Thursday 24 November 2016

The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

Another one of my 50c finds at the School Feeding Fund's book sale.

Tom Ripley has not had an easy life. He was orphaned as a child and raised by a cold aunt. Now, as an adult, he is dabbling in white collar crime because he still can't get a break. But things change when he gets asked to find the wealthy Dicky Greenleaf in Greece and convince him to come home. (Jaws music should probably be playing at this point.)

I think I have realised why I struggle with books with the bad guy as the protagonist. I am a goody two shoes. I have this ridiculous fear of getting into trouble. So this is my mental process while reading books like this: What are you doing? You are never going to get away with that! ... Oh you idiot! You are going to be in SOOO much trouble! ... Dude! You're insane. WTF! There is no way you are going to pull that off! ... etc., etc.,etc.. I have to force myself to realise that, should this be real, I would want the guy trussed up well and tossed in jail indefinitely. But the thought of all that trouble...

In other words, my reading experience of this was draining and suspenseful; I could use that old cliche: like watching a train wreck in slow motion. But having said that, it was an interesting read. I could also see similarities between Tom and Patrick Bateman from 'American Psycho' by Bret Easton Ellis. 'The Talented Mr Ripley' was far less graphic though, so it was much less repulsive to read.

I probably should also mention that this is one of the few books I have read where I have noticed the correct use of the gerund. Patricia Highsmith managed to take me on one hell of a ride because of the characters she created. Even though I would detest someone like Tom, I could feel sympathy for him, and, (which is odd) want him to succeed - or at least get away with what he did. I felt Tom's hurt, embarrassment and discomfort when things stopped going well for him with Dicky. Although Marge should have been seen as a caring character, I constantly saw her as a potential hindrance. I think this all goes to show that Tom was a brilliant narrator.

This is probably deserved 3.5 stars from me, if not more.

Tuesday 15 November 2016

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

When a reluctant learner gives you a book to read because they liked the book - you read it. You read it even if your TBR pile has multiplied and had children. You read it even if you have absolutely no interest in the book whatsoever. So I read this.

Eddie is killed in a freak accident at work while trying to save a child. What follows are his experiences in heaven, meeting people whose lives touched his, or whose lives he touched.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is not a slog to read. It goes quickly - very quickly. The other thing I liked about it is that it highlighted that there is more than one side to every situation. A point that many people could do with some reminding about. But, I will be honest here, I didn't enjoy it. Let me explain. While I was happy that there were two sides to every issue, I felt that the reasons given for some of the actions of some people were not adequate in justifying their actions, and were definitely not adequate for understanding, let alone forgiveness. Take, for example, an extremely (physically) abusive parent. One sole decent act later on in life does not justify nor make up for years of beating one's children. Yes, it might show another side to a person who might have just been considered a monster, but it only raises more questions. Why could somebody who was clearly capable of understanding and forgiveness and immense self-sacrifice beat their kids without cause? See. Those are the things I am questioning after reading this.

I do not know if this was intended for a young audience, but it was written as though it was. The vocabulary and sentence structure was the opposite of challenging. Even the print was suited for the visually challenged. The best part of this was the very beginning when you know Eddie is going to die, but don't know how. The suspense was done fairly well there.

But the review that Junior got at school was that I thought his philosophy on life was interesting. I liked how there were two sides to every situation. And I liked how even what would seem irrelevant events, could cause chain reactions or cause an effect and effect people years later. I told her I thought I was a very interesting read.

I know I am not the intended audience for books like this. I am an atheist. I don't believe in heaven. I also feel that Mitch Albom knows just as much as everyone else does about the 'afterlife' - absolutely bloody nothing. So while I can see what he is trying to do (besides run on the shirt tails of Tuesday's with Morrie, his first book which got acclaim from Opera), I just don't see him as an expert on any of this. His guess on the afterlife is as good as yours and mine. His theories for living life are as good as yours and mine.

I gave this 3 stars. It was Ok.

Sunday 13 November 2016

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Did I ever mention the amazing book sale I stumbled upon? I found this book at that magnificent book sale in the 'Ten books for R5' section. Yes. There is no typo there. I really spent a whopping 50c on this. (All the other books were R5 a book - and I mean ALL the other books! :D ) The other thing that drew me to this book (because at that price I was already very tempted) was the way in which it is written. It is written as separate poems, which together, make the whole story. I have read epic poems (Paradise Lost comes to mind first), but never something like this. For that price, I was prepared to give it a go.

Billie Jo is living in The Dust Bowl in America during the depression. Her father is a wheat farmer, and with the drought and dust (and no, we are not talking about the bit that one tackles when cleaning the house, this is the type or dust that can cover and hide your house), times are hard. And just when things are hard - they get worse.

While I do not feel able to judge the quality of the poetry, I am quite confident that I can make a fair appraisal of the story. I found this very touching. Maybe that was a result of the poetry. There were no unnecessary frills and long passages of description which drowned out the bare bones of the story. The story itself was devastating in places, but ended with a tone of hope.

I found the history of the Dust Bowl during the depression interesting. It is something I had never heard about. (If you want to know why, take a look at the unit of currency my country uses.) The imagery of the dust was vivid, and felt smothering, adding to the feeling the narrator was experiencing.

I gave this 4 stars because I felt touched by this book. I could relate to Billie Jo wanting to leave and I could relate to.... well... that would be a spoiler.

Friday 11 November 2016

Lightbringer series books 1 -3 by Brent Weeks

Yeah,. The best cure for one's head after reading something truly sick and twisted (did you see I have finally made the label for that with the last post?) is some fantasy. Plus, it was the holiday (that brief 5 days off between one crazy workload and the next) which meant I could settle down and get some reading done - reading books that one does not want to have to put down at a reasonable hour because of work the following day.

I am going to lump the three books together here. Just in case you are new around here, this makes it easier as books in the middle of a series are harder to review because pretty much anything said is a spoiler for earlier books.

The Black Prism


This is a fantastic world with a super magic system based on colours! How different! The Prism, the magical head of this world receives notice that he has an illegitimate son in a distant land. Following his son, Kip, he realise that war is breaking out there. Can The Prism reach him in time to save his life? Well, that will be answered by around chapter 3. after that, it gets more exciting and involved as politics, war and hidden agendas come in to play.

I will say one thing for Brent Weeks - he can write one action packed story. I must say that whenever I read a story that gets too exciting, I end up pacing around the house - something that is difficult to do with a book in my hand. But I just can't sit still. I would have finished this an hour earlier if I didn't feel an urgent need to go pacing.

What I enjoyed the most about this was that the characters kept me guessing. Good, bad, just well-rounded? Guess time will tell!

The Blinding Knife 


I am honestly not saying a word on the synopsis here. Anything I say will ruin book 1.

Another thrilling ride. This books does not suffer from second-book-slump syndrome. One thing about exciting books is that they read very quickly.

If I were to be picky, I would say that there are some continuity issues with regards to characters. Also, that there are times where I feel that some lines are put in to be funny (when it really is not the right place) and unfortunately, it gives an aftertaste of immaturity. But then. I wasn't reading this because I was in the mood for highbrow intellectualism. This story is fun, fast-paced, and likes to keep one guessing. And guessing and guessing some more. I don't think I would trust my own shadow in this world!

The Broken Eye


Once again, I have nothing to say about the synopsis. If you want to be spoiled, head on over to Goodreads and read it there.

This one is my favourite so far! And do I want to get my hands on the next two books - yesterday!

The odd moment of immaturity that I had mentioned in my review of the previous book was drastically reduced in this one. The story has become so much more involved and layered. To say that I enjoyed this is quite the understatement. It was exactly what I wanted for my very short holiday. Perfect escapism, an amazing magic system, and a world that has left me quite impressed. And hell, did it play havoc on my nerves. I hope my favourite characters have gone and done something really stupid.

AHHH!!! I want the next two books NOW!!!! Please!!!

Wednesday 9 November 2016

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

I had heard a lot about this one. I had even seen the movie, although I could not remember much about it. And then a review on Stripped Cover Lit reminded me that I had American Psycho and that I should probably clear it off my TBR.

Patrick Bateman is successful. He works on Wall Street (a place I no longer think one should aspire to work for). He also happens to be a psychopath. Enqueue grossness.

What can I say? At least it is over. I need a HUGE bucket of brain bleach.

This was too disturbing. I cannot even comment on the writing - with the exception of one thing, but I'll get to that in a bit. I suppose the book was effective, achieved its goal. I am completely grossed out, and I suspect that was Ellis's intention. But... I am a bit too disturbed to actually spend time figuring out what he was trying to say. He created really real characters too. I think that is what added to the disturbing experience. I found these characters extremely annoying (well, besides the Psycho - who managed to reach a category I haven't named yet), but I felt that was accurate.

The thing that really annoyed me was the constant reference to fashion designers. Every person in this book has their attire described by designer: Armani, and every other name (most that I don't even recognise). I get that this is done because that was what the shallow people in this damned book were interested in, adding to their shallow characters, and their extensive bank accounts. But by the third chapter I was irritated. Thirty chapters and I was thoroughly frustrated. Although - hearing about the fashion choices was a dang side safer that reading all the other stuff - which was not fun. Not fun at all.

While I suspect that a reread would get more out of this (what is up with the time; is it non-linear, or does it jump a lot?) I am not up for that - EVER. I was also not sure whether he had imagined all the killings. Those scenes sounded more like the porn videos he had been watching. The sex was explicit, yet the violence was either a description of the aftermath, or just the beginning. The thing with time that got me wondering if it was non-linear was that chapter on a random Thursday where he was running around the city like a complete lunatic. I found it hard to believe that he would have been able to pull off incidents like that while still being a successful bloke on Wall Street. As I said, I think I would get more out with a reread. Confession time: I ended up skim reading this.

I do think this was well done. I felt like I had been in the head of one super sick psycho. But after reading this, I really did feel like I could do with washing my head out.

This left me in the mood for light and fluffy. REALLY fluffy. BUT! Don't take my word for this. I have friends who have this listed as one of their favourite books. As to me: I gave it 1 star. It is fair to penalise a book for being too well done?

PS: The cover for this book is stunning!

Monday 7 November 2016

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood is an automatic buy author for me. The first time I read her was at university. We had to read Surfacing by her. Although I can't remember anything other than the 'tear the umbilical chord in your teeth' part (and I am not even sure I remember that part correctly), I do remember being impressed with the book.

I found the Penelopiad sitting looking lonely at Jimmy's Secondhand bookshop, so I fixed the problem.

This book is a part of the Canongate Myth Series (I need to look into those books). It is a retelling of the myth of Odysseus from the point of view of Penelope and the hanged maids. Now I will admit that I have not read Homer (I have acquired the books this year and hope to rectify that), so my knowledge of this story was very basic and probably mostly wrong.

Perhaps I should give you Margaret Atwood's words on this, as found in the prologue: “I’ve chosen to give the telling of the story to Penelope and to the twelve hanged maids. The maids form a chanting and singing Chorus, which focuses on two questions that must pose themselves after any close reading of the Odyssey: What led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to? The story as told in the Odyssey doesn’t hold water: there are too many inconsistencies. I’ve always been haunted by the hanged maids and, in The Penelopiad, so is Penelope herself.”

I think having the perspective from dead Penelope made this a refreshing and insightful tale. While commenting on Odysseus, Atwood threw in many commentaries of the modern world we live in. I had to enjoy the cattiness between Penelope and Helen.

While I chuckled many times throughout this, I have to say that the parts by the twelve maids were ominous. The prologue in the beginning lets one know with no doubt that things are not going to end well (when do they ever for virgins?), and as the plot is slowly revealed and the hints are dropped by the maidens, that bad feeling becomes a bad eventuality. Not that this is gory. It isn't likely to turn stomachs (although I am not a good judge on that). Atwood was using this to make a comment on women.

I gave this 5 stars. I was just what I was in the mood for.

Saturday 5 November 2016

The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

I read Oryx and Crake, according to my records, exactly one year ago - or (which is probably more important for the point I am going to try and make) 130 books ago. In other words, I knew the plot, I remembered (surprisingly for me) the characters names - well the main three. But, my memory was not good enough to take me into The Year of the Flood.

Once again, I am going to review books together. It seems a good idea with series.

The Year of the Flood


Margaret Atwood is a genius.

Because I read Oryx and Crake over a year ago, it took a while for me to join this story with that one. I was past the half way mark when a few pieces fell into place and I hit Google to confirm my suspicions. I thought the book would continue where Oryx and Crake left off. How wrong I was.

This story is an eerie prediction (or perhaps hyperbolic prediction) of what could happen if science is left unchecked. Already, so much of what happens in the real world was shown here: the extremes people will go to to look beautiful, the genetic modification of food (we are at least still sticking to plants - from what I know at least) etc. But while this book is set in a scientifically advanced future, it does not seem that distant - possibly because it does not take a huge stretch of the imagination to get there, or because Atwood captures human nature so well, that nothing seems foreign. What was also brilliantly done was that there was no 'one side that was completely good' or 'completely bad' (with the exception of the painballers - but then, that made sense too).

I had a good laugh when I read that Rachel Carson had been made a saint. I must go back and look up the other saints that I didn't catch.

I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads.

I learnt from my mistake and  picked up MaddAddam immediately. I didn't want to spend my time trying to figure out what happened again.


MaddAddam


MaddAddam is an extremely well-balanced story of delightful humour, absolute horrors, total innocence and well-seasoned experience. I laughed heartily in places, cringed in others; but overall, had to admire the complexity of what Margaret Atwood managed to put together into a mere 394 pages.

Although this is the third book in the MaddAddam trilogy, I think it can be read as a standalone. It reads differently to its predecessors, for which I was happy - not that I have anything against Oryx and Crake or The Year of the Flood. MaddAddam just read so much more easily. The first two books build the world and the characters; MaddAddam explores 'what happened next'. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed it more too.

Margaret Atwood has an amazing imagination. I ended up loving the Crakers, even though my initial impressions were less than positive. But the part I loved the most were when Toby told the Crackers stories.

I could go on and on. If dystopian or apocalyptic stories are your thing, and you appreciate really good writing, I would recommend this one. I gave this 5 stars too.

Thursday 3 November 2016

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Another book that had been sitting on my shelf for ages. This year I wanted to get my TBR pile down to something far more reasonable. (Isn't that a joke. It has grown, multiplied and had children. Soon it will be wanting to move out and get a driver's licence.)

Writing a synopsis for this is not going to be easy at all. I cannot tell you what the story is about because... well... it is almost like a collection of short stories that are connected to each other - except that the stories are read as though they are real, with past, present and future settings. (Which is why, when you look at the shelves for this book on Goodreads, you will see it shelved as contemporary, historical and sci-fi.) Besides the stories being connected to one another, themes connect the stories too - and they are good themes: slavery etc.

This was fantastic. I have never encountered a concept like this before. I found myself glued to each story, disappointed when each stopped, and then completely glued to the next. And the best thing! I got to do it all in reverse again! Reading the conclusion to each tale, and seeing how it all fitted in with the other tales.

David Mitchell can create characters who have their own distinctive voice. Hands down, the man is a genius. His character in here were also very diverse, ranging from bisexual to Korean. But it isn't just his characters that kept me going, completely awed. His plots (and the overall storyline) were great too. I am so pleased that I have more to look forward to from Mitchell. This book was such a good investment, both financially and of time.

I gave it a well deserved 5 star rating.

Tuesday 1 November 2016

Atonement by Ian McEwan

What a difficult book to review - although that is not the books fault. it is my fault. I watched the movie years ago, and that was a problem.


When Briony is a child she witnesses something between her older sister and a friend, Robbie. Her lack of understanding of their relationship, makes her do something that she will regret for the rest of her life. (And that is no hyperbole.)

This book starts off very slowly. The first day is over 100 pages long, but it is a HUGELY important day, as it is the day that changes everything. As a result, we get to hear about many of the events from the perspectives of different people. Which can be tedious - if you have seen the movie. I loved the language, but... I knew everything that was going to happen and, although I saw the movie 8 years ago, I could still visualise everything from the film (It is a great film. Go watch it. Bring tissues.). I must admit that I was debating putting the book down at this point, and I will confess to some speed reading.

The pacing picks up in the second part, set a few years later during the war. My memory of this part from the film was more vague, so I was much more interested here. Spending time with Robbie was devastating - not only because of the war, but because of what had happened to him.

Although I really do not want to compare the book to the movie, I can't help it. I think the movie *squeaks* is a bit better. The movies ending packed such a punch that months later I couldn't tell my mom about it without sobbing - but the book's didn't do that to me. Maybe it was because I knew what was going to happen; maybe it is because the movie's statement is far less open to interpretation and therefore so much more devastating.

This isn't a bad book. It deserves the 4 star rating (although I think it is really a 3.5). But... I would probably recommend the movie. Especially to get past that first day.