Book Reviews
| on 03/10/2010 | |
Joined: on 03/07/2010 |
Those of us who read books of the no-pictures variety do seem to be somewhat in the minority, but I thought we could do with a thread for reviewing the latest books we've been reading (since there are similar threads for movies, comics, games etc.)... |
| on 03/10/2010 | |
Joined: on 03/07/2010 |
So here are some of my crappy little reviews for books that I've read in the past few weeks, since I posted in the previous version of this thread on the old forums. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami is a book that took me a long time to get into, and a long time to read, but ultimately rewarded the effort of sticking with it. It starts slowly and in a small way, narrated by an everyman character whose life is unremarkable. But it builds on the small unusual events and mysteries that he experiences - confusing phone calls, a missing cat, an inheritance from a old friend - adding in the layers and moving from painstakingly detailed descriptions of his normal life to big life-changing experiences. It’s also a book full of stories-within-stories and I loved it when the book jumped back to tell stories of events from during WWII, and the way those stories paralleled and enhanced the main plot. It’s a confusing, puzzling and thought-provoking book, a big, long book that nonetheless is built on small but powerful moments and characters, told in restrained language. I adored it, and will definitely be adding more books by Murakami to my library. The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss is described on its title page as ‘a bit of fluff’ and that’s essentially what it is, a highly entertaining, fun but entirely not-serious book. Set in the early 20th century, the narrator and protagonist of the book is Lucifer Box, an arrogant, dashing spy for the British government who investigates the death or two scientists and the murder of another agent, leading him to Italy, where he has to foil a plot to blow up Mount Vesuvius. It’s a light, fast-paced adventure, with a rather unconventional hero, and I found the whole book to be a nice bit of fun reading, and a nice diversion after finishing a rather more serious novel. Making History by Stephen Fry by an alternative history comedy-thriller, about a young history postgrad who has researched the early life of Hitler, and who teams up with a physicist with a time machine (of a type) to prevent the birth of Hitler. Things don’t go quite according to plan, and the historian finds himself in an alternative world where Hitler never existed but a much worse dictator arose in his place. It’s a book that I very much enjoyed, both for the way it was written (it’s funny and entertaining) but also for the quite thought-provoking ideas (that Hitler’s non-existence wouldn’t necessarily make things better). I’d enjoyed some of Fry’s previous books (particularly his autobiography, Moab Is My Washpot, and a book partly based on that, The Liar) but this one was quite different (in plot, though similar in style) and, I think, superior. Alternative history is an genre (or a sub-genre of science fiction, if you prefer) which I find interesting and appealing, though it’s not always particularly well done, and this is definitely a book that I’d recommend to anyone with an interest in such ‘what if…’ questions, and to fans of Stephen Fry in general. Naked by David Sedaris is, like all of his books, a collection of humorous essays describing his life, often featuring his family and his childhood. I’ve read all of his other books, and this is the last one I had left to read. They are all similar, and there is some overlap between them, but all of them are highly entertaining and Sedaris has a great way of describing his family, who provide plenty of inspiration for his stories. I particularly enjoy this type of narrative non-fiction, and Sedaris is a great comedic writer, with a self-awareness that makes him easy to identify with and like. I’m always recommending his books, and while I loved this one, I would recommend some of the others (Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim in particular) over this one, but it’s still essential for fans of Sedaris. |
| on 03/10/2010 | |
Joined: on 03/07/2010 |
Okay, I have no idea why the forums keep on screwing up my formatting, but I certainly didn't mean for the post to come out looking like that. When I try to edit it, there is no text visible for me to alter. :( Edit: I fixed it by going through notepad first, to remove any odd formatting. But it's still annoying. |
| on 03/10/2010 | |
Joined: on 02/06/2010 |
Did you copy 'em straight from your tumblr blog? If so it might be because the formatting is copying over into the forums - I know the same thing happened during the testing stage, particularly in the news admin section, and for a whie I had to copy 'n' paste stuff into notepad, then copy it from notepad - that way it strips out the hidden formatting tags. Or it might be somethign else totally different. |
| on 03/10/2010 | |
Joined: on 03/07/2010 |
I think that's the problem. |
| on 03/10/2010 | |
Joined: on 03/07/2010 |
Nixon I highly suggest the audio book version of Naked. It's read by both David and Amy and it's phenomenal. |
| on 03/11/2010 | |
Joined: on 03/07/2010 |
I'm not a big fan of audio books, but I've heard that the Sedaris audiobooks are great. I also heard him read a few stories in person at a book reading, and he was really funny there as well. So I may indeed check it out at some point. |
| on 03/11/2010 | |
Joined: on 03/06/2010 |
I loved The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. Murakami is a wonderful writer & I don't think I've ever been disappointed by any of his books, really. I just finished Gaiman's American Gods, which was awesome. It's less light than his work usually is, and I got a little too emotionally in some of the characters, but I think that's a good thing. |
| on 03/11/2010 | |
Joined: on 03/07/2010 |
American Gods is one of my favourite books, and by far my favourite of Gaiman's works (tied with Sandman). As for Murakami, I'd read Kafka on the Shore a couple of years back, and like it but didn't love it. But I really loved The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, and I've subsequently purchased Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, which I'll be reading at some point, probably soon. |
| on 03/11/2010 | |
|
I finished The Zombie Survival Guide then had to read the follow up World War Z. Both were awesome books. Click on the names to check out my reviews. If you love zombies like I do then you also have to add Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. The language is a little tough but it is a blast. I agree with Delacommon, audio books are awesome. To be honest I don't know if I would have gotten through Pride & prejudice & Zombie if it wasn't on audio. I really do suggest listening to World War Z on audio book. Yes, it is abridged but the voice telents on it are insane (Rob Reiner, Alan Alda, Mark Hamill, etc.) |
| on 03/11/2010 | |
Joined: on 02/06/2010 |
I loved World War Z - haven't gotten around to Pride & Prejudice & Zombies yet, 'cause well I'm not a huge fan of P & P (I know, the horror),. The dude who wrote ...Zombies, Seth Grahme-Smith, has got a new book called Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter which sounds interesting (and the trailer for it looks crazy) |
| on 03/11/2010 | |
|
@ HiroProtagonist YES! Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter looks epic. It is already on my Audible wish list. |
| on 03/11/2010 | |
Joined: on 03/06/2010 |
I absolutely LOVED Hard Boiled Wonderland. I think it was the second Murakami book that I'd read, and I can totally see how Kafka on the Shore can be a little less than expected. |
| on 03/13/2010 | |
Joined: on 03/06/2010 |
I just finished reading Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan and it was fun. I mean any book with flying whale airships and mechanical mechs set in a World War I-era alternate universe is going to be right up my alley. Can't wait for the sequel which is coming out later this year. |
| on 03/14/2010 | |
Joined: on 03/07/2010 |
Yes! I read the book earlier this year and loved it. I didn't know when I read it that it was part of a trilogy, so I was a little pissed at the ending being a cliffhanger of sorts, but now that I know the next book is coming out later this year I'm really looking forward to it. I posted a little review of it on my blog. |
