So many books, so little time...

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I've been finding it hard to keep myself reading of late, mainly due to college and several other distractions, so I thought I might as well start up my own reading log to keep me on track. (Everyone's doing it, apparently!) I'll give each book a rating out of 10, and give a few of my own thoughts 'n' views on the book as a whole. I've got a (reasonably) eclectic taste in books, as I'm sure will become apparent as time goes on.

Since the start of the year, I've read three books, not half as many as I'd like. (Grr).


1. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
I have mixed feelings on this book, which is sad really, because I thought I'd really like it. It gets off to a very harrowing and shocking start as the author describes the brutal rape and murder of the protagonist, and the ensuing depiction of how her family deal with and try to get over her death is, at first, incredibly moving and upsetting. However, the later stages of the book just have something missing - I can't say what exactly, but the narrative becomes dull somehow - and I thought the ending was very unsatisfying. It was a good book overall though, despite its flaws, one which disturbed me and moved me in equal measure, but it's definitely not one I plan on revisiting any time soon.

6.8/10

2. Superfreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
This was an entertaining read, jumping erratically through a strange assortment of completely unrelated topics (which range from prostitution to global warming to the nature of altruism), with the authors presenting the details of surprising research findings or drawing unusual conclusions intended to challenge the way we think. A lot of the authors' views on the subjects they discuss are very dubious (the section on Global Warming is Dan Brown-esque), but the book as a whole succeeds at what it intends to do - entertain and surprise the reader in a light-hearted sort of manner.

7/10

3. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I liked this book a lot. It's essentially a classic love story with an unusual science-fiction twist (although sci-fi elements are, unsurprisingly, kept to a minimum throughout). The book tells the story of the relationship between Henry DeTamble, a man who inexplicably finds himself transported to either the past or the future in an unpredictable manner that he cannot control, and Clare Abshire, the Wife of the title, who is invariably left behind to deal with Henry's absences on her own. It's an unusual concept that makes for a memorable love story, and the book is at times incredibly moving. Things do get dull from time to time, however, but the book does for the most part remain compelling right up to the ending, which I loved. I'd recommend this book.

7.8/10

I've now begun reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman, an utterly different (and very, very strange) book, and I must say I'm hooked. So far it's definitely the best of the novels I've read this year - it's totally unique.

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4. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Finally finished reading this book tonight.

Wow. This is the first book by Gaiman I've read, but I'll definitely be picking up more of his stuff in the future. American Gods is a phenomenal read, and, as I said before, utterly unique. The sheer oddness (there's really no other word for it) of this book is certainly one of its most endearing qualities. It tells the story of Shadow (probably one of my favourite protagonists ever, to be honest) who, on the day he is released from prison, is informed that his wife has just died in a tragic road accident. On his way back home, he meets Mr Wednesday, an enigmatic man who offers Shadow a job (and somehow knows his name). Shadow reluctantly accepts the job offer, and his ensuing journey all across America is epic, exhilarating and incredibly strange.

American Gods is a huge book, perhaps more so in scope than in length (although it does last 630 pages), and it's the kind of book you really have to savour and take your time with. The storyline is meandering and very eventful, and Gaiman grapples with huge themes such as mythology, death, and the concept of what America actually is as a nation (one of the book's most interesting ideas), writing in spare, direct prose. The book does become a little dull from time to time, but this rarely lasts long. (I'll try and shut up about this book now).

Overall, I'd definitely recommend picking up a copy of this one and just enjoying the journey.

8.9/10

Anyhoo, I went a bit mad in Eason's the other day and took advantage of their 3 for 2 offer (got The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Road, and Notes on a Scandal). Sadly I probably won't be reading too much over the next few weeks (for a variety of reasons) but I'll try and update this asap.

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I haven't been able to do much reading at all over the past month, unfortunately. Thankfully, I've got a lot more free time on my hands now...

5. Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller

Absolutely fantastic read. It's funny; I only bought this book on a whim, mainly because Eason's have a 3 for 2 offer on at the moment and I decided to pick up something a bit different.

Notes on a Scandal tells the story of Sheba Hart, a recently-hired pottery teacher at a London school who becomes engaged in an affair with a teenage pupil. The book is narrated through the eyes of middle-aged colleague Barbara Covett, who is desperate to become friends with Sheba.

This book is brief, moving and darkly comic, with Heller's sparkling wit and compelling style remaining a joy to behold throughout. The book begins with many hilarious observations on class differences in modern England, but without spoiling any plot details, gradually transforms into a dark, sinister tale with many moving moments, and ends on a satisfyingly chilling note.

Definitely recommended.

9.1/10

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6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

I enjoyed this Swedish thriller/crime novel a lot. The only other thrillers I've ever read are (regrettably) those by Dan Brown, and I'm glad to say that Steig Larsson's bestseller is in many ways the antithesis of the likes of Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code, in that it actually feels like a proper novel. I've developed a newfound interest in this genre as a result.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo tells the story of the inexplicable disappearance of a teenager from her home on the Swedish island of Hedeby. This central mystery is compelling and intriguing in its own right, but what impressed me most about this book is that it offers so much more than just this mystery; the protagonists are complex and very endearing, and I warmed to them immediately (especially the feisty and unpredictable Lisbeth Salander, who is already one of my favourite heroines), there's excellent character development throughout (with some truly abhorrent villains), and Larsson offers plenty of compelling social commentary to boot. On the downside, the translation isn't great (it's rather clumsy in parts) and the book's pacing can be a bit odd, but neither of these really took away from my enjoyment of the book.

Looking forward to picking up the next instalment in the series in the future.

8.8/10

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I haven't been able to read much at all for quite a while due to exams and other such distractions, alas. But now, with the prospect of a long, most likely work-free summer on the horizon, I've got plenty of time to read dozens of books! Continuing with the Scandinavian theme of the previous book, I've just finished...

7. Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

This book sets out to achieve quite an ambitious task - to give a concise, accessible introduction to western philosophy in 400-odd pages. And remarkably, Gaarder is successful in doing so. Speaking as someone who had absolutely no knowledge of philosophy before reading, I greatly enjoyed this book, and learned a huge amount from it. Gaarder's accounts of Plato and Aristotle, rationalism and empiricism, Kant, Hegel and Kierkegaard, Darwin and Sartre, and countless other philosophers and movements, is entertaining, challenging and fascinating. The only real downside to this book is that the narrative holding these accounts together (the increasingly bizarre life of Norwegian schoolgirl Sophie Amundsen) isn't quite as interesting as the philosophy itself! This doesn't really take away from the book in any way though.

Overall, Sophie's World is an excellent introduction to philosophy (which I'll definitely be reading more about in the future), and I strongly recommend it.

4.5/5

(I've decided to simplify the numerical scores I give books - scoring them out of 10, including all the decimal points, is far too precise.)

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I had been reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami for the past couple of days, but decided to take a break from it yesterday to read...

8. The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This cult-classic book, which blends outlandish, nonsensical science-fiction with irresistible comedy, is, I must admit, fully deserving of all the hype surrounding it. Calling it hilarious would be an understatement - it's easily the funniest book I've ever read. It's rare to find a book that'll make you laugh out loud at all - this one had me in stitches, several times a page a lot of the time. Definitely the most entertaining book I've read this year, and I can see myself re-reading it several times over.

5/5

I fully intend finishing Kafka on the Shore soon, but maybe not straight away... We'll see.

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9. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Kafka on the Shore tells the stories of two very unusual characters - Kafka, who runs away from home after being cursed by his father, and Nakata, an elderly man who inexplicably has the ability to talk to cats. Their parallel tales gradually begin to intersect and cross paths over the course of the novel as their lives become increasingly bizarre and detatched from reality.

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting from Kakfa on the Shore, but this novel utterly defied my expectations in so many ways. Murakami's a truly gifted writer - the plot is cryptic, mind-bending and surreal, and as the novel progresses he gradually and subtly blurs the lines between reality and fantasy more and more. The prose is fluid and understated, and the novel is incredibly compelling - a classic page-turner. Incredible events occur throughout the story, and peppered throughout are many truly wonderful meditations on music, love, books and culture. An incredible book, by turns frightening, gripping and moving.

5/5

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10. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

I didn't enjoy this turn-of-the-century ghost story anywhere near as much as I had hoped, despite the storyline being intriguing and perplexing. The book tells the tale of a young governess who moves to an old mansion in the English countryside to care for two orphaned children. During her stay, apparitions of the previous governess and valet, both of whom are most certainly deceased, begin to appear to her with frightening regularity.

Nowadays, this strange tale works more as a psychological thriller than as a ghost story. The plot is very ambiguous and there are many loose ends left behind after the book's disturbing ending. The mystery behind the "evil" mentioned in the narrative is never resolved in the end.

Despite the interesting questions that linger after finishing this book, I really didn't enjoy it all that much. It's written in horrendously dry and leaden prose, full of convoluted sentence structures, and is remarkably devoid of atmosphere for a ghost story. James' writing style really didn't do it for me, and made the book a bit of a hard slog despite its shortness. This is a shame, because the plot of the book is very intriguing and mysterious, but if I'm being perfectly honest I enjoyed the plot summary on Wikipedia more than the actual book. (Embarassing, I know!)

3/5

anotherfinemess

Thanks for recommending books. I often have trouble choosing a good book to read, so I'll be checking out some of those you mentioned on holiday.

I have read the Time Traveller's Wife and I agree it's pretty good.

Others I have enjoyed are:
The Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa Thiong'o, a dark and hilarious tale of a fictitious corrupt african country, with much blurring of the lines between reality and hallucination.
Also The Thrall's Tale by Judith Lindbergh, set in Greenland, AD 1000.

I'd love to join a book club but don't have time for all the travel, being out in the boondocks - anyone fancy starting an online book club here?

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No problem Yeah, The Time-Traveler's Wife's a good read, even though it's a bit dragged-out.

I don't think it'd be a good idea for me to join a book club, because my free time is going to be very limited from September onwards (mightn't be able to get any reading done at all) but I'm sure if you start a thread about it over in the main forum there should be some people interested

If you're stuck for more book recommendations, the people on this forum are very helpful and should point you in the right direction! The "10 to read before the apocalypse" thread is great.

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11. The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Picking up several months after the first book left off, this second installment in the Millennium Trilogy tells the story of how protagonists Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist both become drawn into a gruesome triple murder investigation and a police chase that is fraught with countless twists and turns.

I must say that I really loved this book; I'm not sure yet if I think it's better than the first book in the series or not (quite possibly!), but regardless, I found it to be a great read. It's quite a different book to its predecessor in many ways - the pacing is different and the mystery at the book's core bears little similarity to that of the first book. One of this book's greatest successes is that it takes a very character-oriented tone for a sizeable proportion of the narrative, more so than the first book did. Larsson was truly a master of characterisation, and he does an excellent job of making every major character complex and entirely credible. Lisbeth Salander is the real star of this book, and by the end I really admired and had sympathy for this formidable, enigmatic woman. Larsson reveals many unexpected details about her astonishing life by the end. I genuinely think I'll miss her when I've finished the 3rd book!

Overall, a very enjoyable read, a compelling murder mystery and an impassioned attack on cruelty and corruption. The pacing lags a little in places, and you'll have to suspend your disbelief for some slightly far-fetched scenarios, but apart from that and the odd translation-related mishap, I find it very hard to fault this book. Definite thumbs-up from me.

(I think I'll stop giving books numerical scores altogether. Not much point in it really, and it's hard to decide on a fair score.)

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I was reading A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick and got about halfway through, but I'm taking a break from it now. Hopefully I'll return to it eventually, but to tell the truth I wasn't enjoying it very much, even though some of the author's ideas are very intriguing, and it was quite sad in places. (I've heard his short stories are his best, so I might give them a try.) So then I read...

12. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

A really excellent book. It tells the story of a man and his son as they travel through the burnt wasteland that was once America, scavenging for what little food is left, with death constantly just around the corner.

The Road is a short (it could easily be read in a single day), extraordinarily potent and unbearably sad book. It's stark, intense and shocking, and altogether a very thought-provoking tale that asks many difficult questions. It's not relentlessly depressing, however; in fact, the bond between father and son was perhaps the aspect of this novel that resonated the most with me.

I've never read anything by McCarthy before and I was very impressed by this novel. He writes in beautiful, poetic prose and his dialogue is flawless. A unique post-apocalyptic fable and an intensely moving depiction of the power of love. I can't recommend this book too highly.

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13. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

I've been a fan of Margaret Atwood ever since I read the beautiful Cat's Eye last year, so I naturally had high hopes for this novel. It tells the story of Grace Marks, an enigmatic figure in Canadian history who, in the mid-19th century, was convicted of the murder of Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper, and subesquently sentenced to life imprisonment. Much of the details surrounding the murders (which actually occurred) are still shrouded in mystery, and whether or not Marks was actually guilty is unknown.

I have to say, this novel was nothing at all like what I had expected. One of the quotes on the cover claims that the book is an "explosive mixture of murder, sex and class conflict", but I found quite the opposite to be the case. It's very much a slow burner, and took me quite a while to get into - around the 120-page mark or so I started to enjoy it far more.

The story is told, rather cleverly I thought, mainly in the form of a "conversation" between Marks and a doctor who is examining her case. This leaves many questions unanswered at the end of the book, as it is entirely probable that Marks' own account of her life story and the murders is unreliable. Atwood is, as expected, witty, intelligent and incredibly insightful from start to finish, and the book is very well-written. She is sharply critical of the social injustices of the time, and much of the novel is coloured by her feminist views, understandably. All the same, the book is not without its flaws - it is incredibly slow-paced, and I feel that ruthless editing could have shortened the book by about 100 pages or more. I also didn't like the story of Marks' early childhood (very much "Star of the Sea"-lite, although I suppose it couldn't be helped) and the ending left me cold.

Overall, a pretty good, intriguing read, though definitely not as good as Cat's Eye. I look forward to reading more of Atwood's novels, as I'm fairly confident I'll enjoy them more than I did this one.

sentient_6

I see you enjoyed The Road. I might suggest the Border Trilogy. His best im my opinion.

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sentient_6 wrote: »

I see you enjoyed The Road. I might suggest the Border Trilogy. His best im my opinion.

Thanks. I'll be sure to check out the Border Trilogy. I've heard good things about Blood Meridian too. McCarthy's a very good writer.