Disgrace caught me by surprise. I didn’t like the main character; I didn’t like the events that happened in the book; but yet, as I turned the last page, I realized  it was flat out brilliantly written. It definitely deserves its place on the shortlist for Best of the Bookers.

Before reading it, [...]]]> Winner, 1999 Booker Prize

Disgrace caught me by surprise. I didn’t like the main character; I didn’t like the events that happened in the book; but yet, as I turned the last page, I realized  it was flat out brilliantly written. It definitely deserves its place on the shortlist for Best of the Bookers.

Before reading it, all I really knew about it was that a professor had an affair with a student.  As it turns out, that’s only a minor point.  The book has several issues: men’s subjugation of women, South Africa after apartheid, and animal rights. How Coetzee could say so much in just a little over 200 pages is amazing. There are several parallel stories going on. I want to say so much about it, but to do so would be to give away everything. I’m glad I was ignorant going into this novel, so I won’t say much except that it will definitely get a re-read from me someday and preferably in a group setting. There would be many, many things to discuss.

(1999, 220 pp.)

As to the film, I thought it followed the book almost exactly. It was produced by Australians but I believe most of the outdoor shots at least were filmed in South Africa; the scenery was beautiful. John Malkovich played David Lurie exceptionally. My only small quibble is that his South African accent went in and out some.  I thought the actress who played Lucy was also excellent. I highly recommend this movie IF you have read the book. You probably wouldn’t appreciate it as much or at all if you haven’t.

Film grade: A

“Now I realized that the least deluded of all women was the prostitute. That marriage was the system built on the most cruel suffering of women.”

Woman at Point Zero was written by Nawal El Saadawi in 1975.  This feminist Egyptian author has quite a resume. She became a doctor in her early twenties in 1955. [...]]]>

“Now I realized that the least deluded of all women was the prostitute. That marriage was the system built on the most cruel suffering of women.”

Woman at Point Zero was written by Nawal El Saadawi in 1975.  This feminist Egyptian author has quite a resume. She became a doctor in her early twenties in 1955. She campaigned against female circumcision in Egypt for over 50 years, with the practice not becoming illegal until 2008. Early in her career she lost her job as Director of Public Health because of her campaign. Later, she was even imprisoned by the Sadat regime over a political matter. And, not only that, she has written at least 16 books on women’s issues.

This book was written as a result of her visiting a woman in prison. While she was studying neurosis in women, another doctor told her about a prisoner who refused to ask for a pardon from the President for the crime of killing her pimp. After the author heard the woman’s story, she couldn’t sleep for days until she started writing this book. (Source: BBC interview below)

Firdaus tells her life story from the beginning, from being touched by her uncle inappropriately, to being married off and beaten by her 60+ year old husband, to being raped and then finally becoming a prostitute. It is a harrowing story and one I won’t easily forget. The book is short and it is structured to repeat in a few places, but this was intentionally done by the author to good effect. Highly recommended for those interested in women’s issues and feminist fiction.

“Everybody has to die. I prefer to die for a crime I have committed rather than to die for one of the crimes which you have committed.”

Author interview with BBC World Book Club:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/wbc/wbc_20090430-1632c.mp3

(1975, 108 pp.)

Departures, aka Okuribito

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, 2009

My grade: A+

I had no idea what Departures was about when I chose it on Netflix instant view. I just knew it won Best Foreign Language Film and it was something about a cello player. I’m kind of glad I didn’t know, because if [...]]]>

Amazon info

Departures, aka Okuribito

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, 2009

My grade: A+

I had no idea what Departures was about when I chose it on Netflix instant view. I just knew it won Best Foreign Language Film and it was something about a cello player. I’m kind of glad I didn’t know, because if I had I might not have watched it.

At the beginning of the film, Daigo lives with his wife in a beautiful apartment in Tokyo and is employed by an orchestra. The orchestra ends up disbanding, and Daigo must sell his cello and go back to the town where he grew up because he can’t afford to live in Tokyo any longer. He returns to his childhood home that his mother left him after she died. As he’s searching for a job in the classifieds, he notices an ad for ‘assisting departures.’ Thinking it’s a travel agency, he applies. When he gets to the agency, the boss informs him it was a misprint and ‘departures’ should be ‘the departed.’ The job entails the Japanese tradition of preparing dead bodies for cremation. Needing the job and the money it provides, he reluctantly accepts.

I cannot begin to describe to you the beautiful ceremony of this Japanese custom, and it is all done directly in the presence of the deceased’s family. The care with which the body is prepared astounded me. I was really taken by surprise with this film. Also beautiful was the cinematography. Just gorgeous scenes, and not just the snowy landscapes. The indoor shots were beautiful as well.

I highly recommend this film to anyone with an interest in Japanese culture or in foreign films in general. I really, really loved this one.

Nailer works on a crew in the Gulf who scavenges parts from rusted out ships along the shoreline. Crew life is difficult. He’s always having to make quota while also making sure he doesn’t get on the wrong side of his superiors. One step out of line and he could be cut from [...]]]> Printz Award, 2011

Nailer works on a crew in the Gulf who scavenges parts from rusted out ships along the shoreline. Crew life is difficult. He’s always having to make quota while also making sure he doesn’t get on the wrong side of his superiors. One step out of line and he could be cut from the crew; there really are no other work options. Nailer’s always hungry even with his job because his Dad spends most of his time drinking, doing drugs, and then abusing him. Nailer’s world is cutthroat enough even without his father. Bring him into the picture and it’s even worse. He wonders, too, if he’s like his father or if he’s going to turn into him. Fairly quickly in the story, his fears are severely put to the test.

A bleak book and eerily timely with the Gulf oil disaster, Ship Breaker is probably not too far off from what could happen in the future if we let greed go unchecked.

This book has been getting some really great reviews so I was excited to read it. An additional plus was that I love dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction.  I will say it’s a good book, but I was a little disappointed after all the hype. While I liked it and thought the story was good, I wasn’t enamored with the writing.  It probably didn’t help that I was reading Charlotte Bronte’s Villette on the same day.  Not a fair comparison, but it couldn’t be avoided.

Other bloggers have raved about it, so I would definitely encourage you to check out their reviews as well.

• Bart’s Bookshelf
• Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings
• Becky’s Book Reviews
• Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books

(2010, 323 pp.)

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“But the reason I have job security is that people have no idea how [...]]]> “You can’t build a car that violates the laws of physics. Same goes for a time machine. You can’t go just anywhere, only to places it will let you go. You can only go to places that you will let yourself go.”

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“But the reason I have job security is that people have no idea how to make themselves happy. Even with a time machine. I have job security because what the customer wants, when you get right down to it, is to relive his very worst moment, over and over and over again.”

I want to read more books like this one — philosophical, humorous, a little ‘techy,’ and demonstrating a great use of the English language. I really loved it. It reminded me a lot of how much I loved Rivka Galchen’s Atmospheric Disturbances, also a NYT Notable book. But, just as with Galchen’s novel, this one won’t appeal to everyone.

It’s really so difficult to even describe what’s going on in this story. Guy works at a job fixing time machines. Not only does he fix time machines, but while he does it, he’s in a time machine so he can travel to wherever the problem is. His operating system, TAMMY, and his not-really-alive dog, Ed, are the only ones to keep him company. He’s been living in the time machine for a long time. Some incidents happen (don’t want to spoil it), and he gets caught in a time loop. While in the time loop, he waxes philosophical about his parents, in particular his father, and just life in general. The book has all kinds of crazy diagrams and intended blank spaces to illustrate his points. (See pics below)

I really, really loved this book. I borrowed this from the library, so I plan on buying it when it comes out in paperback just so I can mark it up like crazy. Highly recommended for fans of offbeat, philosphical fiction.

(2010, 231 pp.)

“Those Impressionists,” she said, “they certainly knew about color. And about light and shade. Different kinds of shade: thinner shadows that let the light through, and heavier, denser ones. And it’s as if Monet made this garden to show the world how he saw colors. How he saw their power, their [...]]]>

Click for Amazon info

“Those Impressionists,” she said, “they certainly knew about color. And about light and shade. Different kinds of shade: thinner shadows that let the light through, and heavier, denser ones. And it’s as if Monet made this garden to show the world how he saw colors. How he saw their power, their potential, and their purpose. I think he wanted to show that the world is color. That life itself is color. That if we can just see the colors, really see them, life will be beautiful. And meaningful. Because beauty has a value of its own, that”s how I see it anyway.” – p. 37

“People who read books,’ he went on, “tend to be dispensable. Extremely.” – p. 48

Useful or dispensable? A life of choice or no choice? And what if your own choices led you to have to give of your own body to the ‘needed’ until your ‘final donation’?

I love dystopian fiction, and this book was no exception. It reminded me quite a bit of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, so if you enjoyed that book, you’ll probably like this one as well. Reading books like this is always a reminder of the ways society could go horribly wrong, and sadly, I wouldn’t be surprised if parts of the book actually do come to pass someday.

Dorrit, age 50, has reached an age where she is now considered dispensable because she has no children or parents to take care of and because she is a writer, which is considered an unessential occupation. The dispensables in The Unit are provided for in every way, a nice apartment, exercise facilities, and entertainment venues, etc. Except that they are monitored 24/7, and of course, they may never leave The Unit. Dorrit makes great friends here, and in some ways her life is better than when she was on the outside, but, obviously, her life and her body are not her own. She is essentially a commodity of the State.

The book raises some excellent ethical questions. Is a person’s life itself precious and valuable, or is it only what they can contribute to society that is deemed worthwhile? My view will always be the former.

How obtained: I checked this book out from my local library.

2006 (Swedish), 2009 for the English translation; 268 pp.

Other reviews:

• She Treads Softly
• At Home with Books
• Shelf Love
• Bookfoolery and Babble
• Devourer of Books
• Cheryl’s Book Nook
• So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
• Lit*chick
• Literary License

I’m not going to go through the plot as quite a few people [...]]]> I read this book for the read-a-thon, and I must say it was an excellent choice as it was quite a page turner. This book is taking the internet by storm, and while I did enjoy it, I didn’t quite love the book.

I’m not going to go through the plot as quite a few people have read it, or if they haven’t, there are plenty of sources to find that information. I will say that the plot was, in my view, the best part of the book. As I said above, it’s quite a page turner, but although I didn’t think the writing was bad per se, I didn’t feel it was up to par with The Giver by Lois Lowry or The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. The romance angle in the book irritated me a bit. I understand to a degree why it was necessary to the plot, but I thought it could have been a little more well done. Another minor irritation was the naming of the characters in the book. I suppose it was done on purpose, but I felt it distracted me from the story every time I came upon a strange name. I’ve never really noticed it in books like Lord of the Rings, etc., but in this book the names just seemed a bit silly.

Even with all that said, I did like the book quite a bit and plan on reading the entire trilogy. I hate to be too negative when I actually enjoyed it, but since it’s received so many rave reviews, I just thought I’d explain why my rating was a little lower.

2008, 374 pp.

Disclosure: I purchased this book for my personal library.

MAJOR spoilers ahead.

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I really, really was into the first half or so of Breaking Dawn, but did not like the second half at all. I read the first half or so immediately after Eclipse and absolutely couldn’t put the book down until the end of the birth scene. I thought it was really intense and [...]]]>

MAJOR spoilers ahead.

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I really, really was into the first half or so of Breaking Dawn, but did not like the second half at all. I read the first half or so immediately after Eclipse and absolutely couldn’t put the book down until the end of the birth scene. I thought it was really intense and I was totally engrossed. Then, afterwards… what a let down. For starters, I actually was a little disappointed that she had to ‘cross over.’ I understand the reasons why, but it was so much more interesting to me before she did. And the way they told Charlie was totally hokey. I didn’t think that part was written well at all. Jacob’s new love interest seemed a little bizarre, but it did keep everyone in the same family so I guess I can live with it. And the vampire showdown? It went out with a whimper instead of a bang, didn’t it?

Oh, well, now it’s over, and I can feel great that once again this 40-ish woman is up on a small portion of pop culture. It’s difficult keeping up with the youngsters, but the Twilight series (at least most of it) made it a little more fun to do so. Now I’m just looking forward to the release of the movies!

2008, 754 pp

[Disclosure: This book was not received from the publisher. It's hard to admit, but I actually purchased a copy.]

I don’t know why I’m so interested in dystopian literature, but I am. Interested may be too mild a word. I am fascinated by books with dystopian themes and at least like most of the books I read in this genre.

I listened to House of the Scorpion on audio CD with my two teenage sons. [...]]]>

I don’t know why I’m so interested in dystopian literature, but I am. Interested may be too mild a word. I am fascinated by books with dystopian themes and at least like most of the books I read in this genre.

I listened to House of the Scorpion on audio CD with my two teenage sons.  Wow, what an incredible book!  I didn’t love it as much as I loved The Giver by Lois Lowry, but it was still really powerful.  There are so many issues to discuss in this book. My sons were anxious to talk about everything the book presented as well. Words cannot describe the satisfaction I get from listening to or reading the same books at the same time as my kids. I feel it’s even more important, not less, as they move into their middle teens. I highly recommend it.

It’s really difficult to describe the plot of this without giving too much away. I didn’t know much about the book when I picked it out for us to listen to — just that it was dystopian lit, so I’m hesitant to spill the beans on this one because I loved discovering it ‘fresh’ so to speak. Suffice it to say it’s an excellent YA dystopian book, and I will definitely be looking into more of Nancy Farmer’s work.

2002, 380 pp.

[Disclosure: I checked out this audio CD  from my local library]

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Eclipse was a fun [...]]]> I read Eclipse pretty much straight through in one sitting the day after finishing New Moon. These books are addicting, if nothing else. I liked these two books the best of the four, and I couldn’t read fast enough. Since so many have already read the book, this post will contain spoilers.

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Eclipse was a fun one, what with the Edward/Jacob rivalry heating up even more. I especially enjoyed the tent scenes. Teenage love and angst at its best. I thought it was a little weird, though, that Bella wanted to be with Edward forever but resisted marrying him. What’s the difference when it comes down to it? I also really felt for Jacob in this one. I’m not really ‘Team Jacob,’ though, but in some ways I’m not ‘Team Edward,’ either. If you had to pin me down I’d have to say that I was ‘Team Bella’ in the sense that I’m rooting for her to realize and attain what she really wants for herself. Sometimes that’s the hardest thing in life to do — figuring out what one really wants.

2007, 629 pp.

[Disclosure: This book was not received from the publisher. It's hard to admit, but I actually purchased a copy.]

I have now read through the entire series and will be publishing reviews for the other two books very soon.

Spoilers ahead . . . I actually liked this one much better than Twilight, probably because it was better written. In fact, my favorites of the four were New Moon and Eclipse. I didn’t mind at all that Edward wasn’t [...]]]>

I have now read through the entire series and will be publishing reviews for the other two books very soon.

Spoilers ahead
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I actually liked this one much better than Twilight, probably because it was better written. In fact, my favorites of the four were New Moon and Eclipse. I didn’t mind at all that Edward wasn’t in New Moon very much and was even half rooting for Jacob.  It was fun to find out Jacob’s story as well. And although some readers felt that Bella’s grief was way over the top, I didn’t. Teenage love and loss– heck, adult love and loss– is very painful. Sometimes excruciatingly.

I’m excited for the movie to come out.  I’ve seen some of the sneak previews from Comic Con and they look great. I’m also looking forward to seeing Dakota Fanning play Jane.

You know, I haven’t gone through chunks of books like this for a long time, and I must say I’ve missed it.

2006, 608 pp.

[Disclosure: This book was not received from the publisher. It's hard to admit, but I actually purchased a copy.]

I thought that I’d at least try out the series that everyone’s been talking about –  I guess it’s a super hit on HBO as well.  I was a little worried it would be too graphic for me and it was, but I’ll probably at least try the next book in the series and take it [...]]]>

I thought that I’d at least try out the series that everyone’s been talking about –  I guess it’s a super hit on HBO as well.  I was a little worried it would be too graphic for me and it was, but I’ll probably at least try the next book in the series and take it one book at a time.

Sookie is a telepath and can hear everyone’s thoughts — except vampires.  So when ‘Vampire Bill’ comes into the bar where Sookie works and Sookie hears nothing, it’s a blessed relief  to her. I won’t say much else about the story, but it was a nice diversion when I was flying and at the airport.  Like I said, I’ll at least read one more and may even check out the DVDs.  I am wondering, though, if Stephenie Meyer had read this series before starting Twilight.  There seems to be some similar ideas, but maybe all vampire fiction has some basic commonalities.

2001, 242 pp.

Hundreds Hall.  Haunted or not?  Ghost, poltergeist, or murderer?

Minor spoilers ahead. . . .

Hundreds Hall, once a grand estate, has fallen into decline with the decline of its family’s fortune. The narrator, Dr. Faraday, first knew of the house as a small [...]]]> This was my first Sarah Waters book, and I must say I do enjoy her writing style.

Hundreds Hall.  Haunted or not?  Ghost, poltergeist, or murderer?

Minor spoilers ahead.
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Hundreds Hall, once a grand estate, has fallen into decline with the decline of its family’s fortune. The narrator, Dr. Faraday, first knew of the house as a small child when his mother was a maid there. After a 30 year absence, he is called back to the house because of a maid’s illness and is taken aback by the condition of the house and the family.

Over time he becomes sort of a family friend to Mrs. Ayres and her adult children Roderick and Caroline, though perhaps the friendship is more on his side than theirs due to class differences. All the while, strange happenings are afoot.  Strange burn marks, footsteps in empty rooms and the like are witnessed by each occupant. The story is cleverly told, and the ending is left for the reader to decide.  I’m one who actually likes this type of ending because I end up thinking about all the possibilities for days!  The mood of the book was sufficiently creepy without being gory and was an excellent choice for the RIP Challenge, too.

The Little Stranger is shortlisted for the 2009 Man Booker Prize.

2009, 480 pp.

[Disclaimer: This book was obtained from my public library.]

Longlisted for The Man Booker Prize (though it did not make the shortlist), Colm Toibin’s book is about young Eislis Lacey’s journey from Ireland to Brooklyn and from girlhood to womanhood.

I did enjoy reading about Eislis’s immigrant experience and her struggles in her new surroundings, but [...]]]> Nothing here was part of her. It was false, empty…

Longlisted for The Man Booker Prize (though it did not make the shortlist), Colm Toibin’s book is about young Eislis Lacey’s journey from Ireland to Brooklyn and from girlhood to womanhood.

I did enjoy reading about Eislis’s immigrant experience and her struggles in her new surroundings, but the story was a bit slow moving.  I normally don’t mind that at all in books, but the novel was perhaps a bit too muted.  In some ways I do expect that that could have been Toibin’s intent, however, and perhaps was an indication of Eislis’s character.

I heartily sympathized for Eislis at the end, but I also felt that she made the right decision.  If you’ve read the book as well, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

2009, 262 pp.

[Disclaimer:  This book was obtained using my public library.]

When Cat returns home after a 10 year absence because of her mother’s suicide, this is the note she finds.  There are several possible ‘he’s’ in Cat’s life that this note could refer to, so we are kept guessing until near the end who her mother means.  As [...]]]> Cat,
He isn’t who you think he is.
Mom xxxooo

When Cat returns home after a 10 year absence because of her mother’s suicide, this is the note she finds.  There are several possible ‘he’s’ in Cat’s life that this note could refer to, so we are kept guessing until near the end who her mother means.  As she stays for her mother’s funeral, several ghosts from her past come back to haunt her.  Domestic violence and alcoholism are prominent themes in the book.

I didn’t really care for this one.  There seemed to me to be some plot holes in the story, or at least some unexplained events. For instance, Cat had an extremely happy childhood until age 5 or 6, but we are never told why at age 7 everything changed.  She remembers her parents as loving before that time, but definitely not afterwards.  Also, I had a hard time believing that the older Jared was so beloved by both of Cat’s parents.  The circumstances between he and the rest of the family didn’t seem to warrant this.  I just didn’t understand it.  I also wanted to feel more sorry for Cat than I did, and normally I would for a character that has suffered such tragic events.  I wonder if I would have felt more sympathy for Cat if the book had been written in 3rd person instead of 1st.  Her voice seemed to ‘tell and not ‘show’ throughout the book.  Third person narration may have been able to correct this.  For instance, although I know alcoholism was one of the themes of the book, it just got irritating to hear something to the effect of ”I need a drink’ on every other page when 3rd person narration could have shown her alcoholic side a little better.  These are just my own thoughts, though. Several people on librarything and Amazon have loved the book, so be sure to check out their reviews for a balanced opinion.

2009, 225 pp.