(Read: Books I Read Last Month)
Hey there. Sorry it’s been so long. With the all the events of the past month, my blog has not been on the top list of my priorities. But now my schedule is simmering down to its normal density, and I am planning to get back on top of things. To catch up, here are the books I read in February!
The Pregnant Widow – Martin Amis
A young man and a group of his friends vacation in a castle in Italy for a summer. With his typical prose style, Amis explores the development of sexual identity and the effects of aging on one’s sense of self and one’s role in the world. The last two books of Amis’ I read let me down a little bit because of their over-the-top raunchy content, but this book restored my faith in him as a writer. I enjoyed it very much.
Gravity’s Rainbow – Thomas Pynchon
This is a long book, a bit dense, and I’ll admit I didn’t really get it. It takes place in Europe at the end of World War II and is considered one of the greatest American novels ever written. The postmodern prose is sometimes hard to follow, and I feel I may have to reread it eventually to get the full effect of the story.
Beijing Coma – Ma Jian
A young Chinese man is shot in the head during a communist protest in the 1970s and is left in a coma under the care of his mother. Told in flashbacks while the main character lies in bed dying in his comatose state, the story is suspenseful and lyrical, though the pacing is quite slow. We are left wondering if he will awaken from his state, and though we know the results of the characters’ actions on the Chinese government, it is the characters and their relationships that create the intricate story.
Books I Read 1/15-1/31 2012
State of Wonder – Ann Patchett
When Dr. Marina Singh hears of her friend and colleague’s death, she travels to the Amazon in search of her old professor Dr. Annick Swenson, who has been studying a group of women who remain fertile well into their seventies. Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (one of my all-time favorite books), State of Wonder is the compelling journey of woman into the darkest part of humanity, and then into the brightest.
Little Bee – Chris Cleave
A beautiful story about two women dealing with the present while trying to forget the past. Sarah and Little Bee met in Nigeria, where they faced a terrible choice, made a horrific sacrifice, and had to live with the dreadful consequences. Two years later, Little Bee turns up at Sarah’s door in England, and together they must face their pasts. Chris Cleave has a genius grasp on language. This book is emotionally forceful, much like his other novel, Incendiary. It is an amazing story of human triumph, and I would recommend it wholeheartedly.
The Hippopotamus – Stephen Fry
When poet Ted Wallace loses his job as a reviewer, his goddaughter, who is dying of leukemia, asks him to go to the family’s enormous estate and do some spying, for the last time she was there, she witnessed a miracle. Stephen Fry’s witty and clever use of language brings the reader on a romp of an adventure through the hardships of sexuality and the significance of human kindness.
P.S. Unfortunately I have had to cancel the Creepy-Crawly Writing Contest due to an insufficient number of submissions. I hope people will be more willing to participate in my next contest!
When Dr. Marina Singh hears of her friend and colleague’s death, she travels to the Amazon in search of her old professor Dr. Annick Swenson, who has been studying a group of women who remain fertile well into their seventies. Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (one of my all-time favorite books), State of Wonder is the compelling journey of woman into the darkest part of humanity, and then into the brightest.
Little Bee – Chris Cleave
A beautiful story about two women dealing with the present while trying to forget the past. Sarah and Little Bee met in Nigeria, where they faced a terrible choice, made a horrific sacrifice, and had to live with the dreadful consequences. Two years later, Little Bee turns up at Sarah’s door in England, and together they must face their pasts. Chris Cleave has a genius grasp on language. This book is emotionally forceful, much like his other novel, Incendiary. It is an amazing story of human triumph, and I would recommend it wholeheartedly.
The Hippopotamus – Stephen Fry
When poet Ted Wallace loses his job as a reviewer, his goddaughter, who is dying of leukemia, asks him to go to the family’s enormous estate and do some spying, for the last time she was there, she witnessed a miracle. Stephen Fry’s witty and clever use of language brings the reader on a romp of an adventure through the hardships of sexuality and the significance of human kindness.
P.S. Unfortunately I have had to cancel the Creepy-Crawly Writing Contest due to an insufficient number of submissions. I hope people will be more willing to participate in my next contest!
Books I Read Week of 8 January 2012
A Long Way Down – Nick Hornby
Four people from drastically different walks of life meet on New Year’s Eve at the top of a building, one of the most popular suicide spots in North London. Up on the rooftop, they confide in each other and decide to stay in touch over the course of six weeks and meet up there again and make their choice to jump or not. Their journeys are individual and personal, yet they are also intertwined as they share their adventures through crazy parties, family get-togethers, and even witnessing a stranger commit suicide.
What could have easily become an overly sentimental and dreary novel was actually quite fun to read. Nick Hornby turns a desperate situation into a jolly, witty adventure about taking life one day at a time.
Carrie – Stephen King
When the dreadfully unpopular sixteen-year-old Carrie White gets her first period in gym class, a group of girls in the locker room tease her until she explodes in tears. While the girls only get suspension, Carrie must continue suffering, both at school and at home, where her extremist religious mother forces her to pray for forgiveness locked in her closet whenever she makes even the slightest mistake. But when Carrie realizes that she has telekinetic powers, her destructive plan for revenge begins to unfold, and the fateful night of the high school prom will reveal all.
As Stephen King’s first novel, this thriller launched him into fame. While it starts slow, the tension escalates into an explosive ending that reveals the vulnerability of teenagers and the importance of loving family and friends.
Four people from drastically different walks of life meet on New Year’s Eve at the top of a building, one of the most popular suicide spots in North London. Up on the rooftop, they confide in each other and decide to stay in touch over the course of six weeks and meet up there again and make their choice to jump or not. Their journeys are individual and personal, yet they are also intertwined as they share their adventures through crazy parties, family get-togethers, and even witnessing a stranger commit suicide.
What could have easily become an overly sentimental and dreary novel was actually quite fun to read. Nick Hornby turns a desperate situation into a jolly, witty adventure about taking life one day at a time.
Carrie – Stephen King
When the dreadfully unpopular sixteen-year-old Carrie White gets her first period in gym class, a group of girls in the locker room tease her until she explodes in tears. While the girls only get suspension, Carrie must continue suffering, both at school and at home, where her extremist religious mother forces her to pray for forgiveness locked in her closet whenever she makes even the slightest mistake. But when Carrie realizes that she has telekinetic powers, her destructive plan for revenge begins to unfold, and the fateful night of the high school prom will reveal all.
As Stephen King’s first novel, this thriller launched him into fame. While it starts slow, the tension escalates into an explosive ending that reveals the vulnerability of teenagers and the importance of loving family and friends.
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