Bizrbs Reading Logs

biZrb

Books read since the start of the year...

biZrb

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

I read this as part of the boards book club, never would have picked it up otherwise and I'm glad I did. Its a pretty massive book but it does have a good enough story to keep you reading. The main theme of the book revolves around objectivism. It is rammed down your throat at times, but you can ignore it and concentrate on the story being told. I like books that let you decide at how deep you want to get into it and even if you are not interested in the underlining message you still have a good read.

biZrb

Into The Wild - Jon Krakauer

This Book is about Chris Mc Candless, his journeys around America alone. On his final journey he wond up in Alaska after he gave his savings to charity and abonded his car. My impression of him from the book is of a normal guy who wanted to get away from people for awhile. I don't think he was crazy or anything like that. I think its realy unfortunate that he died in Alaska, I don't think that was his intention. I really liked this book, it made me think about Chris and hs attitude to life for a long time after.

biZrb

The Road - Cormac Mc Carthy

Something, you never find out what, has happened to America and probably the world. People are sparse and canabalistic. The landscape has changed drastically. But a father and son have survived. This book follows their survival. The relationship between them is the best I've experienced in a book, the more you read the more you find out about how horrific life is for them but what kept me reading was knowing the boy and father only have each other and finding out if and how they survive.

biZrb

Atonment - Ian Mc Ewan

It made me cry.

biZrb

Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse

Wanted to read this for years and when I finally got around to it I just couldn't get into it. So I gave up. I'll try again, someday.

biZrb

On The Road (The Original Scroll) - Jack Kerouac

Loved the original published version of On The Road so this was a must for me to read. I loved it. I love the pace of it, its so frantic. The way in which it was written really comes accross as you read it. Theres no paragraphs, its just one one long continous stream of text. Theres parts in this version that were never published like a scene where I think (can't remember specifically) another man offers Neal sex. You couldn't publish that in the 50s!

biZrb

Capote A Biography - Gerard Clarke

I like what I've read of Capotes books and I wanted to find out more about him. But this biography was waaay too detailed so I couldn't finish it, I doubt I ever will.

biZrb

Tescopoly - Andrew Simms

Basically Tesco is evil. This book explains why.

biZrb

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

Set in Germany around WWII. Liesel Meminger is sent to live on Himmel Street with a man and woman who become her foster parents. It follows Liesel growing up and the realtionships she has with her Papa, Rudy a boy on the same street as her and Max a Jew who they hide in their celler. Its these realtionships that make the book. Its a really easy read, no hidden meanings, no underlining theories and its because of that that made me enjoy the book so much.

biZrb

Until I Find You - John Irving

My second Irving book and like the first almost gave up on it and didn't and then after reading it to the end, very glad I didn't.
Jacks mother, Alice is a tattoo artist who got knocked up by an organist, William. It was just a fling, but that doesn't stop Alice following William around Europe then eventually giving up and settling in Canada. Jack is a good looking guy who gets a lot of female attention which isn't always a good thing. Jack moves to LA with his mothers lovers daughter Emma, they are just friends, to persue acting. Its a pretty crazy storyline but it works, and aside from almost giving up on it I did enjoy it, but once was enough, I'd never read it again.

biZrb

The Pearl - John Steinbeck

My first Steinbeck. This is a pretty short book about a Mexican with a simplelife who finds a huge Pearl. But what initally becomes good fortune quickly turns into very bad luck. I think its based on an old folk story. It was a good story, nicely written, I really need to read some more Steinbeck.

biZrb

The Good German - Joseph Kanon

Thriller set in post WW2 Berlin. It ended a bit flatly but was a good read throughout.

biZrb

Casino Royale - Ian Fleming

biZrb

Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

biZrb

No Country For Old Men - Conor Mc Carthy

biZrb

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

Really enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and it provided a great insight into the mind of an alcoholic and drug addict in his first stint in Rehab. However after reading the wikipedia page of this book, it states there are a number of discrepancies in it and some of the incidents are fabricated. The book is labeled as a memoir not a work of fiction, so knowing certain events did not happen has runied the book for me.

biZrb

Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

Read this while I was traveling...great story but so far fetched at times, it was obvious it was fiction, I know some people thought it was fact. It starts off with Lins life in Indian and leads on to his time in a slum, the antics occuring here are by far the best in the book, slum life is revisted it a various times in the book and it was always enjoyable to read about it. Theres a section where Lin fights in Afghanstan, that was the worst part of the book and a struggle to read. The parts where he talks about the love interest Karla are draining at times. Overall its a good book to bring while traveling.

biZrb

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

One of the best books I have ever read

biZrb

The Commitments - Roddy Doyle

biZrb

The Graduate - Charles Webb

biZrb

High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

biZrb

The Time Travellers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

Overhyped love story

biZrb

The Cellist of Sarajevo - Steven Galloway