A Possible Life

My God, what an amazing year of reading this has been. Last Friday morning on the bus to work I finished A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks, and it was the first time I was brought to tears by a book in such a public way. I've gotten a bit teary before, but this time I actually shed those tears. I have never read anything by Sebastian Faulks before, but this was absolutely beautiful.

A Possible Life is described as a novel in five parts. Each of the five short stories contained within stand on their own, but there are common threads. They all deal with love, hope, betrayal, and thoughts of what might have been had the characters chosen different paths. I just found this fantastic review which does the book much more justice than I can.

My favourite stories were the first, based in a Nazi concentration camp, and the last, which told the story of a musician in love. The stories were so melancholy, and each of the main characters in all the stories were so real and raw and relate-able, even if not entirely likable.

The best way to sum up this book - I loved it! It only loses half a star because one of the stories within didn't engage me as much as the others did. But overall - wow.

A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks - 4.5 out of 5 stars!

A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks

Stasiland

I have heard Anna Funder be interviewed a few times and so have been wanting to read Stasiland for some time, and this month it came up in my Once Were Wallabies book club as our non-fiction pick. In a nutshell, I found the stories within its pages very compelling.

Stasiland tells the stories of people who lived in East Germany during the time of Communism, i.e. before the Wall fell. The Stasi were, essentially, the East German spies who would hire informers, monitor the public, and essentially stop any dissidents or people trying to escape. I was only ten years old when the Berlin Wall fell, and although I knew it was something significant, I obviously didn't understand the magnitude of the event, and I certainly didn't comprehend how the German people behind that wall lived, nor how it even came to be there. I know, completely ignorant of me, but in school our European History studies stopped at World War II, and it's only now in my adult life that I've taken more of an interest in world affairs.

I believe this was Anna Funder's first book, and for me, it shows, as I struggled with the tense she chose for the book and didn't think it was particularly well written. What she does well, though, is explore East Germany from a number of different angles. Not only does she speak with people who lived under the Stasi and who had their lives drastically changed by them, but she also seeks out some ex-Stasi workers and tells their stories too. I also loved the analysis at the end of the book, where some Germans speak about how some things were actually better before the Wall fell. Having this 'bigger picture' to the events is what made this book so compelling.

Stasiland by Anna Funder - 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Stasiland by Anna Funder

Favourite things?

One of my friends has started a blog recently (thecookingchook) and amongst her cooking posts has started to list some of her favourite things. This got me thinking that I can't seem to pick favourites lately, apart from my favourite colour (which is purple, by the way). With other things like movies, music, and TV shows, I struggle to even limit what I like into a Top 10 list, because I invariably forget about something I used to love but might not have watched or listened to for a while, and then I have to re-do the list but find I end up with a whole heap.

Actually, that's not entirely true for movies. My favourite film has been and always will be Stand By Me, with Labyrinth a close second. I can't imagine those ever being removed from my Top 2 movies, because they meant so much to me as a child and have carried with them a lot of sentimental value, and I can still sit down and enjoy them, even if I don't laugh as much as I once did while watching them. But beyond those two, the other films are a jumbled mess because it's just too hard to choose.

I've now found the same with trying to reconcile my favourite book. Since its publication in 2005, The Bride Stripped Bare took its spot as my favourite book. I have read it more than any other book and at the time I first read it, it really spoke to me. I re-read it last year and found that, although I still loved some parts of it, I didn't think it was that great and was a bit sloppy in parts. This year I've read quite a few fantastic books which I think are far more worthy of becoming my new favourite, but I simply can't choose one. I think The Bride Stripped Bare might be out of favour though, although I'm sure it'll always hold a special place. But I simply can't be asked to narrow my books into a Top 5 or Top 10 list, it's just too hard!

Freedom

I originally started reading this novel about a year ago, but then stopped at around 300 pages in. I can't actually remember why; I don't think it was because I wasn't enjoying the book, but I think I probably just borrowed something else from the library or from a friend, then got distracted with my studies, and so Freedom by Jonathan Franzen sat on my side table with bookmark in place, waiting for its turn to come around again. I knew, though, that I'd enjoyed what I'd read up to that point, because I wanted other people to read it too, and so I picked it for my work book club.

This month it came up as one of our selections, so I decided to start from the beginning again, and I'm glad I did because there were some key elements of the story I'd forgotten about in the last twelve months. To explain what Freedom is about is difficult, because it isn't strictly about anything. What it does is picks what seems to be a typical American contemporary family and follows their story as their picture of perfection starts to crack and crumble.

I feel like a broken record as I've been reading so many great books lately, but I loved it. I can see this kind of story isn't for everybody, as some readers might want faster development, or find the characters really unlikeable, but the story really spoke to me. Patty is a neurotic mother, quick to find faults in others, laughs at people's expense, but deep down is just hurting and wants some of her love reciprocated. Walter loves her so incredibly much and yet seems to be not good enough for her, so focuses his passions instead on his environmental work. Each of their children are so incredibly different and messed up in their own way, and then there's Richard, Walter's life long friend, who intersects the story now and then, creates a mess and then leaves again.

One of my fellow book clubbers said that when she stopped reading it she missed the characters. That's a perfect way of summing up this book for me, too, as I feel like I know each of them intimately, and as the number of pages left to read dwindled, the more I didn't want the book to end.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen - 5 out of 5 stars!

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

The Kingmaker's Daughter

I recently finished reading The Kingmaker's Daughter, a work of historical fiction by Philippa Gregory, probably best known for books in the Tudor series such as The Other Boleyn Girl. Although I have collected a lot of Philippa's books over the years (after all, I have over 230 books in my bookshelves yet to be opened once), this was the first one I've actually read and I must say I was quite impressed and can see why she's so popular.

In this novel, Philippa has taken the era of the Cousins' War, or War of the Roses, and has written about events leading to the crowning of Edward IV and Richard III through the eyes of Richard's eventual wife, Anne Neville. No prior knowledge of this time in history is required (I certainly didn't have any, seeing as I only have vague notions of Richard III); the story can be enjoyed just as it's written, and perhaps, for historical fiction, that's the better way, as then the reader doesn't come into the novel with any expectations due to their prior knowledge.

Philippa writes beautifully and has a way of describing place so well that your imagination can soar and picture everything described perfectly - the castles, the court, the dresses, the customs... The story itself started off very strongly and started out as a real page turner, but for me it then slowed towards the end and became a little repetitive. It grew a little tiring reading for pages on end about the paranoia felt by Anne and her family, and about how Elizabeth was a suspected witch. It got to the stage where it felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over as the pace slowed and became more of the same.

Overall though it was a well-told story and I'd recommend it to anyone who's even remotely interested in historical kings and queens of England. They all seem just that bit messed up ;)

The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory - 3.5/5 stars

The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory

The Age of Miracles

I've come across some fantastic fiction lately it seems, as I devoured this book, The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker, so quickly. The basic plot line is that scientists discover that the rotation of the Earth is slowing down (a phenomenon they call The Slowing, surprisingly) and are not sure what has caused it or how bad things will get. The story is told through the eyes of an 11 year old girl, so while there's this worldwide catastrophe, she's trying to grow up and deal with all the issues that come with that.

I absolutely loved this book, but I always seem to love books that have a nostalgic feel and are told through the eyes of younger people as they recollect events (like To Kill a Mockingbird). It was sad, and beautiful, and felt so real. I thought the mix of speculative fiction and young adult issues worked really well, although some people might not like the fact that very little is learned about The Slowing, and might find it frustrating in that regard. If I was to have a complaint, it would be that the ending of the book came too quickly, and I have to admit that after the pace displayed earlier in the book, it seemed a little rushed. I could have quite happily read another 100-150 pages leading up to the end I think.

I found it refreshingly different to anything I've read before, and highly recommend it.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker - 4 stars

 

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker



No Country for Old Men

Yes that's right, I've just finished reading another Cormac McCarthy novel. There have been a number of his books I've wanted to read for some time, and this is the last of those I'd recently borrowed from the library. This is, undoubtedly, my favourite of his books, and in fact has possibly edged its way into my Top 5 book list (if I actually kept a list, which I don't, because asking me to restrict my favourite books into a 'Top whatever' list is just cruel).

WOW! What an incredible novel. McCarthy is, quite simply, a brilliant writer. The pace of this book was relentless and a real page turner. The voices of his characters and the dialogue were so real and made it possible to hear those accents and those conversations in my own head. Nothing in this novel was jarring or felt out of place.

I'm reluctant to post any plotlines to novels on my blog as I'm not a fan of giving spoilers and ruining the reading experience for people, but for those of you who have seen the movie of the same name, it is pretty much identical to the novel (granted, it's been a long time since I saw the film, but I don't remember any differences that stood out). If you're not much of a reader, and haven't seen the film, do it now. Actually, if you're not much of a reader, why the bloody hell not, with such amazing books as this out there :)

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy - 5 out of freaking 5 giant stars

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

Blood Meridian

I have wanted to read Blood Meridian for a very long time, and now that my local library is a part of the One Card Network, I was finally able to get a hold of the book without buying it. I'm going through a bit of a Cormac McCarthy phase at the moment after recently reading The Road for our work book club. I think he's a fantastic writer.

Blood Meridian can be a little bit of a difficult read at times. Most people have a problem with the level of violence in it, which I must say is quite extreme, but I think I am a little de-sensitised, so although some of the imagery is quite shocking, that's not actually what made this difficult for me to read.

I actually struggled with some of the language. There were a heap of words I'd never heard of before, and I have to admit I'm not one of those readers who keeps a dictionary nearby for those occasions so I tried to figure out the sense of what he was trying to say myself. There's also a little Spanish used throughout and although it isn't essential to know every piece of dialogue, it took me out of the story when it got to those parts. And my final complaint was the writing style, I suppose used to convey the intensity of certain scenes, was a little tiresome, particularly when it came to a sentence that just wouldn't end.

However, all that said, it's a great, if difficult to read story, and is confronting. I'm still loving Cormac McCarthy and have to admit to being impressed with how drastically he can change his style to suit the novel. It's a massive difference from The Road to this. The last 50 pages or so in particular were really gripping.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy - 3.5 stars.



Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy



Bye bye, free time

We haven't been up to much since my last update aside from going to work and having quiet weekends at home, but it has given me the opportunity to get back into doing some cross stitching. I love cross stitching for something that takes my mind off other things, although I hadn't done any for over 2 years. But when one of the ladies at work was showing me this craft magazine she gets and I saw all these beautiful cross stitching patterns, I was inspired to do some more. I wasn't able to afford a massive pattern so just bought my niece and nephew some little wall hangings and have been working on those during the evenings while I watch TV.

Aside from that, the rest of my free time has been spent quietly reading or watching stuff. Glen and I went to see The Dark Knight Rises last weekend on the spur of the moment. Those who know me know I love comic books and their associated cartoons, TV shows and films, and I love these newer Batman movies. Needless to say I wasn't disappointed. I thought the film was brilliant.

The books I've finished recently are Prohibited Zone by Alastair Sarre and just today on my lunch break I finally finished 11.22.63 by Stephen King. I had started reading this a while ago and then took a break partway through, read 6 other books, and just got back into it on the weekend. I didn't stop reading it because I wasn't enjoying it, just that I'd borrowed some books off other people and thought I should get through those first. I was able to pick it up and keep going from where I'd left off without any hassles. I love Stephen King and this book is definitely up there as his best. What always frustrates me with his horror is an amazingly evil character which is so unstoppable that the endings to those books sometimes feel rushed and disappointing, like he himself didn't know what to do about the monster because he'd made it too powerful. But his recent books seem a lot better, and this one was just fantastic. The pacing and suspense towards the end was done really well, so I just wanted to keep reading even if it meant not sleeping much.

Anyway this week Uni went back so I daresay by time to read will diminish a bit. Just another 18 months of Uni to go! So apart from seeing some friends for a pizza night on Saturday, the rest of my weekend will be spent doing homework. Joy!

I'm a reading machine

I seem to have finished a lot of books lately. It probably helps that they were all really short, but still, it feels nice to get through a few books quickly. This month so far has seen a lot of non-fiction which is a bit unusual for me. I don't mind non-fiction, but I usually find that after reading one, I can't wait to sink my teeth back into some good fiction to lose myself in.

I started off the month reading True Pleasures: A Memoir of Women in Paris by Lucinda Holdforth which would have made a fantastic documentary series. She basically visited key sites in the lives of many famous women in Paris throughout history. The most interesting parts I found in the book were where she was talking about Napoleon and Josephine, and she quoted some of Napoleon's love letters. Wow!! Those letters were amazing. Love letters like that are definitely a lost art. So it got me interested in reading more about Napoleon, someone I haven't read about since high school's Modern European History.

I then moved onto another non-fiction book called A Leg to Stand On by Oliver Sacks, probably best known for writing Awakenings. It was a bit too intellectual for me to be honest. He turned his knee injury into something far more philosophical and most of the time I had no idea what I was reading. I'm sure the more intellectual of my work book club will have much more insightful observations on the book.

After frying my brain on that, I thought I'd return to some fiction so read The Rest of the Robots by Isaac Asimov. This was the first Asimov book I'd actually read despite meaning to for quite some time. It was fantastic. I really, really love the way he writes and have been raving about this book on Facebook already so won't repeat myself too much. But honestly, so well written and written in a style that will never date. Loved it.

I'm now halfway through Adelaide by Kerryn Goldsworthy, probably only of interest to those who grew up or live here because it goes through the city's history, key historical figures and some spots around the city that bring with them some nostalgic moments. I'm enjoying it as a trip down memory lane and also for learning some more about my own city, but limited readership obviously.

Karen has loaned me a book on Napoleon for my next read. Looks like more non-fiction for the time being!

Books, writing and gaming

Well again I'm not too sure where the last three weeks have gone. This time though I haven't been doing much exciting because Uni finishes on June 8th and I have had assignments to work on (and looks like that's all I'll be doing for the next two weeks too). I've had to write and submit another short story which I'm super happy I got another High Distinction for, and am hoping my final story due next Friday also ends up with a good grade. It's so nice to be able to write and I guess I'm not too bad at it after all which is nice. Next step is to try and get published somewhere I guess!

The long bus trips mean I still have time to read and I recently borrowed and finished a couple of books from the library. I recently read Three Dollars by Elliot Perlman which I really enjoyed, and Play Abandoned by Garry Disher which, although well written, I didn't think was that great. I think I just find it difficult to get into a story when there isn't a single character I like.

Glen and I are also frantically trying to use up some free movie tickets we got for Christmas which expire on June 30 so we've recently been to see The Avengers (which I LOVED) and Dark Shadows, which was better than I thought it would be.

And my free time is very limited at the moment which is killing me because Diablo 3 has finally been released and I have only been able to play a little bit of it! Looking forward to the end of semester so I can sink many, many hours into it lol.

Hmm I think that's pretty much been it aside from a quiet Mother's Day with the family, not that it matters as I think my readership has dried up!

The Reaper

I've recently finished reading The Reaper by Peter Lovesey, chosen by Beth for our book club. I don't read a lot of Crime Fiction and this was one of those books that wasn't very deep but easy to read; something that you can just read lightly. It actually was pretty enjoyable but did suffer from some poor writing. While the main character was written quite well the female characters (particularly the main female character) were written poorly, as if the author thought all females were gossips and desperate for love. The book included at least one particular plot twist which wasn't exciting but instead was annoying because it was completely inconsistent with the character involved. It just seemed to come out of nowhere, whereas the plot twists involving the lead male character were much more believable and unpredictable.

There was also some annoying poor editing, where there was a whole part going on about burial rather than cremation and then an editing slip where it talked about people gathering after the cremation instead of the burial. Not a big thing but I find that kind of stuff really off-putting (no doubt the editor in me coming out).

I won't go out of my way to read any more Peter Lovesey books but it wasn't all bad, and certainly not the worst book I've ever read.

The Reaper - 2.5 stars.

The Reaper by Peter Lovesey

True History of the Kelly Gang

This was one of the books I'd chosen for my work book club so I had been looking forward to reading it for a long time. Interspersed with newspaper articles of accounts, this book is written from the perspective of Ned Kelly which made for a refreshing change. It's listed as historical fiction but truth be told I only know the basics of Ned Kelly so I am not sure how many liberties Peter Carey took when writing this or which parts are more fiction than history but that's the good thing; the writing doesn't jar from history to fiction, it all blends so well so that it's easy to read without being distracting.

Ned Kelly is definitely likable in this book (I guess that's the idea given that it's written from his perspective) and it's a little 'poor me' but at the same time there is a difference in the crimes he admits to doing and the ones he seems unfairly accused of so it's not as if it's all written with him being completely innocent of everything. But from the outset it appears the poor guy never stood a chance but to end up in crime.

I devoured this book, reading it in a week which for me is really fast. The style was great as was the language used which made the characters come to life in my mind, and the book gave a great picture of what life was like for early migrants, convicts and settlers to Australia.

True History of the Kelly Gang - 4 stars!

True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey