I remember learning in school that Lewis Carol was into illicit drugs. If there was ever a writer I was suspicious of drug use... I think Flann O'Brien is your man. I haven't read a lot of Irish folklore, but man, the stuff this author talks about makes me wonder if all folklore was written under the influence. Have you ever heard of a Pooka? It's an Irish version of a devil. Kangaroos, invisible fairies, and Pookas oh my!
All I have to say about this book, is that I'm glad it's over. No quotation marks, no chapters, and a story within a story within a story.
Here's hoping the next book is better...
Mary
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Appointment in Samarra
I just finished Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara. I really enjoyed how the novel started out with this story:
"The Appointment in Samarra"
(as retold by W. Somerset Maugham [1933])
The speaker is Death
There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning? That was not a threatening gesture, I said, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.
The interesting thing, was that the novel wasn't really about anything at all. The main character is a drunk who plays around on his wife (meeting Death in the marketplace). They spend most of the story at Christmas and post-Christmas parties. A series of drunken nights and hungover mornings culminated in a suicide (meeting Death in Samarra) and lots of regrets.
Apparently this was O'Hara's most well loved story, but I had a hard time getting into some of the characters. There was a string of incidents with the Mafia, and O'Hara described a lot of details of the mob just to make one incident occur.
I was surprised this novel was such a light read, compared to the other titles on the list. I enjoyed the author's style and the break from very monotonous and lengthy tomes. I'm looking forward to the next book: At Swim - Two Birds.
Another book I just finished: True Colors by Kristin Hannah. Not a great book.
"The Appointment in Samarra"
(as retold by W. Somerset Maugham [1933])
The speaker is Death
There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning? That was not a threatening gesture, I said, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.
The interesting thing, was that the novel wasn't really about anything at all. The main character is a drunk who plays around on his wife (meeting Death in the marketplace). They spend most of the story at Christmas and post-Christmas parties. A series of drunken nights and hungover mornings culminated in a suicide (meeting Death in Samarra) and lots of regrets.
Apparently this was O'Hara's most well loved story, but I had a hard time getting into some of the characters. There was a string of incidents with the Mafia, and O'Hara described a lot of details of the mob just to make one incident occur.
I was surprised this novel was such a light read, compared to the other titles on the list. I enjoyed the author's style and the break from very monotonous and lengthy tomes. I'm looking forward to the next book: At Swim - Two Birds.
Another book I just finished: True Colors by Kristin Hannah. Not a great book.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Back in the saddle again...
After a much needed hiatus, I am back on the Time list! I think one of the keys to success with this list is to infuse other books. Here's what I have read since my last post:
Spilling Clarence by Anne Ursu
Although not on the Time list, but this book was written by a Minnesota author. It was a sci-fi style book, about what would happen if one could remember everything - all the hurt and injustice of life, along with all the good moments. I thought the concept was neat, but the book left me wanting more. I do have Ursu's second book waiting for me to try it out, so we'll see how the next story turns out.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
This is on the Time list, and I must say, quite the salacious novel! I loved how the narrator tried to lead you through his twisted thoughts for why he wanted, needed, had to have Delores Haze. The way Humbert described the "nymphets" - young girls ripe for pedophile activities - makes one's skin crawl. He said that these girls were like a third sex, that they did this on purpose, and grew up to become ladies of the night or some similar sad fate.
Humbert fell in love as a young boy with a girl his age. He claims she was as passionate for him as he was for her, but they were unable to consummate. So it was this unrequited love that he went on to emulate in the form of young prostitutes, peeping on young girls, watching girls play in the park or school grounds, and finally in Lolita.
Delores (or Lolita as the narrator calls her) seemed to be sullen, dirty, crude girl. She did seem to enjoy the game of cat and mouse, until Humbert caught her. According to Humbert, nymphets wanted to be pursued and desired. From what I could tell, Lolita saw Humbert as a way to escape from the ordinary, and to upset her mother. Humbert married Delores' mother as a way to be close to Delores.
The book goes on to describe the sexual adventures of the couple, how they travelled cross country following Delores' mother's death (no, Humbert did not murder her, although he certainly had his share of black thoughts). Found it interesting how genteel the description of sex was. Humbert was not crude as I expected he would be, and the descriptions were much more poetic than I expected. I assume this was how the narrator justified his actions.
Delores becomes more and more the teenager as the book progresses, with the rebellion and attitude. At one point, she connects with a former neighbor’s son, Quilty. I had a hard time understanding how that connection was made, since that character didn't seem to be present in the earlier parts of the book when Humbert and Lolita lived down the street from Quilty's family. Being discreet as the author was, it is entirely possible I missed that. Anyway, this was entirely the undoing of Humbert, as Quilty stole Delores, and continued to put her in situations that make one very squeamish.
In the end, Lolita has found a man closer to her own age of 17 and Humbert makes one last futile attempt to win her back. After this fails, Humbert confronts Quilty about his involvement in stealing Lolita - Humbert's big concern is that Lolita was taken from him before her time, not so much what was done to her while she was gone.
The book is written from the perspective of Humbert the pedophile writing his memoires before he is sentenced by a judge. He was capture by the police after drunkenly reeling off the road following his encounter with Quilty. What I found most interesting about the narrator, was that he knew all along what he was doing was wrong. He used the word rapist to describe the sentence he would give himself if he were the judge. But interestingly, he showed no remorse. It makes me wonder if that is how serial killers and true rapists feel.
I liked the twisted perspective Humbert had in the book, and thought it was a very interesting read.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Yes, I finally gave in and read Twilight... And I have to say, I'm sold. Although the book is definitely written for younger people, the dialog between the characters pulls you in. I'm not going to say more than that, as pretty much everyone has read this book by now. I do think I'll read the next one. The series has the draw of Harry Potter, but doesn't hold the same level of magic and mystery for me.
What have you been reading lately?
Mary
Spilling Clarence by Anne Ursu
Although not on the Time list, but this book was written by a Minnesota author. It was a sci-fi style book, about what would happen if one could remember everything - all the hurt and injustice of life, along with all the good moments. I thought the concept was neat, but the book left me wanting more. I do have Ursu's second book waiting for me to try it out, so we'll see how the next story turns out.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
This is on the Time list, and I must say, quite the salacious novel! I loved how the narrator tried to lead you through his twisted thoughts for why he wanted, needed, had to have Delores Haze. The way Humbert described the "nymphets" - young girls ripe for pedophile activities - makes one's skin crawl. He said that these girls were like a third sex, that they did this on purpose, and grew up to become ladies of the night or some similar sad fate.
Humbert fell in love as a young boy with a girl his age. He claims she was as passionate for him as he was for her, but they were unable to consummate. So it was this unrequited love that he went on to emulate in the form of young prostitutes, peeping on young girls, watching girls play in the park or school grounds, and finally in Lolita.
Delores (or Lolita as the narrator calls her) seemed to be sullen, dirty, crude girl. She did seem to enjoy the game of cat and mouse, until Humbert caught her. According to Humbert, nymphets wanted to be pursued and desired. From what I could tell, Lolita saw Humbert as a way to escape from the ordinary, and to upset her mother. Humbert married Delores' mother as a way to be close to Delores.
The book goes on to describe the sexual adventures of the couple, how they travelled cross country following Delores' mother's death (no, Humbert did not murder her, although he certainly had his share of black thoughts). Found it interesting how genteel the description of sex was. Humbert was not crude as I expected he would be, and the descriptions were much more poetic than I expected. I assume this was how the narrator justified his actions.
Delores becomes more and more the teenager as the book progresses, with the rebellion and attitude. At one point, she connects with a former neighbor’s son, Quilty. I had a hard time understanding how that connection was made, since that character didn't seem to be present in the earlier parts of the book when Humbert and Lolita lived down the street from Quilty's family. Being discreet as the author was, it is entirely possible I missed that. Anyway, this was entirely the undoing of Humbert, as Quilty stole Delores, and continued to put her in situations that make one very squeamish.
In the end, Lolita has found a man closer to her own age of 17 and Humbert makes one last futile attempt to win her back. After this fails, Humbert confronts Quilty about his involvement in stealing Lolita - Humbert's big concern is that Lolita was taken from him before her time, not so much what was done to her while she was gone.
The book is written from the perspective of Humbert the pedophile writing his memoires before he is sentenced by a judge. He was capture by the police after drunkenly reeling off the road following his encounter with Quilty. What I found most interesting about the narrator, was that he knew all along what he was doing was wrong. He used the word rapist to describe the sentence he would give himself if he were the judge. But interestingly, he showed no remorse. It makes me wonder if that is how serial killers and true rapists feel.
I liked the twisted perspective Humbert had in the book, and thought it was a very interesting read.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Yes, I finally gave in and read Twilight... And I have to say, I'm sold. Although the book is definitely written for younger people, the dialog between the characters pulls you in. I'm not going to say more than that, as pretty much everyone has read this book by now. I do think I'll read the next one. The series has the draw of Harry Potter, but doesn't hold the same level of magic and mystery for me.
What have you been reading lately?
Mary
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Stonewalled on the Time List
I. Can't. Do. It. The Time books are really tough... It took me over 2 months to get through the first 150 pages of An American Tragedy. I ended up abandoning that book for a while.
Since that point, K and I got married and we had our honeymoon. In the last 6 weeks, I have read 6 books! What a difference it makes to no longer be planning a wedding and to be reading more recently written novels!
Committed - Elizabeth Gilbert - I didn't read Eat, Pray, Love, but I thought this was a good read and especially appropriate since we were getting married when I read it.
The Invisible Wall - Harry Bernstein - This was a really good read, the author did an excellent job describing the sights and sounds of his neighborhood. I loved that it was a true story, the afterward was really good. He has written 2 other books. His first memoir was published in his nineties!
Rapture of Canaan - Sheri Reynolds - I was interested in this book after watching Big Love. It felt similar in terms of the Big Love Juniper Creek compound. I sympathized with the narrator, but felt like the everyone in the book was completely crazy. I couldn't relate to the characters since they were so different. This book was an Oprah Book Club pick in 1997.
Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris - I really liked the first half of this memoir, but the story captivated me less once he got to Paris. I laughed out loud a lot in the first half, his family descriptions were so amusing! It was weird that I didn't also enjoy the second half, since we were in Europe when I was reading it. I didn't like the other Sedaris book I read, so maybe he just isn't my style.
Push - Sapphire - This was one of the most graphic books I've ever read. It was written in speech pattern for less educated youth, so it took focus to follow some of the sections. I felt really uncomfortable reading this next to a stranger on the plane. I'm curious about the movie though - I can't imagine how they pulled off some of the scenes since they were so explicit.
The Help - Katheryn Stockett - I loved this book! This has been my favorite read this year. I enjoyed learning about being in Junior League in the South, in the 60's. It was fun to learn more about Jackson too, I recognized city names (Madison county) from my trips to see "the land" (aka Lake Malphurs). Kevin and I have had several conversations about race, as we both read this book. I've recommended it to a lot of people, and have found that most people have already read it!
Since that point, K and I got married and we had our honeymoon. In the last 6 weeks, I have read 6 books! What a difference it makes to no longer be planning a wedding and to be reading more recently written novels!
Committed - Elizabeth Gilbert - I didn't read Eat, Pray, Love, but I thought this was a good read and especially appropriate since we were getting married when I read it.
The Invisible Wall - Harry Bernstein - This was a really good read, the author did an excellent job describing the sights and sounds of his neighborhood. I loved that it was a true story, the afterward was really good. He has written 2 other books. His first memoir was published in his nineties!
Rapture of Canaan - Sheri Reynolds - I was interested in this book after watching Big Love. It felt similar in terms of the Big Love Juniper Creek compound. I sympathized with the narrator, but felt like the everyone in the book was completely crazy. I couldn't relate to the characters since they were so different. This book was an Oprah Book Club pick in 1997.
Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris - I really liked the first half of this memoir, but the story captivated me less once he got to Paris. I laughed out loud a lot in the first half, his family descriptions were so amusing! It was weird that I didn't also enjoy the second half, since we were in Europe when I was reading it. I didn't like the other Sedaris book I read, so maybe he just isn't my style.
Push - Sapphire - This was one of the most graphic books I've ever read. It was written in speech pattern for less educated youth, so it took focus to follow some of the sections. I felt really uncomfortable reading this next to a stranger on the plane. I'm curious about the movie though - I can't imagine how they pulled off some of the scenes since they were so explicit.
The Help - Katheryn Stockett - I loved this book! This has been my favorite read this year. I enjoyed learning about being in Junior League in the South, in the 60's. It was fun to learn more about Jackson too, I recognized city names (Madison county) from my trips to see "the land" (aka Lake Malphurs). Kevin and I have had several conversations about race, as we both read this book. I've recommended it to a lot of people, and have found that most people have already read it!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
struggle
I have been struggling through my latest book, An American Tragedy. But I am making slow progress, and hope to blog again soon. The last few months have been consumed with wedding planning and work.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Atonement
Atonement
So far, this has been my favorite book on the Time list. It was amazing! I loved the different story lines, the characters were relateable, and the twist and the end really sealed the deal. I would recommend this book to anyone. It's a movie too, which I vaguely remember seeing part of on TV a couple years ago.
The main character is a younger sister who observes her older sister in a spat with the servant's son, which resulted in a broken vase and both parties hopping into a fountain to retrieve the pieces. Later that day, the younger sister connects the dots in a way which implicates the servant's son in a rape. The servant's son gets carted off the jail and then we flash forward several years into the midst of WWII. Both sisters are nurses and the author describes the scenes of wounded soldiers at the hospital with such colorful terms, I could really see everything happening in my mind's eye. The story ends with a twist that makes the whole novel all the more bittersweet.
I found myself feeling for all the characters the book spotlighted, as the narrator's voice shifted from younger sister, to the servant's son, and the old sister through letters and scene location. I felt that the intensity with which the younger sister focused on implicating the servant's son was reminiscent of what I would have done in a similar situation... But I would probably have driven myself mad fixating on it. I don't think I would have made the accusation at this time in my life, but I can certainly imagine that occurring if I was a child as she was at the start of the novel, and then letting it take over my life.
I still find it interesting that so many of the books on this list are focused in the 30s-70s eras. Atonement was written in 2001, but yet it was still set in the 40s. I just got the next book, An American Tragedy today. Looking forward to starting that one. It's quite a long book with small font, so it will be a while before I post again.
Thanks and keep reading,
Mary
So far, this has been my favorite book on the Time list. It was amazing! I loved the different story lines, the characters were relateable, and the twist and the end really sealed the deal. I would recommend this book to anyone. It's a movie too, which I vaguely remember seeing part of on TV a couple years ago.
The main character is a younger sister who observes her older sister in a spat with the servant's son, which resulted in a broken vase and both parties hopping into a fountain to retrieve the pieces. Later that day, the younger sister connects the dots in a way which implicates the servant's son in a rape. The servant's son gets carted off the jail and then we flash forward several years into the midst of WWII. Both sisters are nurses and the author describes the scenes of wounded soldiers at the hospital with such colorful terms, I could really see everything happening in my mind's eye. The story ends with a twist that makes the whole novel all the more bittersweet.
I found myself feeling for all the characters the book spotlighted, as the narrator's voice shifted from younger sister, to the servant's son, and the old sister through letters and scene location. I felt that the intensity with which the younger sister focused on implicating the servant's son was reminiscent of what I would have done in a similar situation... But I would probably have driven myself mad fixating on it. I don't think I would have made the accusation at this time in my life, but I can certainly imagine that occurring if I was a child as she was at the start of the novel, and then letting it take over my life.
I still find it interesting that so many of the books on this list are focused in the 30s-70s eras. Atonement was written in 2001, but yet it was still set in the 40s. I just got the next book, An American Tragedy today. Looking forward to starting that one. It's quite a long book with small font, so it will be a while before I post again.
Thanks and keep reading,
Mary
Monday, February 15, 2010
Candy Girl
Wow, I got through Candy Girl in 2 days. It was such a fun and enticing read! I didn't even get squeamish until the last 30 pages... It was definitely fun to read about places I've seen downtown, and to learn about the inner workings of the doll houses. I recommend reading this! A nice break from the Time list.
Two funny stories related to Candy Girl - a friend from Junior League read this in her book club and they went to The Seville for their meeting to discuss the book. Apparently they got a tour and solicited to join the club if they were interested! Then they went to a Juno movie premier at the Walker. The author of Candy Girl, Diablo Cody, also wrote Juno. They got a chance to chat with her all about stripping!
The second story is that the owner of my hair salon was apparently married to a guy who left her to marry Cody. I keep wondering if Jonny in the book is the salon owner's ex!
Ready to get back to the list!
Happy reading!
Mary
Two funny stories related to Candy Girl - a friend from Junior League read this in her book club and they went to The Seville for their meeting to discuss the book. Apparently they got a tour and solicited to join the club if they were interested! Then they went to a Juno movie premier at the Walker. The author of Candy Girl, Diablo Cody, also wrote Juno. They got a chance to chat with her all about stripping!
The second story is that the owner of my hair salon was apparently married to a guy who left her to marry Cody. I keep wondering if Jonny in the book is the salon owner's ex!
Ready to get back to the list!
Happy reading!
Mary
Sunday, February 14, 2010
A Clockwork Orange
I finished A Clockwork Orange in just a couple days. It was definitely the most violent book I've ever read, and I've been having bad dreams about creepy guys chasing me and doing violent things. Not ideal.
That being said, I think it's actually one of the best books I've read so far on the Time Top 100 list. I liked how the author broke the story up into three 7-chapter sections. According to the forward from the author, when the book was originally published in America, they only published the first 20 chapters. The publisher deemed the last chapter to be too unrealistic for Americans. The rest of the world got the full text. The last chapter is interesting, it is where the main character Alex actually starts to turn good. I haven't seen the movie, but apparently it's only the first 2o chapters too. The author said that without the last chapter, the book is a fable, not a novel.
I really liked the clockwork orange context. Before reading the book and understanding the meaning of that phrase, I always thought of the chocolate oranges that I got in my stocking every year. But in actuality, a clockwork orange is "A person or organism with a mechanistic morality or lack of free will." (wikipedia). That fits perfectly with the book, as the main character has his free will removed in a state experiment.
I'm taking a break from the Time list for a bit, and reading Candy Girl, about a stripper in Minneapolis. Next Time book: Atonement. Maybe I'll watch the Keria Knightly movie too!
Keep reading,
Mary
That being said, I think it's actually one of the best books I've read so far on the Time Top 100 list. I liked how the author broke the story up into three 7-chapter sections. According to the forward from the author, when the book was originally published in America, they only published the first 20 chapters. The publisher deemed the last chapter to be too unrealistic for Americans. The rest of the world got the full text. The last chapter is interesting, it is where the main character Alex actually starts to turn good. I haven't seen the movie, but apparently it's only the first 2o chapters too. The author said that without the last chapter, the book is a fable, not a novel.
I really liked the clockwork orange context. Before reading the book and understanding the meaning of that phrase, I always thought of the chocolate oranges that I got in my stocking every year. But in actuality, a clockwork orange is "A person or organism with a mechanistic morality or lack of free will." (wikipedia). That fits perfectly with the book, as the main character has his free will removed in a state experiment.
I'm taking a break from the Time list for a bit, and reading Candy Girl, about a stripper in Minneapolis. Next Time book: Atonement. Maybe I'll watch the Keria Knightly movie too!
Keep reading,
Mary
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Big Sleep
I was able to read The Big Sleep in just a few days. It was a quick paced private eye detective novel. I could see the images playing before my eyes in grainy black and white footage - the story was set back in the '30's. Per wikipedia, it's noted for it's complexity and greek-like tradegy. I did have a little trouble towards the end keeping up with all the threads of the story unravelling. Overall I did like the book, I don't read many mysteries, so it was a good change of pace.
The author, Raymond Chandler, is one of the most prominent and influential detective story writers of his time.
The book did get me thinking about words used to describe the main character, a private investigator, detective, private eye, private dick... My favorite is gum shoe. This probably isn't the end-all-be-all site, but I thought this explanation of how gum shoe came into being was pretty interesting.
It turns out that the original "gumshoes" of the late 1800's were shoes or boots made of gum rubber, the soft-soled precursors of our modern sneakers... At the turn of the century "to gumshoe" meant to sneak around quietly as if wearing gumshoes, either in order to rob or, conversely, to catch thieves. "Gumshoe man" was originally slang for a thief, but by about 1908 "gumshoe" usually meant a police detective, as it has ever since. http://ask.yahoo.com/20011002.html
I'm currently reading A Clockwork Orange. This is the most violent book I've ever read... Should be finished in a couple days.
Stay warm, and keep reading!
Mary
The author, Raymond Chandler, is one of the most prominent and influential detective story writers of his time.
The book did get me thinking about words used to describe the main character, a private investigator, detective, private eye, private dick... My favorite is gum shoe. This probably isn't the end-all-be-all site, but I thought this explanation of how gum shoe came into being was pretty interesting.
It turns out that the original "gumshoes" of the late 1800's were shoes or boots made of gum rubber, the soft-soled precursors of our modern sneakers... At the turn of the century "to gumshoe" meant to sneak around quietly as if wearing gumshoes, either in order to rob or, conversely, to catch thieves. "Gumshoe man" was originally slang for a thief, but by about 1908 "gumshoe" usually meant a police detective, as it has ever since. http://ask.yahoo.com/20011002.html
I'm currently reading A Clockwork Orange. This is the most violent book I've ever read... Should be finished in a couple days.
Stay warm, and keep reading!
Mary
Saturday, January 30, 2010
American Pastoral
I finished American Pastoral a week ago. It was an interesting story, about a girl who blew up a general store during the Vietnam war, as an act of rebellion. I thought the characters were colorful. As usual there were traces of infidelity. But I don't get why this book was on the list. The last 50 pages or so unraveled really quickly, and I don't feel like there was closure on many of the main events. New "cans of worms" were opened towards the end of the book that didn't seem to lead anywhere except a downward spiral.
I know this isn't a wordy or persuasive post... But I'm already on the next book, The Big Sleep. More to come soon!
I know this isn't a wordy or persuasive post... But I'm already on the next book, The Big Sleep. More to come soon!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
I did not give up
I know it has been a LONG time since I've posted. These are really long books. Stay tuned, because I'm halfway finished with American Pastorial. I never knew there was so much detail to making gloves.
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