader sees it too. Meanwhile Elinor has tellingly gotten involved with the Bloomsbury set, and the concept of painting the war is distasteful to her.

Paul’s return marks him as a changed man, and he is unable to come to terms with some aspects of his previous life. The ending is a little abrupt and uncertain, but this reflects the mental state of those returning from war, unsure of what the future will hold for them. So, the reader gets a rather “organic” experience, although it is sure to disappoint some. Overall though, I enjoyed Life Class (loaded title, huh?), especially the artistic aspects of it.

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith

2007-10-16T13:00:00.000+10:00

Thomas Kenneally of Schinder’s Ark fame brings us another novel based upon true historic events. This work focuses on Jimmie Blacksmith, a “half-caste” Aboriginal whose white father taught him to aspire to land ownership, a white wife and children and grandchildren that are more and more white.

Jimmie takes all these lessons to heart, and they are reinforced by the lifestyle he observes in the Aboriginal missions – lives of hazy drunkenness and loose women. He learnt early that this was not for him, so he adopts these “white” attitudes. He believes that with his own hard work will lead to his success.

But this is not a world that is ready to accept an Aboriginal with the same goals as white men. Jimmie is repeatedly cheated by his employers, and when he finally manages to take a white wife, the birth of their first child places Jimmie’s feet firmly on a path of vengeance. The child is snow white, and clearly not Jimmie’s.

Jimmie’s relatives come to visit him and remind him of his forgotten culture, causing his white employers to treat him even more like a stereotypical “black”. When they stop buying food for Jimmie’s family, and try to convince his wife to leave him, something inside of Jimmie snaps. He takes up his axe, and takes revenge.

There is a real irony in the setting of the story. White Australians in the background are talking constantly about Federation – the bringing together of all Australians under one banner – but what about the forgotten Australians? The narrative shows us clearly that this Australia was not at all united, nor ready to confront the race upon whose land they formulated their nation.

Jimmie is a sympathetic character, despite the barbarity of his actions. His rage is the rage of his own nation – for all that had been taken away from them, and all that they were refused access to. It’s an important read, and a nice change to read something of significance.

The Thirteenth Tale

2007-10-12T14:46:00.000+10:00

It has become rather clear recently that I have made some rather tragic choices on my list of “must reads before I die”. Unfortunately, The Thirteenth Tale was one of them.

Let me explain – and defend myself for choosing this somewhat vapid book. I like books about books. It is as simple as that. Metabooks I guess you could call them, which of course differs slightly from metafiction, which is far more postmodern (and also very cool by the wa - just not what I am discussing here). No, I mean books that show us the value of books and reading. A good example would be Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. And this is what I thought I was getting with The Thirteenth Tale. The premise is a bestselling author calls in an obscure young biographer to tell her the last great tale of her career – the real truth of her life. This has been hidden for years behind a myriad of “smoke and mirror” stories, all of which proved to be false.

There are some interesting (although not entirely direct) references to the magnificent Jane Eyre, but the book slurs into a cheap mystery and loses its believability. Again, I am disappointed with this one, and thoroughly encouraged to go back to some traditionally good authors to bask in the warmth of their certain glow….

Expect some changes to the list too…. Amazing what one book can do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirteenth_Tale_(novel)

The Poet

2007-10-09T21:16:00.000+10:00

Good crime novels lead you in one direction – even though a savvy reader knows that the solution to the puzzle could never be that easy. Then it twists and turns and you enjoy the somewhat unexpected turn it takes you in. No so with Michael Connelly’s The Poet.

Obviously I was drawn to The Poet because of the title – and the delicious prospect of references to Edgar Allan Poe. I thought it might be an intelligent crime novel – and for a while it wasn’t bad. A serial killer of homicide cops has hidden his tracks for years by making his murders look like suicides. And all the victims leave a line of Poe as a suicide message.

The book leads you in one direction – the narrative is shared by an investigative journalist and a killer with a penchant for young children. When they finally catch up with each other though – we are nowhere near the end of the book. Now is clearly the time for Connelly to work his magic – yet there is no magic in sight. The reader expects to be misled... but the final resolution has to be satisfying. However, Connelly tries to mislead us again, by developing a case against the main love interest. While a little cliché, this is at least understandable to the reader, once her background is explained. However, Connelly tries to be too clever. He twists again, and yet another character turns out to be the killer. Unfortunately, Connelly is unable to provide us with any reason for this character’s dark desires – he does not even express his motivation. This is extremely disappointing and very “hack”. He twists and turns for the sake of it, and it left me very unsatisfied, and a little annoyed.

To keep the poetry metaphor going, I’d say in this instance, Connelly is about on par with a limerick.

Lawrence - The Fox/The Captain's Doll/The Ladybird

2007-09-30T17:45:00.000+10:00

I read this for work, although reading Lawrence feels a bit like coming home to me. I was first introduced to Lawrence by my Year 12 Lit teacher in 1996, and it seems only fair that I begin to introduce Lawrence at my own school now.

One of the most unique and compelling things about Lawrence's writing is his exploration of female sexuality - and that is certainly a theme of this collection of novellas. Many feminsist criticise Lawrence for the way he portrays them - he often casts them in sexual thrall to some masculine entity, a dark attraction (often one they know is no good) that they can't deny. But I say, at least he was acknowledging women as sexual creatures in a time when we still liked to keep them as covered and docile as possible.

This runs through all three of the novellas in this collection. They also concern men and women before, during or after the First World War. The first concerns two women who have set themselves up alone on a farm (I'd be interested to hear if anyone else picks up definite homosexual undertones here - which again would not be out of character for Lawrence) only to have their solitude disturbed by two 'foxes'. The first fox is actual - a crafty creature that they cannot manage to keep away from their henhouse. And yet March, the more masculine of the two who does most of the physical work on the farm, cannot help but be drawn to the creature. The second fox is symbolic, although the situation is similar. A young man returning from war and seeking relatives who left the farm years ago, arrives to also 'prey on their henhouse'.

The Captain's Doll in my opinion is the weakest of the three. A Countess is attracted to a Scottish soldier, despite the fact that she knows he is no longer capable of loving her. But his sexual magnetism is apparently too much to resist.

The third story, The Ladybird, is the most compelling, especially towards the end of the story where there are several beautiful quotes. A young English woman begins to visit a German prisoner of war, and again finds herself strangely drawn to him in ways that will turn her world upside down when her husband returns from war. This romance is dark and almost gothic with declarations of love such as "In the dark you are mine. And when you die you are mine. But in the day you are not mine, because I have no power in the day. In the night, in the dark, and in death, you are mine. And that is forever".

I think I feel some swooning out there in cyberspace, as I felt myself!

Lawrence is always amazing, and these three (particularly the last) are wonderful examples of his liberated genius.

Harris' Holy Fools a Hit

2007-09-29T16:27:00.000+10:00

Again, I can blame my reading of this one on the whole Talking Book thing.

However, it was lovely after my last reading of Harris, to revist her at her best. Holy Fools has a lot of the magic of Chocolat, but as darker and more mysterious.

Set in 17th century France, Juliet (once a actor and tight-rope walker) lives in a remote abbey where she is raising her five-year-old daughter, Fleur. But the abbey of Sainte Marie de la Mer is about to receive a visitor - one who knows Juliet far too well.

When Guy LeMerle arrives disguised as a cleric, Juliet realises this costume can only hide his most dazzling and malicious performance of all. And when Guy realises his old companion Juliet is there, he feels compelled to draw her into his schemes through any means necessary.

Harris pokes a bit of fun at religious fanatacism here, which always sits well with me, and tells a thrilling and engaging story. This is definitely worth looking at - you are guaranteed to enjoy it.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

2007-09-24T15:17:00.000+10:00

This was an 'it' book a few years ago, and my new fondness for audio books while I am driving or exercising is forcing me to diversify a little. In this case, finally reading such a recognisable book was really a good thing.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is an interesting blend of fact with a little bit of fiction... very Truman Capote.

Berendt himself narrates the story of Jim Williams, a Savannah native accused of the murder of one of his employees - a young attractive man called Danny Hansford. There is a strong suggestion by the prosecution that Hansford and Williams were lovers. Williams was a wealthy older bachelor in the antique business who seemed to employ Hansford to live with him for spurious reasons.

The case was interesting - Williams claimed self-defence, but no gunshot residue was found on Hansford. It took four trials before Williams was finally cleared. But more importantly, the novel paints a fascinating portrait of Savannah itself, a place Berendt had a growing passion for. He came on a short trip, and ended up returning for gradually extending periods of time, until it was clear that he really lived in Savannah, and only made the most necessary trips back to New York.

Berendt, a journalist by trade, approaches the story as it unfolds in much the same way. However, whereas in the book Berendt claims to have been in Savannah and acquainted with Williams and the action of the book long before the shooting, in reality he had only met Williams a year after he was arrested. He has fictionalised and added himself to aspects of the story that he was told of later, to paint a better picture.

Berendt, openly gay himself, paints us many interesting character portraits. The most notable (the one that "got to him" most), was the Lady Chablis, a pre-operative transsexual who never planned on actually having the operation. This feisty Southern Belle is one of the most memorable characters in the story, although not central to it.

Fascinatingly, Berendt openly explores the aura of voodoo and black magic that surrounds the south, and describes in detail the woman of power Williams hires to help him with his case. The title comes from a particular excursion she takes Williams and Berendt on, to a cemetary. She says she must work in the half hour before midnight to do good, and the half hour after midnight to do evil.

This was more enjoyable than I expected, and well worth a look. The Talking Book only goes for about three hours.

My Sister's Keeper

2007-09-21T20:38:00.000+10:00

Jodi Picoult's books are usually worth a look (The Pact is pretty good) and people have raved and raved to me about My Sister's Keeper.

The premise is pretty interesting. Anna, a thirteen-year-old girl was conceived after doctors told her parents that cord blood might be a useful tool in helping to save their elder daughter Kate who has a very rare form of cancer.

But it doesn't just stop with cord blood. Anna has donated blood, bone marrow and now they are asking for a kidney.

One day, Anna marches into lawyer Campbell Alexander's office, filing suit for medical emancipation. She no longer wants to be a donor to her sister - for whom a kidney transplant is a last (and only a small) chance.

It is an intriguing case - does Anna have the right to make these decisions? Are her parents acting in her best interests? And is Anna ready for the backlash if she is successful - and her sister dies?

The book creates interesting character relationships, particularly between Anna and Kate, who are so similar as to be mistaken for twins. The reader is led to question, why would Anna do this to a sister she loves so much?

Ultimately, just when you think there are no easy answers and you wait with bated breath to see what Picoult will do, she takes what I feel was an "easy way out". The web of ethics, morals and repercussions fades as the narrative twists in not altogether unexpected ways at the end. I am a little disappointed that Picoult didn't feel there was a resolution to the issues at hand - I was kind of looking forward to seeing where they would go.

Not bad overall, but don't expect the ethical debate to go all the way up to the deep end of the pool.

Harlan Coben

2007-09-18T10:00:00.000+10:00

I’ve read two Cobens now – a stand alone recommended to me by a friend called The Woods, and one of Coben’s famous Myron Bolitar novels, Promise Me.

I always say to my students, if you can plot a mystery – you can plot anything. Structurally and in terms of writing, in many ways mysteries are simple texts. The focus of the writer appears to shift solely to plot. How do you keep your readers guessing for as long as possible?

If this is the measure of a good mystery, the Coben does have some success. Promise Me was less predictable than The Woods – there was a nice spin at the end. And while these are fun once in a while, I prefer something with a little more focus on character. Still, I would recommend Promise Me if in the mood.

Eragon...Can it replace Harry Potter?

2007-09-13T19:51:00.000+10:00

A student gave me Eragon to read, and I took it knowing that it has captured the imagination of so many teen minds. I have thought about reading it so often that I figured it was probably time!

When approaching this novel, I could not help but think about Harry Potter. While Paolini’s series is by no means the “new kid on the block”, I think a lot of people are just waiting for the next series that is going to become part of the vernacular the way that Harry has.

So, is Paolini up to the task? It took me a little while to get into it, but ultimately I did enjoy my reading experience. It answers just enough questions to make the novel satisfying, while leaving just enough mystery for one to be motivated to chase up book two.

Eragon is a young man (late teens?) who finds a strange stone in a deserted part of the country. It is little surprise to readers that this is in fact a dragon egg. Dragons were thought all but extinct, as the last remaining dragon is in the power of the evil king Galbatorix. However, the fact that the egg hatches for Eragon, places a huge responsibility on his shoulders – for it marks him as a “Rider”, one destined to fight for truth and justice. This puts him inevitably at odds with Galbatorix even before he really understands what is going on.

Eragon grows up and develops amazing abilities in this first book (which of course, all the teenage readers lap up), and while much of his hidden past is revealed, there is still so much more.

So will I read book two (Eldest)? Probably, yes. Is it the new Harry Potter? I am unsure. But it took a few books before I really loved Harry too.

First Among Sequels - Fforde at his best.

2007-08-28T18:17:00.000+10:00

When people ask me if I like Holden or Ford, I always answer - Fforde, of course!

Jasper Fforde is always a favourite, but First Among Sequels is a return to his very best form.

Set fifteen years after Something Rotten, Thursday has quit the defunct Spec Ops, and is making a modest living at Acme Carpets. By the way, Braxton Hicks and Spike work there too. Sounds suspicious? It should! Acme Carpets is a front for Spec Ops – but even Spec Ops is a front for Thursday’s work at Jurisfiction in the Book World.

In a brilliant move, Fforde introduces us to the “fictional” Thursdays who were in the books based upon her life. Thursday 1-4 (from the four books we know) I a course creature, who loves nothing more than sex and violence – and craves revenge on the real Thursday who has been so outspoken against her character.

Then there is the Thursday from The Samuel Pepys Fiasco (a book that doesn’t exist, and is indeed destroyed later in the story) – a tofu eating hippy who seems about as opposite from our Thursday as you can imagine.

So, what challenges does Thursday face in this book? Well for a start, there’s always the end of time. Her son Friday, who is supposed to rise to the highest echelons of the Chronoguard shows no signs of interest, which a parallel version of Friday says will precipitate an end to time travel itself. Then there is a push in the book world to make books interactive that may ultimately destroy the narratives of classics such as Pride and Prejudice. Failing this, there is always the major stupidity surplus that must be expressed somehow.

Throw in a few gun fights, being stuck in a Book World Moral Dilemma, a ghost, a daughter with an IQ approaching 300 and one that never seems to be around, Thursday has plenty on her plate again!

Fforde has lost none of his brilliant literary wit, and I for one cannot wait for more.

If you get the jokes, you will love him!

The Boleyn Inheritance

2007-08-26T15:50:00.001+10:00

Okay. it's official. I have become addicted to Talking Books.

Not because these are replacing my normal reading - rather, they are supplementing it. Now I have a book on the go, as well as one happening on CD. I rather look forward to walking my dog that little bit more, because I also get to find out what happens next in my Talking Book.

So, the latest one I have finished is another historical fiction (I must admit, that lack of choice is a real concern here). And it also surrounds Henry VIII. I warned you he was one of my favourite historical characters!

The Boleyn Inheritance is told from three perspectives; Anne of Cleves, the woman on her way to become Henry's fourth queen, Catherine Howard, the spoiled young lasy-in-waitng who becomes the fifth, and Jane Boleyn who watches and orchestrates so much on behalf of her benefactor, the Duke of Norfolk. After all, it was he who suggested she testify against her hisband George and sister-in-law Anne. And this at least saved her title and lands.

In opposition to the George novel I read recently, Henry is really quite demonised here, and we manage to feel sorry for all of these three women who somehow seem to inherit something from the Boleyns. But to each, it means something different. To the angelic but reserved Anne, it is a throne with a shadow across it, and a husband she can never please. A husband who is not afraid to behead his wives if it suits his purpose. Catherine, who inherits some of the Boleyn lands during her rise in the King's favour, also falls under this very same shadow when political machinations put her on the throne. And Jane - Jane thinks she has already saved her Boleyn inheritance, but instead also has to face the axeman.

History has reported all their stories already, so a reader wont be suprised by the end of the journey, but the journeying itself is rather good. I was amazed that I could have so much sympathy for each of the characters - even vain and silly Catherine, who was portrayed as such a harlot in the other novel.

Worth a read, one of Gregory's better ones.

Oh, and if anyone would like to recommend me another historical fiction that isn't about Henry VIII, that might be a refreshing change!

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

2007-08-18T23:31:00.000+10:00

Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being, an interesting mix of fiction and philosophy, is one of those books I have always meant to read. It is an intriguing title to begin with, and has a reputation as a modern classic.

The novel begins by pondering diametric opposites; good and evil, love and hate… then begins to questions lightness and weight. These are certainly opposites, but which has the negative and which the positive connotation? This leads Kundera to pose questions about our lives. Is it better to live weighted, a life that is held down by so many things – family, love, job, commitment – or is it better to be light and unencumbered by such things?

The characters in his novel – as I guess we all do – struggle with this very same question. Each are linked to each other. Tomas is a womaniser. He loves nothing more than the “discovery” of a new woman. But one day, a series of accidents bring a woman into his life who refuses to move out of it – Tereza. Tereza loves Tomas, but struggles to come to terms with his constant adultery. Tomas too questions whether or not he really needs to be “weighted” down by Tereza, a woman who he has come to love and grudgingly makes sacrifices for. In the end, when we know from other parts of the non-linear story they are near the tragic end of their lives, Kundera suggests they find peace and accept each other and their life together.

Sabine, a famous painter, is his mistress (one of them anyway). She too is pondering similar questions, particularly when her lover Franz leaves his wife for her. She cannot bear the thought of being tied to him, so she leaves him. While she goes on to live a long and on the surface full life, he is irrevocably changed by this. Even though Franz takes a younger lover, he spends the rest of his life living it as if he were living for Tereza. He does some risky things thinking that somehow she is watching him and he still has the power to impress her.

All this is set in the backdrop of the Russian invasion (in both a physical and mental sense) of Prague, and each of the characters is touched in powerful ways by this – by their distaste for what is happening around them. So sometimes our choices about life are not just our own. History touches them too.

I feel like I can understand what Kundera is trying to explore. How is the best way to live? Tomas is obsessed with the idea that you only live once, inspired by the German “einmal ist keinmal” (once is like never). So if you only have one life, how should you live it? I liked it… it develops slowly but is worthwhile.

An extraordinary Saturday for Ian McEwan…

2007-07-31T21:49:00.000+10:00

This will be my second and so far most enjoyable experience of Ian McEwan.

Henry Perrone is a Neurosurgeon. He lives in London in 2003 – in the height of the frenzied fears of terror attacks. In fact, on the Saturday in question, Perrone witnesses a frightening mishap with a plane very early in the morning. On the same day, a major rally is occurring to protest against British involvement in Iraq. While the news throughout the day continues to report the near-plane crash, Perrone discovers that true fear is really closer to home.

A minor car accident brings him into contact with Baxter, whose emotionally instability is soon diagnosed by Perrone as the result of a rare neurological disorder. With special knowledge of Baxter’s condition, Perrone is soon able to distract him and escape the sticky situation. However, Baxter is not finished with him and later makes his way to the Perrone household, where a variety of family dramas are already playing themselves out.

Just when you think the novel is finished, new levels of morality are explored when Perrone chooses to operate on an injured Baxter. Will he choose revenge or forgiveness and understanding? And will those around him accept his choice?

My exposure to this book was an interesting one – I listened to it on an audio book while recovering from eye surgery (and for as long as it took me to finish it). While I did enjoy the novel, I have mixed feelings about the format. On the positive side, it was a refreshing change, allowing me to “read” two books at once. It was also handy on long walks and drives. But it is easy to miss things if you doze off (not while driving obviously!) or if your thoughts wander. You also do not have the luxury to go back over things if you would like to check them – can you imagine trying to find just one line on a whole CD? But I will try it again from time to time – particularly with easier, more accessible texts.

So, my McEwan odyssey continues. Saturday is a lovely mixture of the sublime and the mundane – it is certainly not a trite in the way I felt Enduring Love was. Perrone’s family are a fascinating set of characters, and Perrone spends the day reflecting on life in general – and confronting or remembering the many milestones of his experience.

I am keen to keep reading McEwan’s superb prose – Atonement looks good. But I will have to get in soon, before the film comes out!

Speaking of films, the newspaper today reported that Fred Schepsi has signed for a film version of Kate Grenville's wonderful The Secret River. Check out my blog entry on the novel.

The Unknown Terrorist

2007-07-27T12:33:00.000+10:00

Ten years ago, Flanagan wrote one of the “it” books of the year – The Sound of One Hand Clapping, which was later made into a film starring Kerry Fox. I never read The Sound of One Hand Clapping, but while I was a bookstore chick, I certainly saw a lot of people buy it.

So, perhaps that reputation is part of the reason why I gravitated towards The Unknown Terrorist. I had not long finished Andrew McGahan’s Underground when I purchased it, a book which I feel has strong connection to Flanagan’s. Both books seem to be in response to the comments of the Miles Franklin Award Panel the previous year – which called for books to depicted the possible future of Howard’s Australia.

The Unknown Terrorist does just that – it presents a frighteningly real story set on the frenzied aftermath of 9/11 – and the world’s preoccupation with terrorism. Gina Davies (referred to as ‘The Doll’ throughout the novel – a strangely de-humanising move by Flanagan, who manages to write a hero with which readers cannot sympathise until the exact moment – three quarters of the way through the book – that he chooses) is an exotic dancer. She makes the fatal mistake of going to bed with the wrong man, and wakes up a terror suspect. The depressingly isolated and self-involved life that Davies had lead up until this point only makes her guilt seem more plausible. She has few friends, no bank account, and has cut off ties from her painful past completely.

Richard Cody represents the worst of the media – a fallen star so desperate for a hot story that he embellishes Gina’s story. The truth falls a distant second to sensationalism, as Cody uses The Doll to resurrect his own dwindling career. Hard evidence is sacrificed for a series of circumstantial events and hearsay, supported by the supposed evidence of crooked cops, and chequebook psychologists.

It is an interesting and scarily plausible storyline, although it failed to really capture me until close to the end. Flanagan does not hold back in his bleak portrayal of the underbelly of Sydney, and the darker side of the Australian psyche. Both are portrayed disturbingly, but with real insight. The ending is oddly moving, and there are enough surprises in the last quarter of the book to keep a reader interested. Worth a look.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2007-07-24T10:35:00.000+10:00

So, have you been waiting for this?

I promise not to spoil anything here.

Rowling has ended the Harry Potter series beautifully with the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

She promised us at least two deaths of major characters, befitting such a dark book which pitches our hero Harry against the evil Lord Voldemort.

We return to Harry's search for the Horcruxes that contain Voldemort's shattered soul - the task that Dumbledore left to Harry before his death in book 6. Of course, Harry would never undertake this alone, but is joined by his faithful companions Ron and Hermione.

As usual, Harry curses his lot in life as "The Chosen One" who has to defeat the Dark Lord, but as per usual, he pulls himself together in the end.

The Deathly Hallows themselves are an interesting addition to the storyline, and all that was unanswered and left hanging in the previous books will be made clear. Yes - the mystery of Severus Snape is finally solved! We also learn more about the Malfoys, Lily and Petunia Potter and Kreacher the house-elf.

While some readers have lamented the very final pages (which do admittedly leave me with a few questions), ultimately this is a very satisfying and tear-jerking end to a fascinating series. Don't wait for the movie!

In Anticipation....

2007-07-16T15:31:00.001+10:00

Like many of you out there, I have been re-reading the last few Harry Potter books, in anticipation of the book and the film.

The last few books have admittedly not been my favourites...

Order of the Phoenix is not big on plot, and Half-Blood Prince failed to live up to my favourite Goblet of Fire - although the film version of this was really disappointing. Far too much cut out.

But the most recent film is actually pretty good, and reasonably faithful to the original text. There is not as much cut out - and far less "important" stuff cut out. Obviously what is and isn't in the final cut sets tongues wagging about Book 7. There were a couple of lines between Voldemort and Dumbledore that were missed that I thought may have been important... and that whole scene at the bginning that proves that Aunt Petunia is definitely in contact with, and receiving owls from, the wizarding world. Remember that Rowling said we will find out some important stuff about Petunia in the last book! But, I assume that Rowling has control over what does and does not make it into the film... so I guess these weren't as important as I thought.

Oh, stop me... I can go on and on about Harry Potter theories.

After all, that's what is so good about this series, the way Rowling has planted important hints and clues throughout the seven books. I can hardly wait to see how Deathly Hallows pans out.

I also really enjoyed reading Half-Blood Prince again, and more than I enjoyed it the first time.

Five days and counting!

Better off to Sleep, Pale Sister

2007-07-08T12:19:00.000+10:00

Joanne Harris is most famous for her novel Chocolat (and the film version starring a scrumptious Johnny Depp – looking pretty much his hottest ever). But before she delved into the power of chocolate to release one’s inhibitions, she wrote Sleep, Pale Sister.

These are two very different novels, and if Chocolat represents Harris in full bloom, then Sleep, Pale Sister depicts the adolescent Harris – who is trying to be a writer, but not quite feeling inspired.

Sleep, Pale Sister is an overtly gothic tale told from a number of perspectives. Firstly, we have Henry Chester, a painter who is outwardly pious but has a predilection for very young girls. To cover this he hates all women - who like the biblical Eve, have been tainted and spoiled. When he meets Effie, a beautiful child who becomes his model, he trains her to be the perfect wife for him – and of course, keeps his real desires for his secret Thursday nights.

Moses Harper is a rival painter, a ladies’ man who is takes a fancy to Effie. The untouchable child-bride for too long, Effie passions are awoken. Then Fanny, the owner of the brothel both Moses and Henry frequent, embroils a naturally sensitive Effie into her own scheme of revenge, involving the spirit of her lost daughter, Marta.

This book was a list text, as it had been recommended to me by a student, although I am afraid to say that I much prefer the magic of a more mature Harris. A friend of mine described this book on her blog as “gothic by numbers”, and this description could not be more apt. The young Harris has tried to tick off all of your classic gothic accoutrements in this novel, making it messy, pedestrian and incohesive. Forgettable.

Historical Fiction

2007-07-03T13:18:00.000+10:00

More bundles of apologies for the length of time between postings. Blame it on shifting house, a very long book, and minor eye surgery! With the last in mind, it may very well be some more time between postings, given how blurry this keyboard looks right now!

So, I have just finished a non-list book, an expedition into historical fiction. It is a genre I delve into now and then, when the subject matter is interesting enough. The concept of exploring what we cannot know – and blending it with what we do – is fascinating, and has many more possible applications that just historical fiction.

Margaret George is the Queen of historical fiction as far as I am concerned – I have just finished her fictional autobiography of Henry VIII. He is one of the most fascinating characters of history – I mean, six wives! The break with the Catholic Church… What was he thinking? I love getting a insight and impression of his possible character. George also wrote a brilliant novel on Cleopatra that is well worth getting into if you like this sort of thing.

I can also recommend – particularly if Henry himself interests you – Phillipa Gregory. Her “The Other Boleyn Girl”, discussing Mary Boleyn (who interestingly was Henry’s mistress before Anne) is very good.

It’s nice to read something a little different now and then, so I would be interested in other historical fiction recommendations.

I have just painstakingly started a book recommended to me by a young friend. Another of our friends read it recently, and while it has been sitting on my shelf for a while, I now kind of feel obliged to make myself part of the conversation!

Angus and Robertson's Top 100 Books

2007-06-15T14:10:00.001+10:00

It is always interesting to read someone's elses list of books, which is why I always take an interest in the Angus and Robertson Top 100 Book List that is updated every few years. The last one was up on thr wall of my staffroom, and we were all reading them... I think I had read the most, but that may or may not be a good thing depending on the quality of the books on the list!

As people often ask me for book recommendations, and I haven't done anything like this on the blog yet, I thought I would post my thoughts on the books on this list.

I will write a few general thoughts first, and then start listing books in categories.

Firstly, there are some very banal books on this list - I must admit that some of these I have not read as I have avoided them like the plague. I avoid what might be termed "pulp fiction", mass produced rubbish that authors churn out once every six months (the exception here being Stephen King - the man is a visionary). So I will not have read many of these, and those I have (did anyone else suffer through The Da Vinci Code?) will probably not be high up on my list.

I might also have to add Harry Potter (an un-suprising Number One) to that list. While Rowling is certainly readable, she is also very clever. The threads that lead towards the ending we are all waiting with bated breath for have been weaving in and out of each other since book one.

So, now that I have revealed (further - Deathly Hallows is Number One on my list) the shameful secret that I am a Harry Potter fan, let us address the rest of the books:

MASTERPIECES - MUST READ

Anything by Tolkien

Pride and Prejudice

Magician (Raymond E Feist)

The Kite Runner

Wuthering Heights

1984

The Time Traveller's Wife

Jane Eyre

The Shadow of the Wind (read it!)

The Eyre Affair

WORTH A LOOK

Memoirs of a Geisha

Cloudstreet

The Lovely Bones

Mao's Last Dancer

The Book Thief

Tuesdays with Morrie

Emma

The Pact

The Ancient Future

Great Expectations

The Notebook

Across the Nightingale Floor

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Brave New World

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Secret River

GO TO BED EARLY INSTEAD

The Da Vinci Code

The Alchemist

Wow! That was longer than I thought....

Blueprints for a Barbed-Wire Canoe

2007-05-31T23:53:00.000+10:00

Sorry it has been a while between postings again.

I have been doing that things where I read more than one book at a time. That's what happens when you need to read for work as well as for pleasure. But, I have finally finished one of them! It was a re-read actually rather than a read.

Blueprints for a Barbed-Wire Canoe is an odd little book and beautifully quirky. It borders on the ridiculous at times, and yet the characters motives never lose their believability. Quite a fine balance really!

The author is Wayne Macauley, an acclaimed Australian short story writer. The title relates to the old saying - "Up shit creek in a barbed-wire canoe without a paddle" (although I must say I have never heard of the barbed-wire canoe bit before). And in fact, the barbed-wire canoe, a symbol of hopelessness and doom (because how far can you really get in it?) becomes the symbol for the entire story.

In a way that only an Australian can, Macauley writes about the suburban dream of housing estates, and sets his story in a satellite estate - one that has been built far out from the urban fringe, but lies waiting for buyers and the long-promised freeway (which sort of gains mythical status throughout the book) to catch up to it. Like the canoe, the little community is doomed before it even begins, by bad planning and shoddy workmanship.

Yet despite this (or perhaps because of it), Macauley painstakingly shows us the development of a society in the estate that becomes known (by letters falling off a sign) as ur - a clear parrallel to the doomed Sumerian city of the same name. The core characters stubbornly do not leave the development, despite the lack of plumbing, electricity, and eventually income that they are subject. Instead, they band together and survive using each of their unique skills.

At what point they story may verge on the ridiculous will change with every reader. Some will say it is the building of the wall around the estate (do I hear East Germany anyone?), while others will vote for the senseless deaths or the sheer lunacy of Michael's attempts to draw attention to their plight at the end.

Bram, our narrator (and now think biblical reference) tells the story if the demise of the estate and all of their dreams after the event. But how reliable is he? His is a love story, and yet the object of his affection is strangely silent and absent. I would love to hear anyone else's thoughts on this.

It's a really original read - which makes it great. Certainly it's not for everyone - but no good book is. Trying hard to please everyone just makes for a bland read.

The Same Sea

2007-05-16T20:24:00.000+10:00

Sorry it has been so long - yet again I started a novel that I chose not to finish. A friend of mine - the same friend who loaned me the Jostein Gaarder novel - passed on Iain Banks' The Wasp Factory. Although fascinatingly amoral and masterfully crafted to inspire the reader's interest, I could not get past the scene was a dog is nearly set on fire in a phone booth. We all have our limits - and that was mine. Puppies and dismemberment (which immediately followed) are just too much for me.

So, I started The Same Sea by Amos Oz. Oz is an Israeli author, and I remember when and why I added this novel to "the list". My mother was watching Foxtel, and saw a show on him and he was reading from his latest novel - The Same Sea. She called me in because it sounded so beautiful.

When I finally found it in Borders Chapel Street, I couldn't remember much about the show. Nonetheless, I bought the book and took it home.

Although the blurb reads like pulp fiction - a man who has recently lost his wife becomes attracted to his son's girlfriend, who stays with him while his son is travelling, there is nothing trashy about Oz. The novel is written as if it were poetry, blank verse mainly. The narration shifts from the father, his dead wife, the son, the girlfriend, a female widow who has befriended the father, the various lovers of the girlfriend, and in true Brechtian style, the author himself who actually physically engages with the characters. And reflects upon his success as a writer. Loss and obsession are key themes, and reading it is like eating warm, melty swiss chocolate - a truly decadent experience that leaves you wanting to lick you fingers to get every little bit of it.

I don't know if this is typical of Oz, but I certainly want to find out...

Ian McEwan Emergency

2007-05-04T23:43:00.000+10:00

"He did not know, or would not have cared to know, that as she ran away from him, certain in her distress that she was about to lose him, she had never loved him more, or more hopelessly, and that the sound of his voice would have been a deliverance..."

Could someone please help me when it comes to Ian McEwan?

I think he is a beautiful writer. I have read two of his books - Enduring Love and the latest, On Chesil Beach. But no matter how beautiful a writer he is (see the quote above from the end of On Chesil Beach), I simply do not get anything out of his plots. I find them, well, somehow lacking the ability to enthrall me.

Enduring Love is kind of pedestrian, buying into the worn out obsessional stalker storyline. Admittedly the stalker himself is unusual (a gay, ultra- religious nutter), but the ending lacks originiality. I loved the opening scenes with the balloon disaster though, and how all the characters responded to it. But, a book has to go into unchartered territory. I want it to take me somewhere I cannot easily go in real life... (Langwitch - are you wondering here why I didn't like Neuromancer? Definitely not territory I could go into in real life). It was just, a little, predictable and almost Hollywood. No wonder they made a film of it. I haven't seen it yet, but intend to.

The latest release, On Chesil Beach contains no surprises either. I guess I wanted the book to take me in an unexpected direction. It didn't - but it's a nice read.

So, the question is, should I persevere with a writer whose craft I admire so much, even if his end products fail to inspire?

And if so, where should I go next?

We have three possible options - here are weblinks (just to Wikipedia - it makes life so easy sometimes). I would love for anyone to comment on which one I should read.

Amsterdam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_%28novel%29

Atonement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement_%28novel%29

Saturday
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_%28novel%29

I think I am leaning towards Saturday at the moment.

The Kite Runner

2007-05-02T21:24:00.000+10:00

Check out this cover art. It looks so innocent, doesn't it? Trust me, once you have read the book this cute picture of the little boy will have a haunting new meaning.

Although this wasn't a list text, it probably should have been. I had heard so much about how fabulous it was, and had been meaning to read it for ages. In the end, I read it to help out someone I was working with... but this is one of those times where work actually brings joy.

This is a mesmerising book, both beautifully plotted and well-written. I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but "The Kite Runner" is a story of guilt and redemption. Set in both Afganistan and America, what starts as a description of a charming friendship between two boys, quickly becomes a condemnation of the ruling classes of this country, and those who do not stand up to oppose injustice. Amir is haunted by his betrayal of his childhood friend Hassan... as he becomes a man he feels nothing can expunge this unspoken sin from his soul.

Never fear though! Hosseini is an author with a penchant for reciprocity and that nice circular format that all novels of redemption take. Pretty much everyone gets what they deserve, and Amir is able to understand and atone for the terrible sin of his childhood.

It's about to become a movie, so I really do suggest that all devoted readers pick this up before we are delivered a Hollywood version. We all know the book is always better than the film right? Don't be tempted to take the easy way out! This is not a difficult read by any standards (it is on high school text lists), but definitely worthwhile. This is one of the best books I have blogged about so far.

The Lives of Others

2007-04-25T19:59:00.000+10:00

I don't normally stray from books on this blog, but today I feel compelled to comment on a film.

Today, I saw The Lives of Others, a German film that I would have to argue comes close to perfection.

The film is set in East Germany in 1984, at the height of the power of the Stasi, the secret police who know everything and see everything.

Stasi agent Gerd Wiesler, is an idealist who joined the Stasi to support the communist ideals. He appears cold and calculating at first; he knows just how to break down informers and judge who is and is not true to the party.

He is set the task of surveilling a famous playwright, Gerd Dreyman, and his actress girlfriend Christa-Maria. Gerd is convinced Dreyman is hiding something, and assiduously attends to his task, until he uncovers the underlying motives of the minister who set him his task.

Slowly but surely, Wiesler is drawn into the world of his subjects, whose love is bold, fascinating and complicated - and certainly being affected by the society he works to uphold. Wiesler's beliefs are shaken, as is Dreymann's fragile world.

Without spoiling the plot, the situation comes to a head, and Wiesler must decide hpow far he is willing to go to protect the lives he has become so involved with.

The climax is shattering, and the denouement astoundingly beautiful. No trace of Hollywood triteness here!

The message is: GO AND SEE IT. It is rare to be so moved by a film, to really feel where the characters are coming from, and to care so deeply for their fragile worlds. It is as close to perfection as film can possibly get.

Baghdad Blog

2007-04-24T13:30:00.000+10:00

I am reading Baghdad Blog for work again, and can't help but reflect upon the power the blog is developing in our society. Blogger is already ear-marking "blogs of note" (what, reading isn't important?) and our own Baghdad Blogger Salam Pax became the face of the voiceless Iraqi nation. And what a lovely, queer, bitchy voice it is too!

Makes me start to think about what other people are blogging about out there. Anyone pondering the secrets of the universe? If so, send me the link. Love to have a chat. Anything else earth-shattering out there? Because their just has to be more noteworthy blogs than the cooking one or the mother one. Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with either of these, but surely there is a little more out there? We might have to spend some of this blog on what else is happening in the blogosphere.

A few incidentals:

This is the first blog on my new whiz bang lap top. I have called it S.B. This currently stands for sexy beast (cos it's that good), but might come to stand for something else when it starts to get old and slow etc. use your imagination.
Sorry to anyone who was expecting a blog on the Raw Shark Texts. Just not my cup of tea, and there are too many books in the world to waste time reading stuff that is not for you. Yes note that! I am not a "grin and bear it" reader. I think it is because it is too unrealistic. I know that any other fans of Jasper Fforde are shaking their heads in amazement right now, but somehow I believe in my heart that there is a parrallel world out there in which reading is way cooler than it is here. I just find it hard to swallow that there is a mythical shark-creature out there that lives and feeds on text.
Finding the new Ian McEwan On Chesil Beach a bit banal too. I like McEwan as a writer - he has stunning use of language - but yet to be blown away by his plots. But more on that later.

Anyway, must go. One of the sounds that rules my life has just... well... sounded.

The Secret River

2007-04-17T20:15:00.000+10:00

William Thornhill is a convict travelling to Australia with his family. Although they originally dream of returning to England, Will becomes increasingly seduced by the wild seemingly uninhabited Australian landscape. The idea of actually "owning" so much land is so tempting, that he moves his family out into the dark wilderness...

Although there is a lot of controversy regarding whether or not this form of historical fiction is appropriate (see below), this is a very readable and enjoyable read - especially given that it was something that I had to read for work.

The story begins in a "warm and fuzzy" way - Thornhill is a likeable character and the story of his poverty in England and escape from the hangman's noose is genuinely engaging. We begin to see changes upon his arrival in Australia where the "white man's lust for land and power" becomes evident. Thornhill is inspired by a piece of land "the shape of a man's thumb", and endangers his family by taking them to such a remote location - even though he knows that he wife Sal (who is the centre of his world for the first half of the novel) wants nothing more than to return home.

This is where the story begins to change, and we begin to see how a man as likeable as Thornhill could be responsible for the atrocities that occurred to the Aboriginals upon white settlement. I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but we certainly get a look into the heart of darkness and avarice.

This is a book with a political conscience - it is "researched", not based on fact. Grenville's ancestor's inspire many of the characters of the novel, but it is pure inspiration. Not history. Although one could argue that this is the true essence of historical fiction - you can only guarantee it's accuracy to a certain extent, especially when we start to interpret characters.

Definitely worth a read - and I don't say that often about Australian Literature.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/bwriting/stories/s1414510.htm

http://kimbofo.typepad.com/readingmatters/2006/10/the_secret_rive.html

http://www.theage.com.au/news/reviews/the-secret-river/2005/07/08/1120704543439.html

Lost in Web of Stories

2007-04-09T08:12:00.000+10:00

Clearly any story that inspires a title like this, must be a plus for a Jasper Foorde fan like me! (By the way, "First Among Sequels", the new Thursday next novel comes out on July 19th).

So, I have finished "The Ringmaster's Daughter". The main character, Petter (Little Petter Spider) is like a viaduct for the creative unconscious - he is full of story ideas. And if he doesn't write them down, they kind of drive him mad. Fortunately, Petter recognises that he can make some money from this compulsion, and begins selling story ideas to those writers he knows with writer's block. It is a very lucrative business for Petter - but one that the reader knows cannot last long. Petter Spider's web must come crashing down on him one day. It is interesting how this occurs, but unfortunately a little predictable. I would have liked to have seen something a little more original from Gaarder, given his reputation (although I must apologise - I am one of the five people in the world who have NOT read "Sophie's World" - it was a bit of a fad novel when it came out and I stubbornly gave it a miss).

I am now waiting for someone to take up some of the story ideas in the book - much like the Calvino. The novel could act in the very same fashion that Petter did himself. Think of it as an advertisement - Writer's Block, anyone? Just read blah blah and so on.

Anyway, so much to read and so little time.

Catch ya soon.....

The History of Love

2007-03-31T17:13:00.000+10:00

One of the joys of being a reader, is to read books about the power of the written word. That's why I enjoyed the Calvino so much. Anybook about books and reading is likely to get a go from me.

So, I picked up The History of Love by Nicole Krauss at a little discount bookstore in Yarragon, that is always worth what my mother would call a "fossick". The title relates to the name of a book that has had an effect on all of the characters.

Leopold Gursky wrote the book to celebrate his love for his childhood sweetheart, who he was separated from during the Second World War. But the book is never published under his name - in fact, it is not until the end of Gursky's life that he realises it was ever published at all.

On the other side of the shifting narrative is Alma, a fourteen-year-old girl who is trying to understand the power that this book has over her widowed mother. A gift from her deceased father, her mother loved it so much that she names Alma after the woman who is the love interest of the story. In searching for answers about the author and her namesake, Alma hopes to find a way to rescue her mother from the sadness she has plunged herself into.

Much of the book concerns the mystery of the real authorship of the book, mixed in with a number of strange little love stories and odd little characters. I love some of the writing - our introduction to Leo Gursky, an octagenarian who feels so invisible that he purposefully drops the entire contents of his change purse in the cashier aisle of the supermarket is rather amusing. Although more touching is his feelings when he volunteers to be a nude model for an Art class, simply to have someone look at him all day. This is some of the best work on the whole book.

It's a nice read, although I did not find it compelling. Gentle and surprising in places, but not as profound as the blurb would make out.

Still, definitely a Sunday afternoon read if you are looking for one.

I am starting a new addition to my list next - a Jostein Gaarder book called The Ringmaster's Daughter, that has been recommended to me by a few people in the last week. Let you know how I go.

If On A Winter's Night, A Traveller

2007-03-24T23:40:00.000+11:00

Wow! This is the most exciting book I have read in a long time.

To mimic Ludmilla - "it is a book that is full of beginnings, and less concerned with endings. It is a book that explores the changing nature of truth, and it's relationship to the written word. It is a reader's novel, that explores the nature of reading and the interconnectedness of readers and books". I love how she can put a whole lot of bizarre statements together to describe exactly te type of book she is looking for - so if this sounds good to you, give Calvino a go.

If On A Winter's Night A Traveller by Italo Calvino is an unexpected and inexplicable read - although clearly I will do my best for those in the blogosphere. It begins with a treatise on being a reader, and then begins the novel suggested by the title. And then the narrative stops, and a second person narrative begins. This second person narrative continues in every second chapter in the book, whilst every other chapter is a new beginning, a new story in the journey of the reader (addressed as you in those other alternating chapters - yikes!) to actually read If On A Winter's Night a Traveller - or any other book he has come across on the journey. Not only is the ongoing story of the reader's search for the endings to the beginnings that he reads fascinating, but each beginning is rich and intriguing, leading more credence to the central recurring plot. YOU are the reader, journeying from story to story, and even less likely than him to finish what you begin! Someone out there must be working on finishing even one of the beginnings. And yet at the same time, they all seem self-contained, as if the central dilemma of a whole plot is reflected through a beginning. Each chapter is a microcosm... it's hard to explain, but if you are interested, wikipedia does a solid job:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_On_a_Winter's_Night_a_Traveler

This was a recommendation by a good friend with exquisite taste in books, so not only will I be coming back for more Calvino, but also for more recommendations from her!

Keep them coming anyone out there! I love that wonderous feeling you get when you love a book and know that you have someone to be thankful to for introducing you to it.

Anyone else out there read Calvino and have a ideas for me? Discuss and debate?

The List V2.0

2007-03-23T08:45:00.000+11:00

Hi All,

For some reason, I cannot update the previous list any other way than to create a new posting. It's all very mysterious. Here's the updated version of THE LIST...

1
Harry Potter Book 7
J.K. Rowling

2
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Thomas Hardy

3
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck

4
1984
George Orwell

5
A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving

6
The Woman in White
Wilkie Collins

7
Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand

8
A Room With A View
EM Forster

9
The Yellow Wallpaper
Charlotte Perkins Gilman

10
The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway

11
A Child Called It
Dave Pelzer

12
The Penelopiad
Margaret Atwood

13
Double Vision
Pat Barker

14
Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen

15
The Turn of the Screw
Henry James

16
The Mermaid Chair
Sue Monk Kidd

17
Ethan Frome
Edith Wharton

18
David Copperfield
Charles Dickens

19
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens

20
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

21
Zorro
Isabel Allende

22
Amsterdam
Ian McEwan

23
Memories of my Melancholy Whores
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

24
The Fourth Bear
Jasper Fforde

25
The Surgeon of Crowthorne
Simon Winchester

26
Neuromancer
William Gibson

27
A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess

28
Slaughterhouse Five
Kurt Vonnegut

29
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov

30
Shalimar the Clown
Salman Rushdie

31
Enduring Love
Ian McEwan

32
On The Road
Jack Kerouac

33
Possession
A. S. Byatt

34
Briefing for a Descent into Hell
Doris Lessing

35
Time’s Arrow
Martin Amis

36
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Phillip K Dick

37
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Tracey Chevalier

38
The Same Sea
Amos Oz

39
In Cold Blood
Truman Capote

40
If On Winter’s Night, A Traveller
Italo Calvino

41
The Infinite Plan
Isabelle Allende

42
Boy in the Striped Pajamas
John Boyne

43
Sleep, Pale Sister
Joanne Harris

44
Time’s Arrow
Martin Amis

45
The Complete Polysyllabic Spree
Nick Hornby

46
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Lionel Shriver

47
Nineteen Minutes
Jodie Picoult

A Long-awaited Reconciliation

2007-03-22T21:30:00.000+11:00

No, that title clearly does not have anything to do with John Howard.

It refers instead to my reconcilaition with my blog - oh poor forgotten blog who I had been spending so little time with recently. I figured out it had been nearly two months since my last post. Thank God it has not been so long since my last book (Hi, my name's Welloflostplots, and I'm a bookaholic)!

Okay, the boring stuff first. Reading lots for work. Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy was not too bad - your typical school text, but one fo the better ones. I would not recommend it for serious readers following this blog (where are you all), but in terms of school text selection, yeah not bad. Finding it impossible and distasteful getting into Malouf's Fly Away Peter (oh yes, the bird reference there is real) and on a completely separate topic, tried Paulina Simmons' Girl in Times Square, which is admittedly light reading but recommended by a friend for relaxation purposes. Unfortunately it is so long and depressing, I didn't bother to finish it. Sorry friend! I do like a recommendation.

I did get into Enduring Love by Ian McEwan. The bonus of this was that it was a list book, and also one that I had to read for work. The subject matter was not my favourite, but his writing is simply beautiful. It's about a man who is stalked with religious zeal by another man, who feels their meeting at the scene of a ballooning accident was "destiny". It gets a bit scary in a reasonably typical fashion, but the writing impressed me so much that I added more McEwan to the list (updated, check it out).

Anyway, reading something truly unusual and fabulous right now, both a recommendation and off the list, so there you go. But got to keep you in suspense if I am planning on writing more often...

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

2007-01-24T07:55:00.000+11:00

Hi all in the blogosphere,

Sorry it has been so long since my last entry. I have had to read so much for work.

I have just finished the first book I have read for myself in ages - and I had to get in here straight away and recommend it to everyone.

The book is John Boyne's "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas". I don't want to spoil the plot, as the whole beauty of the book is that you have to work it out as you go along - which is very much what the nine-year-old narrator has to do. In the hardcover version (stupid paperback wrecks it) you don't even get a blurb. You simply get this:

"The story of 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the jacket, but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about.

"If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arive with Bruno at a fence.

"Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope that you never have to encounter such a fence".

I had seen it in the bookstore several times and was intrigued by this blurb. Get into it if you can, as while it potters along nicely for most of the book, the ending is sure to get your attention.

Underground Rises Up... And Zorro follows

2006-12-29T18:12:00.000+11:00

I don't know whether it was just the recent comparison to the sluggishly paced "Half a Life", but I loved McGahan's "Underground".

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, it is the busy season to be sure.

Anyway, back to the task at hand of rating books. "Underground" is a cleverly tongue-in-cheek, politically motivated novel set firmly within the current fearful climate in the wake of 9/11 and other terrorist threats. It is fast-paced, readable and intelligent - although at timnes the main character is a little uneven (heartless real-estate tycoon grows a conscience), but I felt willing to forgive him overall. And not just because Andrew Bolt hated it (do you reckon he's ever even red a McGahan novel?), but because I simply enjoyed the overall experience.

McGahan is a rising star of Australian Literature (yes, I know - I am contradicting myself affter saying that I loathed most Australian Literature), and this novel just makes me want to read more. The second-most recent "The White Earth" is also completely brilliant - an interesting mix of gothic novel and political statement. I love the mixture and how this works with the history of the Australian landscape. If anyone is following this blog, you simply have to get into McGahan. He has a few earlier novels too, and while these don't look as impressive as the two mentioned above, they can't be too bad.

Appallingly, I have also read (but failed to post promptly) Allende's "Zorro" - which is on the list on "must-reads". Also a wonderful read. What drew me to this novel is not so much the subject matter, although who does not like a swash-buckling hero? - but Allende herself. She is an exquisite writer, one of the most beautiful modern writers I have read in recent years. Everything is of such epic proportions, but not in an over-stated way. If I could write like any other author, I would choose someone like her, or Marquez who has that added supernatural element as well.

Anyway, "Zorro" is nothing like the Hollywood films, focussing only on the lead up and early days of Diego de la Vega's alter ego. His childhood friendships, his membership in La Justicia, a Spanish secret society dedicated to the pursuit of justice, his loves, even how he comes up with that fabulous costume. Leave any preconceptions derived from Antonio Banderas at the door and allow a hero to unfold...

Can't promise another post anytime soon - have so much reading to do for work. But I will be updating THE LIST, as there are quite a new few titles of interest there. Enjoying the journey...

Half a Life Leaves Much to be Desired

2006-12-05T18:26:00.000+11:00

Sorry it has been so long - haven't had much time for reading. Nor did I have much time for VS Naipaul's Half a Life. I bought the book on a whim, as it had won the Nobel Prize for Literature. I was looking for something different and thought I might discover a new author to love.

This book reinforces the theory that I cannot abide books that lack of sense of purpose - much like Dicken's said of writing, all good books should have some sense of social commentary - they should make some kind of statement. Half a Life left me largely unsatisfied. It surrounds a young Indian man, who hates his simple life at home, and goes abroad to England to find the kind of lilfestyle he is looking for. Then he goes to Africa - doesn't find it there either. I kept expecting him to come to some sort of realisation - but he never really does. Some of the other characters do - if you are interested in the book it has the most fascinating final line that does leave me asking questions about other characters in the novel - but ultimately this piece is disappointing. It never left me waiting for another opportunity to read it.

I'm now onto Andrew McGahan's Underground - which I already like, and not just because Andrew Bolt was not a fan. (Had the shock of my life when I realised we actually agreed on something - Borat, urgghhhh.) Underground is immediately more engaging than Half a Life. It sends up the increasingly anti-terrorist culture of the world and takes it to the extreme - in a daringly short amount of time. Fun without being frivolous. The writing is good too - and if you want another good read, get into McGahan's The White Earth - a gothic Australian outback tales that also delves into politics. I loved - and you remember what I wrote about Australian Literature. Usually not a fan. It's nice to make an exception though. Still, more on this, soon.

Of Mice and Men

2006-11-19T12:08:00.000+11:00

So, I finished the Steinbeck. The question is, has this book changed my opinion of American Literature? I would have to say no, not entirely.

The premise of the book is wonderful, and the ending is extremely poignant - the friendship between Lennie and George is beautiful - but I still have difficulty with the style of the text. Steinbeck goes into great detail in describing the settings of the novel, and yet the characters themselves and their responses are shown only sparsely.

I understand that this shows the time - and especially the attitudes of men in this time, when they were not at all in touch with their feelings and survival was all they cared for. But the writing did not allow me to get excited.

I feel that this is still a book worth reading, and would recommend it, although it will never become one of my favourites.

So now, in accordance with the rules, I am reading something that is not on the list. I picked it up at Borders recently. It's called Half a Life by V.S Naipaul. It won the Nobel Prize for Literature, so I figure it is at least worth a look.

The Rules

2006-11-18T23:34:00.000+11:00

I have been inundated with questions (okay one question - thanks Fabulois) about my list of books to read before I die, so I have attached what I have so far to this posting. It is definitely a work in progress, and I would welcome suggestions and recommendations.

There are a few rules to this reading adventure.

Firstly, I cannot read the list exclusively. This would be like going on a diet - a fabulous diet of nothing but chocolate - but it would still be limiting, and would no doubt get old. I would miss out on books given as gifts, or recommended by friends or even simply picked up by chance at a bookstore. That's how I got onto Jasper Fforde after all! If I don't read other authors, how will I know what else to put on the list.

So, no more than two books in a row from the list.

I guess the rest of the rules can be made up by those of us in blogspace as we go! Get on board!

100 Books To Read Before I Die

1
Harry Potter Book 7
J.K. Rowling

2
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Thomas Hardy

3
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck

4
1984
George Orwell

5
A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving

6
The Woman in White
Wilkie Collins

7
Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand

8
A Room With A View
EM Forster

9
The Yellow Wallpaper
Charlotte Perkins Gilman

10
The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway

11
A Child Called It
Dave Pelzer

12
The Penelopiad
Margaret Atwood

13
Double Vision
Pat Barker

14
Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen

15
The Turn of the Screw
Henry James

16
The Mermaid Chair
Sue Monk Kidd

17
Ethan Frome
Edith Wharton

18
David Copperfield
Charles Dickens

19
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens

20
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

21
Zorro
Isabel Allende

22
Amsterdam
Ian McEwan

23
Memories of my Melancholy Whores
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

24
The Fourth Bear
Jasper Fforde

25
The Surgeon of Crowthorne
Simon Winchester

26
Neuromancer
William Gibson

2006-11-09T22:29:00.000+11:00

Hi All! Welcome to my blog. This blog is all about books and reading. Which means it is going to be totally fabulous.

I have to read a lot for my job, but other than that my major reading project is making my way through a list of 100 books that I have to read before I die. I have just finished George Orwell's 1984. This is a riveting vision of the future that feels all too possible... I am currently pondering the question as to whether or not this text is ultimately optimistic or pessimistic about the human condition. It certainly argues that there are people out there who are capable of original thought even under circumstances that do not allow for any expressions of individuality, however the ending of the novel shows that these people will eventually be extinguished by those with the power to promote the sameness. It is that moment in the end that I find so chilling - where Winston realises he loves Big Brother, something he terms a "victory over himself".

I am now moving on to Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. This is a real change for me as I have never had much of an interest in American literature of this canon. However, I am looking to increase my repertoire! After all, I learned to love Dickens, right Undervoice?

I will see if I can post attachments so that you can all share in my list. It isn't full yet, so I am still looking for more titles. What are the books you think a person really must read?