August Books List

Sunday 1 September 2013

A round up of the books I read last month:-

(1) Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Contemporary Science Fiction / Dystopia - "Narrated by Kathy, now aged 31, she hauntingly dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School, and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world."

A bleak and truly disturbing dystopia with an almost weary slow pace to it, but one which seems to deliberately have been crafted that way to add to the sense of oppression.  From the outset, you get a sense that something is not quite right, as the protagonist Kathy recalls memories from her childhood at the initially normal sounding Hailsham boarding school. The penny finally drops as you realise what's going to happen to the children, and then you begin to see everything in a completely different manner, and it's creepy to say the least!  The concept and subject matter is based around what it means to be human and what rights humans have which leaves you with some serious food for thought at the end.  [4/5] 


(2) London Fields by Martin Amis
Mystery & Satire - "Nicola Six is searching for something and someone else: her murderer. She knows the time, she knows the place, she knows the motive, she knows the means.  She just doesn't know the man."

London Fields is a murder mystery with a special Amis spin.  By that, I mean it bears his classic story telling hallmarks of stereotyped characters that you simply love to hate, witty prose tinged with cynicism and despair, and a dark, satirical outlook on London's grim streets.  The story centers around a woman called Nicola Six who forsees her own murder and sets out to find the murderer, encountering some vile, yobbish characters in the process.  It's certainly not a book that everyone will warm too, in fact most will likely view it as completely offensive dross and lose faith in humanity after reading a couple of pages.  But if you like and understand the many layers of satire in it, then you'll find it rather entertaining and a darkly humourous take on the mainstream mystery genre.  [4/5]


(3) The War Of The End Of The World by Mario Vargas Llosa
Modern Historical Literature - "Inspired by a real episode in Brazilian history, Mario Vargas Llosa tells the story of an apocalyptic movement, led by a mysterious prophet, in which prostitutes, beggars and bandits establish Canudos, a new republic, a libertarian paradise."

So many people have recommended The War of the End of the World to me, but I kept putting it off due to its length.  Seriously, don't do that.  If this book is sitting on your shelf waiting to be read, pick it up and read it.  It's an epic historical fiction novel based on the War of Canudos in 19th Century Brazil, the 'deadliest civil war' in Brazilian history.  Although it's all fiction, the vivid prose and characters of this conflict almost feel like they're taking you back in time with them.  There are lots of different points of views along the way which help to keep your attention focused on what's going on at both macro, and micro levels.  It will no doubt intrigue anyone interested in inequality, the politics of human interaction, economics, religion and its influences upon people, and republic pride.  A fascinating book, and one I'm grateful I've finally read.  [4/5]  
 

(4) The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
Contemporary Fantasy/Spiritual Fiction - "Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life.  On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl.  He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer." 

This is usually one of those typical marmite books that seems to divide people.  It will either tug at your heart strings and have you in a puddle of tears, or you'll find yourself wanting to throw it out of the window for being so soppy.  Me?  It didn't really elicit any strong emotions from either side to be honest.  I thought the story was short and sweet; an elderly war veteran by the name of Eddie spends his twilight years happily working at an amusement park.  On his birthday, an accident occurs with one of the rides which results in Eddie losing his life as he saves a little girl from being crushed to death.  The story then focuses on (you've guessed it) the five people he meets in heaven, and he comes to realise how important he was to those around him, even if he doesn't immediately recognise some of the people he sees.  The tale of course deals with the meaning of life and we all have our own interpretations of that eternal question, "Why Am I Here?".  Perhaps I've become too desensitized or cynical in my old age, but I didn't feel a lot for this book in a spiritual sense or anything like that, I just thought it was a nice story.  [3/5]


(5) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Mystery Thriller - "Marriage can be a real killer.  Nick's has been particularly troublesome, but one day his beautiful wife Amy goes missing and Nick suddenly finds himself as the number one suspect.  But there are two sides to every story..."

This book was massively hyped up last year so I had some pretty big expectations for it.  For the most part it lived up to them; the two point POVs throughout by Nick & Amy were interesting and added to the whole two sides of the story thriller concept.  The book starts off relatively slow, but builds the tension and suspense well, so I was immediately hooked into finding out what had happened to Amy.  The last part of the book was a little disappointing though, as it sort of peters out and runs out of steam with an ending which is a bit wishy washy to be honest.  That said, the vast majority of Gone Girl is an interesting and exciting thriller which explores some of the tensions that marriage can bring to a relationship.  [4/5]


What have you been reading recently?

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18 comments

  1. I actually really disliked Never Let Me Go! I found it go hard to get into :( Glad you enjoyed it though.

    Hayley
    Water Painted Dreams
    xxx

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    1. I gave my copy to my best friend after I'd finished it and she HATED it! I think the super slow pace can be quite off putting but I really liked it xxx

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  2. I love all Mitch Albom books! I started Gone Girl but couldn't get into it. Maybe I'll try again! x

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    1. It feels a bit disjointed at the start to begin with but I found I got into after the first couple of POVs x

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  3. In your old age - hah! Hardly! :)

    I have been meaning to read Never Let Me Go (along with about 1908908123 other books). I think I even downloaded the PDF of it which lies somewhere in the abyss of my computer hard drive. It was primarily motivated because I was going through an Andrew Garfield phase and I had downloaded the movie based on the book - which I also haven't watched. Clearly procrastination is my modus operandi.

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    1. ;)

      I'd say definitely read the book before you watch the movie (and yes Andrew Garfield is well worth watching it for!). It's a brilliant adaptation of the book, but I enjoyed it a lot more having read the concept first x

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  4. I'm reading Gone Girl at the moment, so far so good but even though it's not exactly boring i'm not finding myself wanting to pick it up and read it. I'm sure i'll finish it eventually though!
    xx

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    1. The pacing of it is a bit weird for a thriller, but once you get into it, it's good :) xx

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  5. I'm about half way through Gone Girl at the moment, I need to buckle down and finish it before my Kindle arrives. Really enjoying it so far & when I actually put the time aside to read it I can't put it down.

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  6. Again, thank you for your recommendations, I am putting The Five People You Meet In Heaven on my book-wishlist. I am currently reading Discovery of Witches and enjoying it - did you read it Evelyn? X

    Mademoiselle-Lala.com

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    1. Hope you enjoy it! Haven't read that one but will certainly check it out :) x

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  7. I have to say I didn't enjoy Never Let Me Go and I'm abit loath to watch the film adaptation just incase I dislike that too! I did like The Five People You Meet In Heaven though. I've just finished Anil's Ghost which was beautifully written but very melancholy and I'm halfway through The Butterfly Cabinet which is an easy read x

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    1. If you didn't like the book, you'll hate the film! They're very close and the film has that very slow pace that the book has too. I'll have to check those books out :) x

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  8. Never Let Me Go is one of my favourite books.
    What struck me most was how devoid of dramatic emotion and description it was, yet when you reach the later stages and realise just what is happening to these characters, it really affects you as a reader. I think Ishiguro really mastered the craft of speaking about the human condition in a way that's so subtle but still so powerful.

    Love these mini reviews - I'm looking forward to reading London Fields and Gone Girl!

    Nell

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    1. You've summed it up so well - it really is a quietly powerful book and I can see why it's one of your favourites. When I finished it, I remembered just closing the book and thinking about the concepts for quite some time afterwards, which doesn't happen too often these days.

      Enjoy London Fields & Gone Girl - let me know what you think of them!

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  9. I've been wanting to read Never Let Me Go for a long time. It sounds like a very thought-provoking read. I love these book-review posts... thanks for sharing!

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    1. I really enjoyed it, let me know if you read it! x

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