Remember, Remember, the Month of November...

November was a great reading month. I am pretty close to a 100 books on my Goodreads reading challenge, even though my initial goal was to read 75. Given how many big books I read, and how my graphic novel count is (still!) zero, I am very impressed with myself! /modesty mode *ON*

 

There were two clear highlights in November for me. Since I am a self-proclaimed cynic with heart of cold, who is not moved easily by anything, I was pretty astonished by the chaos that the book "We Are Completely Beside Ourselves" and the movie "Interstellar" managed to cause on my mental landscapes.

 

(Feel free to skip the next few paragraphs if movies ain't your thing - if there are people like that out there...)

 

Photo source.

 

I don't think I've ever gone to see a movie twice in the movie theater (some of them legendary The Lord of the Rings films might have been an exception - I don't remember), but I'm planning to see Interstellar again. I have been a fan of Christopher Nolan's works for a long while, but his films always were intelligent, clever, thoughtful, unexpected, challenging - not necessarily emotionally touching. Well, that has changed now. Interstellar is a very emotional film and I can't get it out of my head. A few films have moved me this way - Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (2003) probably comes the closest so far, but while Lost in Translation is quite confined in its scope and setting, Interstellar is hugely epic, covering time, space and matter, all less in three hours of time. It is a clear proof that science fiction does not equal trash or sub par. It is not a great sci-fi movie; it is a great movie, period.

 

As a side thought - if there are any other weirdos out there who can't stand the pointless-mindless snogging and making out in their movies, space films are a great choice - space suits make for a challenging situation when it comes to the compulsory kissing scenes.

 

Right, let's get to the books.

 

 

 

 

Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet (historical fiction) - 4/5

Yes - who would have thought the 1000-page about building a church could be so addictive. It is a long and tasty book, and I want to read the sequel too. The only problem I had was somewhat two dimensional characters, but otherwise a great read.

Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer (science fiction) - 3/5

I don't know about this book, maybe I wasn't in the right state of mind, but it was a tad hard to connect. It's short and not exactly character driven, but it is very intriguing in its setting - if there was the term "magical science fiction", this one would fit nicely. I'll still be checking out the next two because - short reads.

Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino (fiction) - 3/5

Very interesting concept and beautiful language, but I found it a bit difficult to follow at times. I am not that fond of fully descriptive prose.

The Ghost Brigades, John Scalzi (science fiction -> space opera) - 4/5

John Scalzi is a very fun author, I'd recommend him to people who kinda sorta want to try out sci-fi but are concerned about the science-y parts. Especially the first one in this series, Old Man's War, was so funny. The Ghost Brigades is funny too, but also focuses on deeper aspects of humanity.

Alas, Babylon, Pat Frank (science fiction -> post apocalyptic) - 3/5

Post-apocalyptic America after nuclear explosion. The fact that it was written back in 1959 kind of shone through for me. Definitely an interesting take, but overall nothing that special.

Coming Clean, Kimberly Rae Miller (non-fiction -> memoir) - 2/5

Hoarding as a condition has always intrigued and terrified me. One of my biggest fears is the compulsion to have too much stuff in my life. I wanted to understand the minds of hoarders better through this book, but I didn't find what I was searching for. Miller focuses on herself and when it comes to her parents (the hoarders), this is more descriptive than analytical work. Writing was mediocre, the book could have benefitted from some skillful editing, and some things I just didn't get - like if someone in your family has a condition that is clearly not normal and completely destroys most of your life, howcome getting professional, psychiatric help is not the first thing that comes to everyone's mind?

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler (fiction) - 5/5

The human is the savagest animal, no? What a wonderful, wonderful piece of fiction. Heart warming, emotional, but not in a manipulative manner (*cough* Jodi Picoult *cough*). The best way to approach this book is to not know anything about it.

Gulp, Mary Roach (non-fiction) - 4/5

Mary Roach makes me laugh. Laughing while learning about how food goes through human body, how pythons eat their breakfast or the perks of human saliva, is the best.

The Round House, Louise Erdrich (fiction) - 3/5

Interesting book with unique setting and prose, but I didn't connect with Erdrich's text. I wanted to like it more than I did.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz (young adult) - 3/5

I feel it's unfair to even say anything because clearly, I am unable to take young adult for what it is. This is probably one of the better examples of the specimen, but still I can't get over the simpleness of the genre (is it a genre? I don't think it actually is, but for the lack of a better universally agreed term...) The very short and abrupt dialogue style annoyed me to no end.

Kindred, Octavia E. Butler (fiction [with time travel elements]) - 4/5

What a surprise! Kindred is a rough ride, and I am hesitant to call it SFF because really the only SFF element it has is the time travel. Otherwise it's more of (historical) fiction. But very interesting book that explores deep racial issues. Definitely will read more Butler in future.

Nothing to Envy, Barbara Demick (non-fiction -> North Korea) - 5/5

Nothing to Envy is the best piece of non-fiction on North Korea I've read so far. My reads have all been very different - Escape from Camp 14 focuses on life in concentration camps; Somewhere Inside is a very journalistic/American take on North Korean bureaucracy machine. I very much missed a glimpse on the life of simple North Koreans, and I got it. There were answers to some of the questions I've had for a while - like, do they really live in total lack of knowledge about the rest of the world (some don't); how deep does the whole brain-washing thing go; how do North Korean defectors act once they settle somewhere else (usually China or South Korea); why do they agree to live like this? Highly recommended.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 01.12.2014

I'm here again, with the Monday reads. I managed to finish both Nothing to Envy and Kindred last week, great reads and highly recommended both.

 

 

 

Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel - I'm about half way through and so far, hooray to hype monster for not ruining the reading experience. I'm especially smitten with Miranda.

 

 

Endymion, Dan Simmons - did I say I think Dan Simmons is a genius? I'm about 1/5 through and feel like I've arrived home. These books will be one of the highlights of this year for sure.

 

 

 

The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Rae Carson - a little while ago I bought a bunch of dollar-smt YA books for e-reader to be able to make my occasional YA-pick. The beginning of this was very promising, but now I've gotten a bit bored. Still I'm curious to see what will happen.

 

The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls - I decided to start this as my next non-fiction read, I haven't read a memoir in a while. I only checked first few pages and I suppose this lady's life is going to be VERY eventful.

 

Aside from that, I'm still reading the chunksters from last week, The Cider House Rules and Deadhouse Gates. Both are good, I just prefer not to make huge books my focus reads.

 

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Journey, check out the blog to see other fantastic Monday reads.

The Ten Books I Really Want to Read This Winter

What is this madness? The third day and the third post? I didn't plan to make a post today (I've been working on my post on 2015 TBR Challenge instead), but seeing today's topic on my blog feed I simply couldn't resist.

 

So here are the ten books I really want to read this winter (winter = December - March). Hopefully I can cross these all out by the beginning of March.

 

Edit: after I typed the list, I discovered it's pretty... gloomy? Horror, post-apocalyptic, poor starving orphans and creepy non-fiction. It was not deliberate, but I don't really mind. #holidayspirit, eh ;)

 

 



1. Endymion, Dan Simmons (science fiction) - follow up to Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion. Will be reading this one in December, I'm beyond excited.

 

2. Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel (science fiction -> dystopia/post apocalyptic) - this one seems to be everywhere right now, and since my reading is very much not about current trends, I decided to pick a few just to catch up with all the fuss.

 

3. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens (classics) - Dickens feels somehow winter-appropriate. This is one of the last books I have left to complete my 2014 TBR challenge, so I better get it done.

 

4. Among Others, Jo Walton (fantasy) - a Hugo and Nebula winning novel, I've heard it described as something "different" - well, why not. Colour me intrigued.

 

5. The Road, Cormac McCarthy (science fiction -> dystopia/post apocalyptic) - The Road has been on my to- read list for a while. I haven't read any other McCarthy, though I own a nice copy of All the Pretty Horses.

 

 

6. Bird Box, Josh Malerman (horror) - also this year's release. I don't really know anything about it except for the fact that it's supposed to give you the creeps.

 

7. The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood (speculative fiction) - it is about time. I read Oryx and Crake years ago, and have the both sequels on my shelf, so I really don't know why I haven't already read them. Also, it's been a while since my last Atwood, I think I'm having withdrawal.

 

8. We Need New Names, NoViolet Bulawayo (fiction) - one of the Man Booker Prize nominees this year. I am always willing to give Man Booker books a go.

 

9. The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson (non-fiction -> true crime) - I went over my non-fiction collection and this one jumped out as a potentially good winter read. It was either this or Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking - although who says I cannot read them both.

 

10. The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls (non-fiction -> memoir) - I think this will be a tough read.

 

If you have read any of those or are planning to, feel free to leave your thoughts :)

 

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 24.11.2014

I decided to start doing Monday reading posts, in which I'll show my current reads and add occasional chit-chat on topics that my current reads trigger. (Did I tell you I tend to ramble? I tend to ramble. I'm a ramblerer.)

 

Nothing to Envy, Barbara Demick (2009) - this seems to be one of the better written non-fiction pieces on North Korea. I'm on page 74 and totally sucked in. Demick is a journalist who describes lives of regular North Korean people who later escaped the country. Through that she also introduces the highlights of the history of North Korea.

 

Deadhouse Gates, Steven Erikson (2000) - this is the second book in The Malazan Book of the Fallen series. I was craving for a big fat fantasy book for colder evenings and decided to continue with these. I actually started The Way of Kings as well, but it's on hold right now. Sadly it seems that Sanderson is not an author for me. His books seem to be too calculated, and lacking something specific that I personally look for in fantasy, the writing feels too clinical. I don't know how to explain it. For example, I don't think Robin Hobb's books are the pinnacle of fantasy lit, but they contain heaps of that Special Something that works well for me. Hell, even though I didn't like Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind, his writing does more for me than Sanderson's, there is a lot of life and spark in his characters. I gave The Final Empire four stars right after reading, but I will lower it to three because it hasn't really stuck with me, and I don't feel the urge to pick up the sequel. Ok, rant over. Here's to hoping I won't become an outcast in book blogging world now :)

The Cider House Rules, John Irving (1985) - talking of adjusting ratings, I think I will have to pump my rating to A Prayer for Owen Meany from four to five - this book has definitely stuck with me. This being my second Irving novel, I found that his writing is very unique and recognisable, there is a lot of quirk and whimsy added to the story, and he makes excellent, detailed character studies.

 

Kindred, Octavia E. Butler (1979) - I am not sure what I expected this book to be - or if I expected anything at all - but it's definitely something else, and kind of a rough read. Rough in its story, not readability. I'm almost done, so hopefully will finish this one very soon.

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Journey, check out the blog to see other fantastic Monday reads.

Chronicling: What I Read from August to November

Here's something I haven't done before, and will hopefully never do again: I've read so many books from August to November, and not written about them, that for the sake of chronicling while not letting this post go mile long, I am simply going to list them month by month and add a rating (and maybe a few words for some).

 

I've been thinking about the blogging and where I want to go with it lately (looks like I am not the only one, I've seen others reorganising their mental fields before the end of the year as well), and I'm planning to get back into writing more actively as of the new year. I think I'll do some changes as to what I write about, and how, and for how much, so that the book blogging experience was more customized for my personal taste.

 

But let's get on with this post. I was in a major slump for the end of summer-beginning of autumn, after which I got into a MAJOR reading spree (that should explain 28 completed books in October - and by completed I mean I finished off everything that I had ever started before and books that had been next to my bed for months; in the end I felt extremely liberated).

August 2014:

1. The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison - 4/5
2. Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie - 3/5
3. A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth Ozeki - 5/5
     - so so good. Pick it up if you crave for some violence-zen combo in your life.
4. 172 Hours on the Moon, Johan Harstad - 3/5
     - a bit of a missed opportunity there. Or maybe I'm just not the target group...


September 2014:

1. Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie (for RIP) - 4/5
2. The Bone Clocks, David Mitchell - 5/5
     - do I even need to comment? I'm soon done with everything Mitchell has written, and then what? *dreads the day*
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling - 4/5
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling - 4/5


October 2014:

1. An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, Chris Hadfield - 5/5
   - I think this book can have two possible outcomes, depending on a person: you either 1) feel like the worst, most depressed under-achiever in the world or 2) inspired to the moon and back and ready to take on the whole earth.
2. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester - 2.5/5
3. Andeka kingsepa surm, Vaclav Erben - 1/5
4. State of Wonder, Ann Patchett - 4/5
5. Somewhere Inside: One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home, Laura & Lisa Ling - 3.5/5
   - one of my favourite non-fiction topics; I felt the content was good, but it was so obvious the book was written by journalists, and often I felt like things could have been edited out for the sake of smoother narrative flow.
6. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, Haruki Murakami - 3/5
   - I think this was disappointment mainly because I have read so much Murakami in my life. He tends to write about the same people all over, and it can get a bit too much.
7. The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Laurie R. King (for RIP) - 4/5

8. Asylum, Madeleine Roux (for RIP) - 2/5
9. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier (for RIP) - 5/5
   - a bit of a soap opera, granted, but so well done I could not stop until it was over. Very atmospheric read.
10. Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen (for RIP) - 4/5
11. Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling, Michael Boccacino (for RIP) - 2/5
12. The War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells - 4/5
13. The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton - 4/5
     - not sure I'd recommend this book to anyone, but it was certainly and interesting and mind-provoking read. If you like(d) Deadwood, you might connect well with the setting in The Luminaries.
14. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz - 4/5

15. The Shining, Stephen King (for RIP) - 4/5
     - the hedge animals!
16. The Distant Hours, Kate Morton (for RIP) - 3/5
17. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Murakami - 4/5
18. The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield (for RIP) - 2/5
     - I feel like I should get into defence mode, this book is well loved. I didn't connect to the prose at.all. Just wasn't my thing. Mainly I waited for it to be over.
19. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan Cain - 4/5
20. NOS4A2, Joe Hill (for RIP) - 4/5
21. Altered Carbon, Richard K. Morgan (for RIP) - 3/5

22. The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own, Nina Garcia - n/a
23. Roosi nimi (The Name of the Rose), Umberto Eco (for RIP) - 4/5
24. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley (3.5/5)
25. Dreamcatcher, Stephen King (for RIP) - 3/5
26. Nana, Émile Zola - 4/5
27. Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie - 5/5
     - the book that won all possible SF awards, as well as my heart.
28. Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy - 5/5
     - the world is a bleak place and human efforts go unrewarded; shallowness and deception will reign. Recommended to all the cynics and those who wish sunshine and happiness in the end of their e-mails.

So I read 12 books for RIP IX - not too bad at all, considering my initial aim was to complete two. :)

Best of the Best of Book Titles

I'm not a massive cover whore, but I can be a bit of a title whore. The titles I tend to gravitate towards are usually on the longer side, there is something playful or poetic about them. I've had thoughts about such post for some time, so in order to bring myself from the blogging slump, here it is.

 

These titles are only out of the books I've read and completed - looking at this mixture, there are a few favourites, a few "very good" books and some "OK/meh" ones. An awful book can of course have a very awesome title, but this usually does not happen for me. I will add my own ratings after each title just so that everyone can see what I mean.

 

 

 

10. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz (4/5) - there is something tragic about "brief" and "wondrous" being used in the same sentence. Having read the book last month, the title feels even more poignant. I loved this title before reading the book, and kept loving it afterwards.

 

9. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley (3/5) - this one falls to the "less is more" category. This is the title that always makes me smile inside. It contains all the hope in the world.

 

8. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell (5/5) - I love autumn(s). I love the name, and the character, of Jacob de Zoet. I love David Mitchell. Lots of love all around!

 

7. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez (4/5) - I read this book in Estonian, but the title is better in English. I think it suits the novel so well, what with its huge extent of time combined with the abstract notion of solitude. If you have read the book you know how mind-fuckish it is most of the time :)

 

6. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, Jeanette Winterson (3/5) - indeed?

 

5. The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt (4/5) - this title I didn't really get until I read the book. It's a very playful one, again, all the inner smiling in the world. Excellent match with the contents of the book.

 

4. In Watermelon Sugar, Richard Brautigan (2/5) - can you feel the sticky sweetness? CAN YOU?? SWEET OVERDOSE. Not recommended for children (and speaking of that, this one definitely requires a re-read).

 

3. For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway (4/5) - I wasn't sure about Hem until I read this book. He's a poet in a very minimalist way. Very nice title, and one of my all time favourite quotes also comes from this book.

 

2. Smilla's Sense of Snow, Peter Høeg (5/5) - can we all take a moment and appreciate all the alliteration in this title. It's a book by Danish author, and I haven't seen people talking about it at all, which is a bit sad. Snow, Greenland, and general feeling of kaamos (= the polar night; period of darkness north of the Arctic Circle when the sun does not rise over the horizon - Wikipedia) that we Nordic folk have to deal with the most of the year.

 

1. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera (5/5) - one of my favourite books ever with the best title in the world. The unbearable lightness of being is a state of mind, and I know what it feels like, very intimately.

 

If you also have strong feelings towards certain book titles, feel free to write/talk about them, I'm VERY curious! Are there other booktitle-weirdos out there?

R.I.P. IX reading event

Dear blog, sorry to have neglected you for forever... etc. etc. Summer is over and it's time to get scoring, I mean reading, right? I'm afraid I've forgotten how to read more than 4 pages a day, so taking part in the wonderful R.I.P. seems like as good opportunity to ease myself back into my favourite hobby.

The event is hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings; visit this post to learn more about the event (and possibly join in). The event takes place during September and October. We read from the following genres:

 

Mystery.

Suspense.

Thriller.

Dark Fantasy.

Gothic.

Horror.

Supernatural.

Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.

 

There are different levels of participation available, but in my current mental state I am incapable of dealing with such a detail, so please go check out the boss post if you got curious.

 

Here's my post about R.I.P. VIII.

Here's my wrap-up on R.I.P. VIII.

 

The list of things I plan to choose from:

 

 

 

1. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.

2. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton.

3. The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King.

4. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

5. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.

6. A story from Lovecraft's Great Tales of Horror.

7. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill.

8. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie - I need to finish this one.

9. Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan - a sci-fi mystery!

10. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King.

11. The Shining by Stephen King

12. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

13. The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

 

I'll be happy to finish as many as 2 books, that is one per month. Aiming low!