Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

What with the false report about Achebe's death (he actually died in 2013), I was reminded that I needed to read this book. I can't remember if I had read it before. My uni reading list was insane. Basically it required that I read 8 classic books a week. Sure! I read fast, but not that fast, and definitely not that fast with heavy books, juggling other courses and doing essays - oh and the social life! I might have read it and forgotten it completely - there were soooo many books; I might have started it and then decided that I did not like it and put it down; or it could have been one of those that I just didn't ever get too. Either way, it needed a read.

While I won't be teaching this one at school, I can see the benefit of studying it. There are some very interesting themes in here that make one think. It covers gender issues, colonialism, religion and tribal life to name but a few.

The main character, Okonkwo, was a strange character. Initially he seemed to be heroic. But by the end he was a huge disappointment. He was aggressive and violent, and his compassion was completely jaded by his fear of looking like an efulefu (a worthless man, or a man who behaved like a woman) or becoming anything like his own father. Okonkwo is involved in some terrible things and it is through his own actions that many things fall apart.

Of course the other cause of things falling apart was the arrival of the white man. We see how they have an effect on the spirituality of the tribe, how it is their arrival that causes a division in the tribe.

Reading this book as a white person is quite an experience. The idea of dumping new born twins in the evil forest because twins are something evil is barbaric and stupid. Mutilating the corpses of dead children so that they don't keep returning to die is equally insane. But yet, I could still appreciate why these people might have thought this. Yet, the arrival of the white man, with their religion and courts, does not fix anything. They felt like an intrusion. These people had their own way of dealing with crimes and issues that arrived in the tribe, and they worked for them. I felt the injustice of having other people arrive and then dictate how they were to run their land. I sympathised as they faced challenges that they did not have solutions for,. because such unthinkable things had never happened in the past.

This was a thought-provoking read. It wasn't a fun read, but it definitely got me thinking.

I rated this 4 stars on Goodreads, because, even though my enjoyment was not there, I found the narrative intriguing and continued turning pages, and then the themes were handled very well.

This is the 13th book read for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

What do book lovers do after a shit week of epic proportion? Yes, they buy books. I spent a fortune. I never buy new releases because they are so expensive, but I had heard a lot of good things about this one on Book Tube, and as it had been a horrid few days, I splurged. And I am quite happy I did so.

A woman takes the train every day into London. It is a slow train, and every day it stops next to these houses. She loves the one house and the people who live there. She has created their identities, given them names and personalities. They are the perfect couple, until dot dot dot. (You didn't really expect me to tell you, right?) Anyway, she gets involved, and then ...

I really enjoy books with unreliable narrators. In this book we follow three narrators. They are all female, which was interesting. I do wonder if having the narration from one of the males would have put a different spin on it, perhaps made it more exciting, added to the suspense - or confusion. But that is neither here nor there. It did not happen.

I enjoyed the internal struggle of one of the narrators. Her battle with alcohol was interesting to read, as was her struggle with no being able to have children. When she would slip up and hit the bottle, I did find myself getting frustrated, but then, as someone who had their first cigarette since August as a result of a shit week, I have no room to talk. Maybe we addicts just rely on our known comforts. I did enjoy how her character developed throughout this book.

“...let’s be honest: women are still only really valued for two things—their looks and their role as mothers. I'm not beautiful, and I can't have kids, so what does that make me? Worthless.”

― Paula Hawkins, The Girl on the Train

Because I have been on a bit of a feminist buzz of late, I just have to add how I appreciated the realistic commentary on most women's lives. It uncovers subtle and not-so-subtle abuse. It also put into words how so many women feel. From the day we are born, we are taught that beauty is important. So how do you make it in this world when you are not beautiful?

My problem is that this book is compared it to Gone Girl. Yes, there are a few similarities, but it is a shallow, very direct comparison. Gone Girl has a faster pace, whereas The Girl on the Train deals with other slower issues. The narrators in The Girl on the Train are unreliable in a completely different way. (Argh! This is so hard to discuss without spoiling either of the books.) As a result of this, I feel that people who read this because of the hype and the Gone Girl comparison are going to be disappointed. The Girl on the Train should really be seen as its own entity, and appreciated for its own value.

I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Camille Preaker is a second-rate journalist working for a second-rate paper. One day her editor sends her back to her small hometown to write about what is potentially a serial killer starting out - one girl was found dead a few months ago, the second has gone missing. But this is not an easy task for Camille. She does not want to be reminded of the past, nor to see her mother.

Sharp Objects is a brilliant and twisted ride. It is not a fast paced ride though. The psychology of the characters in the book are explored more than the crime and clues. In fact, in many ways, the crime takes the back seat. This is not a criticism; it is an observation. I think that many people who have been disappointed with this book were expecting something else. Although I have shelved Sharp Objects as 'crime', it is much, much more. It is part family drama, part small town drama, part crime and part coming to terms with one's self (not that that is actually a genre).

Being a 'word' person, there were aspects about the narrator that really touched me. I'm not going to claim that it gave me warm fuzzy feelings; in fact the opposite was possibly more likely. But I appreciated the idea of it, and I loved how that aspect worked in the book.

If you are picking this up as a crime novel, you will probably be disappointed with the pacing. The crime was a part of it, but I did not feel that it was the main theme of the plot, and as a result there was so much else going on that was much more subtle.
Sharp Objects is a good read, but don't go into it expecting Gone Girl. Go into it expecting slow and twisted.

This is the 12th book read for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge.

I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads because I did enjoy reading it.

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

Ready for an unpopular opinion? Well read on.


After the loss of her aunt, Tessa Gray moves to London to be with her brother. Only, she doesn't find her brother, just a world of trouble filled with warlocks, demons and Shadowhunters. And what is it about her? Why do these people want her? And who is the Magister?

I can't say that I enjoyed this series. There are so many things I could say about why I didn't like it, and although it is really tempting to go into all those million reasons, I can't guarantee that anyone would be interested in reading it. So I will keep it short.

Love triangles bug the hell out of me, especially when it is obvious who is supposed to be together. This one was less a triangle and more a straight line with a detour bump on the side for the majority of the story. Maybe some folks will disagree. It does redeem itself near the end. But, blurgh, by then I was fed up.

The plot was predictable in every single way possible. The other thing was that the plot seemed to take the back seat to everybody's love lives, and I mean everybody. At some points I felt that the plot was just an excuse for the romance. I just don't get excited about teen romance.

I felt that Henry Branwell was a fanfic copy of Arthur Weasley. I also felt that far too many pages were wasted on characters that I didn't care about, in the attempt to make me care about them. I didn't. On the positive side, there were strong female characters. They just weren't really distinguishable from each other, personality wise at least.

While I can see what the appeal is for YA readers, I did not go gagga over this series.  Am I being too harsh? So many people love this series. Is it age? I am sure I would have loved it if I was 16. But I know other adult readers who thoroughly enjoyed this series. I think I need to give YA a break. Either the majority of the YA I have picked up recently are substandard, or else my real life is interfering with my reading and robbing me of all forms of idealism and 'happily-ever-afters'. They all feel fake and unrealistic right now.

I gave these books 3 stars each on Goodreads, because they were OK.

These were the 10th and 11th books completed for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge!

World War Z by Max Brooks

This was brilliantly thought out.

World War Z is a collection of interviews put together chronologically by a journalist, depicting the Zombie Apocalypse from start to, well, if I say one more word there, it could be a spoiler.

“Most people don't believe something can happen until it already has. That's not stupidity or weakness, that's just human nature.”

Max Brooks

While World War Z is written in such a way that it does not have a protagonist for the reader to root for and to fear for, there is still a lot of place for the reader to feel completely invested in the story. I loved that multiple countries, even MY country, were in this book. There are multiple situations where the reader can get involved in the story, just by wondering what they would do in such a situation. (Come on, who hasn't done the 'How long will you survive the Zombie Apocalypse quiz'? I got 1 and a half years. I don't know if that is good or not. But I figure if I can survive 1.5 years, adding a few more shouldn't be that hard...)

But that isn't even what I enjoyed the most. I enjoyed seeing how the events unfolded globally.  I loved the underlying commentary on different countries, their governments and their histories. I enjoyed the social commentaries, ranging from internet addiction to the shunning of certain people. In my opinion, the book had less to do with zombies, and more to do with the flaws in human nature and government - and our strengths too. To call World War Z a book about zombies is about the same as saying that Animal Farm was about farmyard animals. Yes, but there is soooo much more to it.

“The monsters that rose from the dead, they are nothing compared to the ones we carry in our hearts”

Max Brooks

The majority of the low ratings on Goodreads come from people who were not happy with the fact that there was no protagonist. Keep this in mind if that is not the type of book that appeals to you. Personally, I enjoyed that. I felt as though I was rooting for mankind and not one guy. It put a different perspective on it. But I can see how some folks might be disappointed. World War Z is NOT The Walking Dead.

This was so much more than an entertaining read. It was enlightening. Brooks should be commended for his masterpiece.

Predictably, I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads (I enjoyed it AND it had loads for me to think on.).

This was the 9th book completed for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge!

The First Ever Readathon at my High School

One of my work goals for this year is to start a library at my school. To do this, I need money. Yeah. It is always money, isn't it?

I had the idea of doing a sponsored readathon. In other words, I would run a regular readathon over a week, and the kids would find people to sponsor them per page they read (or give a donation). Kids whose parents have businesses could sponsor a teacher.

The goals were:

• Get the kids reading! (if only for a week)
• Make lots and lots of money!
• Buy fun, MODERN YA books that will get them to enjoy reading. (Bugger quality reading for now.)

I know I had an unrealistic goal - ZAR 40 000. (That is roughly US$ 4000.) A shit load of money, which would get me approximately 200 books. It isn't a lot, but it is a start.

Well, I must say that I saw kids reading for the week. Teens were walking around with books in their hands, talking books, and enjoying books. Even kids who I thought would balk at the thought of reading, even with a gun at their heads, got involved. I am not claiming it was perfect. There were still the few who were too cool for it, but I am glad to say that they were a real minority. As to money raised, I still do not know. It is coming in slowly - very slowly for someone as impatient as me.

Over the week I read 1643 pages. Not shabby considering my brother has come to stay for a few weeks before leaving the country for good. I will put up reviews of those books over the coming week. I just have to juggle test setting, marking and spending time with the family with that plan too.

I will also be doing an Unhaul post. There are many YA books that I have bought for the sole purpose of reading for recommendations to kids and will never reread. I have been given permission to sell them to the school for a reasonable 2nd hand price (they look brand new), which will benefit the both of us - I will be able to buy new books and they should be able to get 6 - 7 books for the price of 1 new release.

My next move is to ask parents to donate all old books they have to the school, be they appropriate or not. I will then go to second hand book shops and see if I can find good quality YA books to exchange for those. Ideally, I would rather have a library of new books as they will be more likely to last a bit longer. But second hand books, especially if in good nick, are still far better than the absolute zero books we have now.

Anyone here have any other ideas on how to raise money specifically for a library? I could really do with some!

*Picture nabbed from here

Star Ratings

I have been debating star ratings since I signed up on Goodreads. I know I am not the only person out there that feels that 5 little stars are hardly a judge on the quality on a book. But then, I am sure that I am not the only person who eyes the star ratings and judges whether a book might be worth buying and reading or not.

Initially I thought I would stick to what the Goodreads stars said - after all, how is the 'system' supposed to know what I enjoy or not. And how is their rating system supposed to work if every Dick, Tom, Jack and Harry out there have there own meanings assigned to the number of stars? But in so many cases we are not even comparing apples to oranges, but apples to orangutans!

What do I mean? Well, looking at my 2014 5-star ratings I can already see discrepancies. Some obvious classics got 5-star ratings from me, namely:Frankenstein, Animal Farm and Brave New World. Excellent stories, beautifully written. But then, also receiving 5 stars were Coraline, Wonder, Ready Player One, and Assassin's Apprentice. Now these I also loved. Also excellent stories, beautifully written. But are they the same? Can I really compare Coraline and Frankenstein (although they do rhyme nicely)? This gets more complicated when I look at my 4-star ratings. How could I have given both Lee Child and Terry Pratchett 4 stars? Terry Pratchett is a master of language! His metalanguage makes me happy - very happy. While Child's character makes me happy, it is for a more barbaric reason and not one based on intellect (it's nice to see bad guys die). Further down the star order, I see I gave The World According to Garp the same 3 stars I gave the Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta books. Really? No? Although I plodded through Garp, it was better, much, much better. In fact, one might easily argue, that it was written a lot better than Child's book, or some of the other books I gave 5-stars to.

The first problem is that different genres, styles of writing and age groups are all being lumped together - apples with orangutans.  The second problem is that I am wanting to judge everything on a single star rating. My degrees and daily dealings with language are wanting to make an intellectual snob out of me. I want to judge quality of writing, development of characters, quality of the message and everything else, including enjoyment, in that single rating. It isn't possible.

So what is an English major supposed to do? I am going to try and compromise. My star ratings are going to be purely based on the frivolous criteria of enjoyment as per Goodreads (and because in all honesty, the majority of the reading I do is for fun and little else). But, in the spirit of being English, I will have some exceptions to the rule.

5 stars will mean that I really enjoyed the book (enjoyment being the main criteria) but that it there was something that stuck with me, and will likely stick with me for a long time. This will go for the unforgettable book, or a book with unforgettable lines, or a book with some of the best characters. You get the idea.
2 - 4 stars will purely be based on enjoyment. It means that the other criteria that I like to look for were not really touched upon, or were nothing new or special. Or that if they were, I just did not enjoy the book.
4 stars mean I really enjoyed reading it.
3 stars mean it was OK.
2 stars mean I did not enjoy it and it was bloody lucky I didn't DNF it.
1 star will mean that I hated it and found some theme or idea 'ill-thought out' (this will include everything from racism, to gender bias, promoting negative relationships etc.), that it suffered from extremely poor writing or other things that make my toes curl and my brain scream at me to stop reading. There are some books that I will DNF and rate 1 star for this reason.

So what does that mean for anyone who follows my reviews either here or on Goodreads? It means absolutely nothing. All the important stuff will be in the written review - although I am not really a fan of writing rigidly proper reviews (I have enough of them at school). It also means that I will forever look at ratings such as Vonnegut's 3-star rating for Slaughterhouse Five and cringe with disapproval at myself.

Maybe I will change this in the future. I will give it a year and see how this system works for me.

Picture nabbed from here.

February 2015 Wrap Up

Dang, but work slows my reading down!

February was apparently a lot longer than my calendar says it was. I thought I had read a lot less than I had. It turns out, Goodreads says that I read 7 books! Seven books! How did that happen?

First off, I finished The Millenium Series (otherwise known as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series). I really enjoyed this series and would love to read the 4th book, if it is published in August this year. I hope I don't end up feeling disappointed.

Then I completed the Alex Rider series by reading the 10th installment. I know I am closer to 40 than 30, but I have loved this series since I stumbled upon it (I was given the first book as a freebie when I bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in Borders in Charing Cross Street at the midnight launch. Ahhh! For a person who grew up in Africa, where books are not revered like that, it was an experience, I tell you. And sooooo many books!!!!!). It is not Cody Banks or any other teen spy movie that comes to mind. This series is dark. Russian Roulette was no exception. Although it did not follow Alex, it told the story of how the assassin, Yassin Gregorovich, came to be an assassin. It was awesome. I highly recommend this series to teen boys. I got an entire class to love reading by starting them off on this!

 After that, I read an ebook that was written by a women I knew when I lived in South Korea, teaching English. It was interesting, but I feel as though I can't give an honest review on it, because I am too happy for her for publishing a book to even want to read it critically. So. If you are finding yourself trapped in a dark place and would like to read how someone got out of it, with her advice and research etc. maybe try giving The Engineer: Calibrating the Human System a shot.

Then I hit my first 3-star book for the year - The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Is the book to blame, or all the hype? I don't know. I must admit that I was expecting more. While there were things that I did enjoy, I found the plot rather straight forward. And considering that the kids had been stuck there for more than 2 years, it sure didn't say much about them for it to be solved in just a few days... I might have been a bit unfair on this one, as I was not in the mood for YA when I read it though. Also, if you are taking notes here, just remember the "closer to 40 than 30" comment above.

Because I enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, the lady in my favourite bookshop recommended that I tried Big Bad Wolf by Nele Neuhaus. I enjoyed that too. It was not as graphic as The Millenium Series even though the topic was similar. The Millenium Series dealt with violence towards women (obviously hitting on sexual assault too), whereas Big Bad Wolf covered the topic of sexual violence and abuse of children. Once again, a disturbing topic, but one that should not be brushed under the carpet and ignored.

Finally, the cheery on the cake was The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. I loved absolutely everything about this book, and it is nice to read about something that is close to home. I don't get to do that often. You can read my quick review about this one here.

Not completed books in February

*le sigh* I am still wading through The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton. I really need to hurry up on this one, because I am going to forget who is who in that zoo very quickly. But... although it is fine while I am reading it, I just never find myself wanting to pick it up. I am also not enjoying all the long exposition in it. It feels like reading a wikipedia entry.

Then, I started World War Z last night. That is looking pretty interesting! For school I am also in the middle of The Outsiders by SE Hinton, Animal Farm by George Orwell (for the gazillionth time. AHHH!!!! Don't get me wrong. It was great the first few times. As this is close to my twentieth reading of it since 2008, I am feeling slightly less enthusiastic.), and Romeo and Juliet (Ahhh!! The fourth year in a row!!!)

Totals for February

Total completed: 7 books
Started: 5 books (Shew! Really! I suppose the one's for school do add a lot! But as I read every single darned work out loud, they count. They really, really count!)
Books cleared from TBR pile: 6 (This is for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge.)

Plans for March

I am running a readathon at school during the first week of March. The kids are to be sponsored per page they read (I want to raise money for a cool, fun, MODERN YA library) and I am up as a teacher that can be sponsored too (I said I wanted to make money right.). Anyway, for that, I bought The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare. I figure that should go quickly as I read the Mortal Instruments Series in a under a week. I was supposed to read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency too, but well, so much for that idea. I need to find some other quick reads to go in here instead.

Other than that, I need to finish that blasted Great Train Robbery or DNF it. Beyond that, I don't have any definite plans. The kids are doing a lot of testing this month, being the end of the 1st term, and I have both my brother coming to visit and then, at the end of the month, my aunt and cousin. Visitors and reading do not go well together. One tends to get labelled anti-social...