Room by Emma Donoghue

This has to be one of my favourite reads of the year so far!

“Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.”

― Emma Donoghue, Room

Imagine being raised in a room. Imagine never realising that there is a world outside the door. Just imagine. Jack and his mother do not need to imagine. They know.

I absolutely adored this book. I do not want to go into too many details with regards to the plot because I feel that some of the experience of reading the book will be lost if even the small spoilers are dropped.That always makes a review very difficult though.

I loved Donoghue's choice of narrator. She had the little, five-year-old boy telling the story, which made it a lot more adventurous in tone than it would have been if one of the adults were narrating. I loved the way she had him personify things in the room and his use of kiddie language, getting things like the irregular verbs incorrect. His understanding of the world was also gorgeous. It is the reader's job to read between the lines and work out what is really happening in the story. The real story is heavy and dark, but because of Jack it is not.

The sociological concept was intriguing. (Vague!? Yes! I am sorry, but I really do not want to spoil you!) I must admit that I was very impressed with Donoghue's approach in dealing with it and it got me debating it with my mom, brother and sister-in-law for quite a few days. I even took the ideas to work and debated them with the therapist and another teacher. I love it when a book makes me think long after I am done reading it.

Jack was a delightful character to read from. Although we only ever get to see his mother through his eyes, she was really interesting too. I thought that she was extremely invented and exceptionally intelligent. The routine and crafts that she put together for Jack in the room were inspired. I do not know if I would have been as good as she was. Her character does plummet later, but I feel that that is completely understandable. I do not detract stars from books because I do not like characters or because they do things that bug me. In her case I think she is justifiable. Let me explain in a way that has absolutely NOTHING to do with this book. I worked in South Korea for 3 years. The culture there surprised me, but I was expecting it to. What I didn't expect was the culture shock I got when I returned back HOME. Yes. Insane, crazy, whatever, but it is true. And I am not the only one who has experienced this. Apparently it is completely normal. So that is why I can understand Jack's mother. I think her issues are realistic, and although it showed her weakness, it was right that she should have them.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in psychological or sociological theories. I would also recommend it for those who are wanting a change from the normal stories out there. This one is original in both execution and plot.

This was the 22nd book I have read for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge.
I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads. I will definitely reread this book at some point.

Bout of Books 13 Wrap Up

It is over - unfortunately. I knew when I signed up for this one, that I would not do anything startling. Work is just a bit hectic as the exams start next week, and all papers need to be finalised by Wednesday. For the only English teacher covering grades 9 through to 12, it means work, work, work and nothing else. But having said that, by Bout of Books 13 was not a complete disaster.

In all, I finished 3 books (ok, ok, ok, in all fairness, I had started 2 before the readathon began) and started 2 more. Here is the final wrap up!

Books completed:

The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker.  50-ish pages
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. 32 pages
Room by Emma Donoghue. 432 pages

Books started:

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman. 86 pages (+ the intro)
Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith. 118 pages

Total: 718 pages

General thoughts:

Short stories actually do work well for me for readathons. I thought I would give it a try this time, and it was nice having something short to read when I eventually got to bed at night, especially something that I knew I could start and finish and not be a zombie the next day.

Room was brilliant. As soon as I have finalised the last 5 exam papers, I will write a review on that one. It is one of my favourite books of the year so far, especially as far as the execution of the story went.

Anyway, that is enough from me. Time to get back to work. (The story of my life....)

The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker

A golem is awoken on a ship sailing to the new world just before her master dies. A djinni is accidentally released from a lamp in a very young America. Neither are human; both need to fit in.

This was a very well-crafted, enjoyable story. The plot moves with a good pace, although, fans of more action packed novels would probably find it slow, as there is not a lot of action or suspense built. But having said that, the story does keep moving, and it does keep the reader curious to find out what happened in the past and was was going to happen. What more could one ask for? I have always enjoyed stories where one needs to keep an eye out for clues, and this one definitely fell into that category.

I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship between Chava and Ahmad, and I appreciated that some friendships lasted and other didn't, and some had hiccoughs, and others didn't. It was a very realistic view on friendship. I really enjoyed watching how Chava and Ahmad met and slowly became friends. The transition was not rushed, and as a result, it felt more valuable. I also appreciated how Ahamd and Arbeely grew apart, plagued with jealousy and frustration with each other.

What I really liked most though, was not the claim that these two were on a hunt to discover what it meant to be human, but to discover what it meant to be themselves and to embrace that. I felt that there was a lot of emphasis on one's nature and what that meant, and accepting that for all the good and bad it entailed.

I felt that there was something lacking, though, but I can't put my finger on it. It might have to do with the fact that I barely managed to get through a few pages at night and that that interrupted the flow of the reading experience and robbed something from it. Or it might be something else.

I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads. I must admit that I think 4 stars might be a little generous, but it was definitely better than 3.
This was the 21st book I have read for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

This was a striking read. Wow, just wow!

Charlie is an introverted, intelligent guy who is about to start high school, and let's face it, no one is really prepared for that step.

On the surface, this book has similarities to many other coming-of-age stories out there. Smart outcast kid at school, the English teacher with the extended reading list... but there was something so much MORE in this book than in others.

I really thought the format of this story was very effective. Charlie was telling his story anonymously though letters. It was a nice change from the diary format - or the straightforward novel. It also made the tone very conversational which really made it easy reading and made immersion into the story much faster and more thorough. I really felt like I was there.

There were so many things I enjoyed about the plot and the characters. I loved that Charlie was not as sex crazy as other teen protagonists in similar stories. Yes, he was definitely interested, and he did learn a lot in that department, but he had other things on his mind too. There were some interesting female characters who were strong and smart. Sam in particular was interesting. I also appreciated that the characters were flawed. They were far more realistic that way. (And yes, a flawed female character does not equal a weak character - it means a realistic one.) The one huge striking draw of this story is the friendships in it. I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between the characters. I liked that the friendship too was perfect because of its lack of perfection. One could easily argue that Sam and Pat were bad influences on Charlie - but in many ways they were extremely good for him too.

There are some mature themes in this book, and I think they were covered well. I think it is important for teenagers to be exposed to the harsh realities of this world. This book handles these topics maturely and in a way that a younger reader could gain something from the experience.

I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads.
It is the 20th book I have read for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge.

Bout of Books update Day 3

Being an adult sucks. I thought about using that word, 'sucks', but there is no other word that I can think of that quite captures the slurping, gloopy connotation of 'sucks'. So I am sticking with it. Because that is exactly the feeling I have had this week as I admire my TBR pile from my computer and then head back to work instead.

But it is not completely terrible. Here is what I have completed so far:
The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker. I think I had about 50 pages to go to the end on Monday. Yay!
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This was finished on Tuesday. I had 32 pages to go. This is a brilliant book, and every year that I read it, it gets better and better.
I also managed to set the literature exams for grades 10 through 12. The memos alone for each exam are 25 pages each. (Now that is impressive, let me just say that.)

I have since started:
Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman. I am 76 pages in so far of actually stories, but I waded though the introduction too. It was really interesting!

So that means I have read 158 pages so far. It is quite a lot considering how much work I am juggling along with reading.

Bout of Books 13.0

I can't say that the timing is good - in fact it couldn't really be much worse. My holidays and long weekends are a distant memory.  But I am going to give this my best shot. Who knows, maybe it will motivate me to get the 20 exam papers I have to set, finished before Bout of Books starts (unlikely, but I will cross my fingers.). Perhaps it will encourage me to take a few breaks from setting exam papers and actually relax. Either way, I want to sign up for this. My TBR pile has grown thanks to my retail therapy and the fact that my favourite bookshop is at the entrance to my grocery shop. (I dare you to avoid that level of temptation! Especially when the staff are awesome and know what I like - and keep books aside for me that they know I will LOVE!)

So, what is the plan - besides putting a dent in my TBR pile (apparently one challenge is not enough to get it back down to a reasonable number)?

I will probably start off with the next book in The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Andrew McCall Smith, which is Morality for Beautiful Girls. These books are wonderful. They are also quick to get through, which is of course an added bonus for a readathon. Nothing like feeling accomplished on the first day.

I might then read Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. This is the last book of hers that I have to read. I usually find that books like these go very quickly.

It is tempting to then consider Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman, because it could be nice to read one or two short stories a night and feel like I am still making progress. My other alternative is the Complete Short Stories of Sherlock Holmes, but, shew, that is a massive book. I prefer to leave that one for random reading throughout the year.

Considering my workload, I think that should be more than enough to be getting on with, but just in case I do manage to pull off the biggest miracle of the millennium and finish setting papers before the readathon starts, I will probably set out to put a dent in one of my thicker stand alones (the majority of my books on my TBR pile are over 500 pages.) Or I could try and finish The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton. I mean, I have only been reading it since the beginning of the year - if not longer.

Wish me luck!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

April 2015 Wrap Up

Wow. April seems so long ago - or at least, the short holiday at the beginning of April seems a year away. Time can be cruel. Anyway, before even more time passes and I forget what I read, let me get on with this. (If I seem rather fuzzy, it is because my brain has been replaced with a snot-producing machine. It is far less effective.)

First of was Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith. I love this series so far. It follows Mma Ramotswe, a lady private detective in Botswana, who stated the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This book was another charming view of the lives of the main characters. The cast of characters is growing and I can only see good things for the future of this series. It gave me a good laugh and touched me.

Then, in completely the opposite direction, I read Snow White  Must Die by Nele Neuhaus. This is a crime novel set in Germany. It follows two detective, Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein, as they solve the murder of a young girl. This is the second book I have read by Neuhaus this year, although this one preceded the other chronologically. It didn't spoil much reading them out of order though, so if you are interested in crime novels with a few twists in the plot, don't be too upset if you can't get them in order. I would not say they are the best examples of their genre out there, but if you happen to enjoy the same guilty pleasure as I do (a quick crime novel) then these are more than adequate.

Next up was Dodger by the late and great Terry Pratchet. As can be expected, this as an enjoyable read. It is, however, marketed as a children's book, which could lead to a few disappointments as I do not think many youngsters today would catch even half the allusions made in this book. I think it would go over many youngsters' heads. Having said that though, is it completely necessary to catch all the inside jokes to enjoy the story? I don't know. I know they made it more enjoyable. And who knows, maybe it could encourage a kid out there to find out about them. (Yes, denial is a wonderful place. Hermione was a fictitious character.)

While enjoying my holiday with my mom I read Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. This book was a disappointment for me. I was expecting something moving, though-provoking. Instead I felt I got cliched characters and a poor excuse for a character who behaved poorly. I think that, while forgiveness is necessary, the book would have meant more if the mother had claimed ownership for what she had done. Yes, yes, idealism all the way there. It doesn't happen in real life - which is probably why arguments linger without resolve. But I felt that her friends gave all the excuses for her. Anyway, I can feel a huge internal debate beginning in my sinus-addled brain, so I am just going to move on. I would love to know whether someone out there enjoyed this book, or saw something more in it than I did. (Oh, and what an insipid cover. It really is as washed out as the picture.)

Also started on holiday was 11.22.63 by Stephen King. This was a MASSIVE book. I picked it up for a yearly reading challenge I am doing - read a book with numbers in the title. I was not disappointed. Although I am sure that a lot could have been trimmed from the pages, the overall effect of reading this was a pleasant five-year journey into early 60s America. As a non-American, I found that there was a lot to be learnt in this book. I would definitely recommend this book, but perhaps not for impatient readers. There are parts where one could feel that the story could just get a move on.

Next up was my birthday haul book, Mr Mercedes by Stephen King. I really enjoyed this one. I murdered the book in under a day, and barely breathed through the last third of it. I found the duel focal points added to the suspense. Although not the 'typical' King book, I would recommend this one to fans of crime novels and thrillers.

Some time around this point I also finished reading The Crucible by Arthur Miller. This is the gazillionth time I have read this play since 2012, as it is one of the options for the Matric setwork books. I am constantly impressed with this play and the way in which the themes are portrayed. What is more disturbing is that the message of the play is still far too relevant in today's age where we should know better. I would recommend this to people who would like to arm themselves against the stupidity of society. Yes. There is a lot of stupidity in society.

And finally there was Winger by Andrew Smith. This is a YA book set in a boarding school, which covered the reading goal requirement of reading a book set in high school. Winger was a very hyped up book and I must admit that while I really did enjoy it, the 5 star rating it got from me was judging it as a YA book and not an overall representation of my feelings. There were some parts of this book that I absolutely admired and appreciated, and there were others that I could have happily done without. I do think it is a good book for teens to read though, so as soon as I get my budget from The Readathon last term, it is going into the basket for my school library.

Not completed in April

The Great Train Robbery. It is on my shelf behind my bed collecting dust. At least I actually contemplated picking it up in April. Meh.
I also started The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker which is going well and should be finished soon.
I am also near to completing (also for the gazillionth time) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee as the Grade 10 setwork book.

 Totals for April

Total completed: 8 books
Started: 2 books
Books cleared from TBR pile: 6 (This is for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge.)
Books added to TBR pile: 9 (I am never going to get my TBR down at this rate!)