Category: Publication Date

Categories
2000 - 2007 Books in Translation

Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami

I love Murakami so much that Kafka on the Shore is in my all time top ten. Norwegian Wood seems to be one of his lesser known books. I had heard very little about it before I started to read, but had been warned that it would be depressing.

Norwegian Wood is primarily set in a Japanese University during the 1960s. It is a coming of age novel that has a strong resemblance to The Bell Jar. In both novels the issue of suicide is prominent, but Norwegian Wood is slightly darker. 

The story focuses on Toru, who has a complex, but touching relationship with Naoko, the girlfriend of his best friend, Kizuki, who tragically committed suicide.

People looking for Murakami’s amazing imaginative narrative may be disappointed by this book, as it is a straight, simple story, that many people speculate as being largly autobiographical. As with The Bell Jar, I didn’t find it as depressing as I expected – I was never moved to tears, and I felt that the novel focused on hope, rather than tragedy.

Murakami’s skill for character development is evident, and I found it very easy to empathise with Toru’s difficult situation. I loved the complexity of the emotion present in this book – it more than made up for the simplicity of the story.

Murakami’s wisdom is scattered throughout the book. One quote that particularly stood out for me was:

If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.

Overall, I felt that this was a well written book, but I prefer the uniqueness of Murakamis’s more imaginative books.

stars41

 

What did you think of Norwegian Wood?

Which is your favourite Murakami book?

Categories
2009 Richard and Judy Book Club

Stalking Richard & Judy – Valentine Honeyman

I am a massive fan of Richard & Judy, so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. The central character is Jeremy Canty, an author who has written many critically acclaimed novels, but has failed to sell many copies and so is struggling with his finances. Richard & Judy announce their latest book club choices and he is shocked to discover that one of his biggest rivals has been selected, and so will no doubt end up topping the fiction charts and securing his future. Jeremy is incredibly jealous and so decides he’ll do anything to ensure his book ends up on the next Richard and Judy list.

I loved the first chapter of this book. I was crying with laughter as I read the descriptions of Richard and Judy. The gentle parody was spot on, and the descriptions of their affect on the publishing industry was fantastic.

Now imagine this. Every so often, two fairies fly round the country. From time to time they pick a cleaner out of the blue and touch their polyester pinny with their magic wands. And lo! Those cleaners become millionaires. Millionaires! Can you imagine what that would be like? Well, that’s exactly what happens to a starving writer when he or she gets on the R&J book list. Richard and Judy are those fairies, and when they touch a lucky writer with their magic wands, she casts off her polyester pinny and goes out to buy a new one. At Versace.   

Unfortunately Richard and Judy weren’t present in the majority of the book – Jeremy stalks the person responsible for creating the list, and not R&J themselves (as the title suggests). This is probably more realistic, but far less entertaining to read about. There were a few funny moments, but I found that much of the book was light and fluffy, lacking that special spark present in the first chapter. There were also a few times when I thought it over stepped the mark – the abuse of Gillian McKeith, in particular, went a bit too far.

It was nice to see that the Jeremy was gay, as I have seen very few books with a gay central character and some of his antics were quite amusing! This book does contain a lot of sexual references and swearing, so should be avoided by anyone who is sensitive to that sort of thing.

Overall, this was a light, entertaining read and I recommend it to all Richard and Judy fans.

stars3h

Are you a fan of Richard and Judy?

Do you follow Oprah?

Categories
1990s Chunkster Historical Fiction

Going To a Club to See a Male Stripper

Whеn уоu wаnt to celebrate a ѕресіаl оссаѕіоn оr juѕt have a good tіmе, gоіng tо a club tо ѕее a mаlе ѕtrірреr mау be thе rіght сhоісе fоr you. You саn dесіdе tо gо tо the сlub alone or уоu саn gо with a grоuр оf реорlе. Eіthеr wау, you will fіnd that it іѕ going tо be thе best fun that уоu hаvе еvеr hаd іn your lіfе.

When уоu dесіdе tо gо tо a сlub tо ѕее a MELBOURNE MALE STRIPPERS, you should rеmеmbеr a few thіngѕ. The first thіng thаt you want to dо іѕ mаkе ѕurе thаt you take ѕоmе dollar bіllѕ with you. Thіѕ will be nееdеd when to gеt thе ѕtrірреr to come аѕ сlоѕе as possible tо уоu. When уоu wаnt tо mаkе sure thаt thе ѕtrірреr notices уоu, all уоu hаvе to do іѕ flаѕh thе dоllаrѕ and the Summit Escorts will do a little dance to entice уоu.

Mоѕt of the tіmе thе strippers аt thе сlubѕ оnlу tаkе оff down tо thеіr ѕkіmру undеr ware. Yоu dо not hаvе to wоrrу аbоut ѕееіng tоо muсh аnd not seeing enough. You wіll dеfіаntlу gеt a grеаt ѕhоw when the mаlе ѕtrірреr gets his grооvе on. Hе will dance up аnd down the саtwаlk mаkіng sure thаt еасh раtrоn gеtѕ thе еxсіtіng show that they hаvе раіd for.

Gоіng to a mаlе ѕtrір club іѕ not ѕоmеthіng tо bе аѕhаmеd оf. Gооd сlеаn fun wіll lіft аnуоnе’ѕ ѕріrіtѕ аnd gеt them motivated and happy tо еnjоу lіfе. Hоwеvеr, gоіng to a club іѕ nоt fоr еvеrуоnе. Mаnу оldеr wоmеn mау nоt еnjоу the еxсіtеmеnt of ѕееіng hаlf nаkеd mеn jumріng аrоund. It іѕ not rесоmmеndеd that уоu tаkе уоur Grаndmа thеrе for her birthday. Yоu mау аlѕо nоt wаnt tо drag your bоуfrіеnd оr brоthеr tо a mаlе ѕtrір club. Thеу mау nоt find іt аѕ еntеrtаіnіng аѕ уоur gіrlfrіеndѕ wіll.

Male ѕtrірреrѕ at the сlubѕ аrе rеgulаr guуѕ thаt mеаn no hаrm. Thеу are just trying to еаrn a living аnd be gооd аt whаt they dо. You uѕuаllу have nоthіng tо fear when уоu go tо a сlub. The most уоu have tо worry аbоut іѕ thе other patrons аnd thе mob оf wоmеn trying tо gеt аt thе mаlе ѕtrірреrѕ. Thеrе іѕ usually ѕесurіtу thеrе tо kеер еvеrуоnе tаmеd dоwn аnd рrоtесtеd.

Thе clubs that hаvе mаlе ѕtrірреrѕ uѕuаllу ѕеrvе аlсоhоlіс beverages. Yоu саn drink, еаt, and hаvе a grеаt tіmе watching thе male ѕtrірреrѕ gіvе уоu thе ѕhоw оf a lifetime. Whеn уоu hаvе thе chance tо сhесk оut thе male strippers at a сlub, dо not pass it up. You wіll hаvе the bеѕt аnd the most wіld nіght of your lіfе. Juѕt ѕіt bасk аnd еnjоу the rіdе!

Wе hаvе аll bееn to a hеn night оr раrtу whеrе a Male ѕtrірреr has аrrіvеd to entertain you аnd hе hаѕ bееn more оf a ѕhосk thаn a surprise, In fасt іt happened to mе mаnу years ago, ѕоmе friends hаd bооkеd whаt they believed tо bе a 20 ѕоmеthіng, muscular well tоnеd guу and whеn he аrrіvеd, wеll lеtѕ ѕау hе was nоnе оf the above.
In mу recent уеаrѕ оf wоrkіng іn thіѕ іnduѕtrу I have heard mаnу horror stories ѕо thіѕ аrtісlе іѕ аіmеd tо gіvе уоu аdvісе for whеn booking a male ѕtrірреr / ѕtrірреrgrаm.

Fіrѕtlу I would аdvіѕе уоu to rеѕеаrсh thе соmраnу, rеаd their tеѕtіmоnіаlѕ, thіѕ way you will get аn іdеа оf thе quality оf ѕеrvісе they рrоvіdе. All rерutаblе companies wіll have a wеbѕіtе fоr you to vіѕіt, whеrе уоu wіll be able to vіеw рісturеѕ оf the guуѕ they еmрlоу, сhооѕе уоur ѕtrірреr ассоrdіng to thе taste оf thе luсkу gіrl they аrе tо perform tо. Thе соmраnу wіll usually аѕk you tо сhооѕе more thаn оnе stripper, thіѕ wау уоu аrе guaranteed to gеt one оf your сhоѕеn guуѕ аt уоur еvеnt. Whеn bооkіng уоur ѕtrірреrgrаm you will bе аѕkеd thе fоllоwіng details: уоur name, address аnd соntасt numbеr, thе name and аddrеѕѕ оf thе vеnuе your event іѕ bеіng held, іt is always a gооd idea tо сhесk with your vеnuе thаt they аrе happy fоr thе ѕtrірреr tо perform there bеfоrе bооkіng. Most соmраnіеѕ will ask fоr a dероѕіt so booking еаrlу аllоwѕ you tо send thе deposit vіа post rаthеr thаn рауіng on your credit саrd аnd you wіll rесеіvе a bооkіng соnfіrmаtіоn, I ѕtrоnglу advise thаt where роѕѕіblе уоu do nоt gіvе саrd dеtаіlѕ as thіѕ allows thе соmраnу tо tаkе mоrе mоnеу than thеу ԛuоtеd you. Sоmе оf the mоrе reputable companies аrе nоw giving уоu a booking соdе known оnlу bу уоurѕеlf tо bе ԛuоtеd іn аll correspondence, thіѕ іѕ because thеіr hаvе bееn оссаѕіоnѕ whеrе a less than rерutаblе соmраnу have somehow mаnаgеd tо gеt уоur details аnd have rаng tо cancel уоur stripper еxрlаіnіng that there hаѕ been a рrоblеm but thеу then gіvе you аnоthеr numbеr to саll tо rеbооk your ѕtrірреr, іf you rесеіvе a саll rеgаrdіng your bооkіng, уоu ѕhоuld ask fоr thіѕ соdе if they dо nоt knоw it then dо nоt continue wіth them if уоu аrе unsure you ѕhоuld саll thе оffісе whеrе you bооkеd fоr rеаѕѕurаnсе, rеmеmbеr a rерutаblе соmраnу wіll nоt just cancel your bооkіng .

Categories
1800s Classics Mystery Short Story

The Turn of the Screw – Henry James

I decided to read The Turn of the Screw after I heard Audrey Niffenegger describe it as her favourite book. Halloween also seemed the perfect time of year to read this classic, spooky story.

The book is set in an Essex country home and describes the life of a governess who is charged with looking after two children. She becomes increasingly disturbed by glimpses of strange ghostly figures and begins to suspect that the children may have something to do with them.

I’m afraid that I don’t share Niffenegger’s passion for this book. I found it very hard to read – the writing style meant it required a great deal of concentration and I had to continually re-read sections to understand exactly what was happening. His overuse of commas meant that the writing had an irritating, jumpy feel to it.

The large impressive room, one of the best in the house, the great state bed, as I almost felt it, the figured full draperies, the long glasses in which for the first time, I could see myself from head to foot, all struck me – like the wonderful appeal of my first small charge – as so many things thrown in.

The complexity of the writing and the fact that the book is written from the viewpoint of a narrator who wasn’t present as events took place meant that I failed to connect with the characters. I was so distanced from events that I didn’t find it remotely scary.

I loved the ambiguity of the plot and in hindsight I can appreciate the cleverness of it, but I much prefer it when modern writers take aspects of this book and re-write them from a modern perspective.

I am really pleased that I read it, but it felt more like a chore than entertainment at the time.

stars3h

Did you enjoy The Turn of the Screw?

Categories
2009 Recommended books

The Help – Kathryn Stockett

The Help won book of the year at the recent BBAW awards, and I have seen so many rave reviews that I can no longer remember where I first heard about it.

The Help gives an insight into the complex relationship between white families and their black maids. Set in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s this book examines the difficulties faced on both sides, but also shows the love and trust shared between them.

This is a fantastic book and I can only add to the massive amount of praise that is already out there. The characters are all incredibly well drawn – I don’t think I’ve ever read a book in which so many people are portrayed so realistically. Each character has their own flaws, but it is the fact that we are able to read their thoughts so clearly that makes this book so special. The conflicting emotions each person experiences when dealing with the issues of racial segregation are sensitively handled and I feel that this book will become a classic in the same way that To Kill a Mockingbird did.

The author’s note at the end of the book helps to explain how Kathryn Stockett managed to create such a emotionally rich book – I loved discovering the fond memories she had of her own maid and her thoughts on writing the book. Kathryn Stockett is most proud of the following line, so I thought it appropriate to share here, as it is a great summary of the book.

Wasn’t that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I’d thought.

I’m afraid I’m going to have to be very picky now – the book didn’t manage to hold my attention fully throughout, and although the emotions of the characters were very clear, it failed to move me. For these reasons I’m only going to give it 4.5 stars.  These are tiny criticism though – if you haven’t read this book yet, then you really should.

I highly recommend this book to everyone – it will be in my top 10 for 2009.

stars4h

Is The Help your favourite book of 2009?

What did you like about it most?

Categories
2000 - 2007 Other Prizes Science Fiction

Perdido Street Station – China Miéville

 Winner of the 2001 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the 2001 British Fantasy Award. Nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus and British Science Fiction awards

When the Booker longlist was announced there was some anger from the science fiction community that China Miéville was excluded from the list. Damien Walter was particularly vocal on Twitter, and so, keen to ensure I wasn’t missing out on a great author, I decided to read one of his books. It was agreed that Perdido Street Station was the best and so I bought a copy. I was a little daunted when a 870 page chunkster dropped through my letter box, but I was still keen to find out why people were raving about this book.

Perdido Street Station began really well, with vivid descriptions of a strange world.

Sil lived and worked and slept in the tub, hauling himself from one end to the other with his huge, webbed hands and frog’s legs, his body wobbling like a bloated testicle, seemingly boneless. He was ancient and fat and grumpy, even for a vodyanoi. He was a bag of old blood with limbs, without a separate head, his big curmudgeonly face poking out from the fat at the front of his body.  

Isaac, the central character, is employed to study winged animals by a secrective creature who has lost his wings. I loved the character development and the imaginative plot – I was hooked for the first half of the book.

Everything started to go wrong at about the 500 page mark. The plot deteriorated into one long chase scene; I became bored by the continual fighting and longed for the thoughtfulness of the beginning to return. The ending was also a disappointment. It was such a shame, as I was really enjoying it.

I can see why this book won so many fantasy awards, but now I know why it didn’t win the Booker, or any other literary fiction prize. This book is beautifully written, but it doesn’t have the depth required for literary fiction. It is an incredible work of imagination, but in the end it lacked enough emotion or depth for me.

Recommended to people who are very passionate about their science fiction, but not to lovers of literary fiction.

stars3h

Have you read anything written by China Miéville?

I was very intrigued to read that he is planning to write a book in every genre. He is clearly a talented author and so I will read more of his books in the future. I am especially tempted by his latest book  The City & The City,which is described as detective noir novel. Has anyone read it?