Books Previously Read

To make me feel better and to make my status bar not so depressing, I've decided to list the books I've already read prior to starting on this 1001 list.

Fingersmith – Sarah Waters
Kafka on the Shore – Haruki Murakami
After the Quake – Haruki Murakami
Sputnik Sweetheart – Haruki Murakami
Veronika Decides to Die – Paulo Coelho
Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
The Virgin Suicides – Jeffrey Eugenides
The Reader – Bernhard Schlink
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle – Haruki Murakami
Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel
The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera
Schindler’s Ark – Thomas Keneally
The House of the Spirits – Isabel Allende
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting – Milan Kundera
Interview With the Vampire – Anne Rice
Slaughterhouse-five – Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
The Godfather – Mario Puzo
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
The Joke – Milan Kundera
Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut
The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
Animal Farm – George Orwell
The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
Lady Chatterley’s Lover – D.H. Lawrence
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – Agatha Christie
Sons and Lovers – D.H. Lawrence
Death in Venice – Thomas Mann
The Hound of the Baskervilles – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The War of the Worlds – H.G. Wells
The Invisible Man – H.G. Wells
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The Time Machine – H.G. Wells
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
The Death of Ivan Ilyich – Leo Tolstoy
Around the World in Eighty Days – Jules Verne
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Victor Hugo
Frankenstein – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen
Persuasion – Jane Austen
Emma – Jane Austen
Mansfield Park – Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe
The Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan
Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

I haven't stopped reading!

Just because I've given up on blogging doesn't mean I've stopped going through the list...

I've read:
The World According to Garp - John Irving
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Cocaine Nights – J.G. Ballard
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Delta of Venus – Anaïs Nin
White Teeth - Zadie Smith
Everything is Illuminated – Jonathan Safran Foer

I've tried to read but have put down for now:
The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood
The Unconsoled – Kazuo Ishiguro

I have to blog about how I liked the books I've read but for now, this will do.

1001 Book Hiatus

After Wittgenstein, I decided to purge myself and stop reading these important books for now.

I'm currently reading Murakami's After Dark (I love Murakami), which is a bit different from his usual fare but is still a compelling read.

I read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (yes, yes, I know--I still mostly enjoyed it). I also read this bizarre kinky-ish book (Book of Revelation by Rupert Thomson) which is an interesting read, to say the least.

I'll get back to the list soon. Unless I get sidetracked.

Wittgenstein's Mistress by David Markson

I gave up on this book after 20 pages. I tried. I really tried. But it was just so hard to read. Damn near impossible I must say.

Now, I have a fairly open mind, especially about books. I read just about everything and won't discount a book just because it's not "normal". But this book is beyond the realm of my capability.

It's a rambling monologue by an insane woman, who may or may not be the last person on earth. And when I say it's rambling, it really rambles on. Each paragraph is connected to the previous by a very tenuous thread which doesn't have any continuous thought (from what I read anyway). And when I say monologue, it is just that. An insane woman talking to herself. For the entire book.

Now, if this is something you find interesting and would like to read, I wish you the best. Don't forget to tell me what it's all about.

Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson

If I had to describe Sexing the Cherry in one word, it would be easy. Bizarre.

Describing it in more than one word is the hard part.

This is not so much a novel but a mishmash of disjointed stories. There are some stories I liked (story of the dancing princesses) and some which made me laugh out loud.

But, all throughout the novel, I failed to see the point. I really did. Now maybe it's because I'm not intellectual enough to read between the lines. I can defer to that. But, really, it was too out there for my liking.

The book felt like a disguised social commentary. (For me) It failed in that respect as well. The author tried to tackle too many issues (pollution, discrimination, religious zealousness and lots more) that it ended up a hodgepodge of ideas.

Would I recommend this book? Maybe, just for the experience of it. But it's certainly not one to end up on my bookshelf.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

This book seemed promising as it seemed to digress from the usual type of books I've been reading from The List. Thriller, murder-mystery and Ancient Greek.

The Secret History can be (and has been) described as a page-turner. Yes, it was more exciting than typical "Important Book" fare but I was able to walk away partly through it to read other books (The Road, Suite Francaise) that weren't on my list. That fact, I think, is more a testament to the author's writing rather than to my renowned self control (yes, I do exercise it occasionally).

The book reminded me too much of Special Topics in Calamity Physics and that affected my appreciation of it. Admittedly, The Secret History was written over 10 years before Calamity and it's likely to have served as research material for the latter. Nonetheless, I could not help draw comparisons between the two.

History is a murder mystery set in a small college in Vermont and revolves around Richard (poor boy on scholarship from California) and his new friends (eccentric classmates from a very small, exclusive ancient Greek class).

Yes, the writing was quite good, character development was extensive (albeit unconvincing in some) and the pace was well set. However, the book had a tendency to ramble, the plot had inconsistencies here and there, and the central characters were not at all likeable (not that they have to be, really, but I like to root for my characters).

All in all, a good first effort from a writer. It still leaves me wondering why this (instead of a number of other better books) was included in The List. Yes, it's better than ordinary fare (The Nanny Diaries, for one. God help me, I broke down and read the damn book because of the upcoming movie starring Scarlett Johanssen. Book was BAD.) but nowhere near the best.

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

I had previously read Sarah Waters' Fingersmith via Jax. I thoroughly enjoyed that book so I was happily looking forward to reading Tipping the Velvet.

I was disappointed. Now, I can't differentiate between the effect of my higher than usual expectations and the actual (not very good) writing but I just didn't like this book.

Yes, it's gender-bending and modern thinking (maybe). But, it felt like a romance novel for lesbians. It read like one of those epic Danielle Steele (yes, I have to admit, I've read my share of her books. this was in my early teens, mind you. so shut up) novels with improbable plot twists but for lesbians.

Does it sound like i'm homophobic? I'm not and I don't wish to come across as one. My emphasis on the book being about lesbians is that that idea is exactly what the book seemed to be touting.

I felt like the book was saying (yes, yes, i know books don't actually speak. i'm not completely silly), "Hey, lookie here! A book about lesbians! How marvellously exciting and ingenious!."

Now the book isn't deplorable or horribly bad but I have to wonder how it made it to my List. It's worst crime is being mediocre. This List has a lot of explaining to do...

On Break

I've read Tipping the Velvet but I've no time to blog. I'm currently reading The Secret History.

I'll be back soon.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

I enjoyed this book. It was fun to read. Very easy too. I think I read it in a day and a half. Mind you, it wasn't very long and it was written with mostly simple words (after all, it was supposedly written by an autistic).

It's a murder mystery like no other. It tells the story of Christopher, who likes maths and science, hates the colours yellow and brown and dislikes his food touching each other, and his quest to find the killer of his neighbour's dog. It's told in a sweet voice but is compelling at the same time.

I saw this book ages ago in a bookstore but it seemed that there was too much hype surrounding it at the time, which may be the reason why I never bothered to read it. My loss.

It reminds me a little bit of Flowers for Algernon, which should have made it on this list in my humble opinion. Oh well. Lists are lists are lists.

I'd recommend this book to anyone. It's short, sweet and lovely.

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

Breakfast at Tiffany's is one of my favorite films of all time. It's a wonder that I never read the short novel that inspired the film sooner.

What can one say about the story? The novel is iconic but the film is even more so. I feel like the film version has overshadowed the novel. Maybe it's just me. I've loved the movie for so long that it feels like the original rather than the book. Audrey Hepburn IS Holly Golightly. And the way the book describes her physically feels wrong ("the ragbag colours of her boy's hair, tawny streaks..."). But her essence as described in the book was accurately captured by Hepburn.

The story is essentially the same with bits toned down for the movie. And yes, the movie ends very differently from the novel but it's Hollywood, after all. It's been said that it was "daring in its day" but the novel has lost its ability to shock. Nevertheless, it's a good read.

As I can't seem to get away from the movie while reviewing the novel, I couldn't get past the film while I was reading the book either. I kept comparing it to the movie. It is a shame, but that's the way it is.

I do recommend reading the book though. It's a worthy read on its own.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

When I first read the synopsis of this book , I was intrigued. I wanted to read it but then, with one thing or another, I completely forgot all about it until I found it on the List.

I know Eugenides from his previous work, The Virgin Suicides, which I read ages ago and liked. Or at least I think I did. I forget. Which means it did not make much of an impact on me.

Well, I don't think there'll be a danger of me forgetting the protagonist of Middlesex. I like Cal, the hermaphrodite hero of the novel, and his weird and quirky Greek family. It spans three generations, beginning with the story of his grandparents who were brother and sister (!), going through the love story of his parents who were cousins, and ending with Cal, who begins life as Calliope and discovers at age 14 that s/he is more than meets the eye.

As with epic stories, there are parts in the novel that get tedious but, for the most part, this story was a very enjoyable read. It was also well written and, more importantly, does not have the self-importance attached to it as I have encountered with the other books I've read on this List. I liked that part the most.

This book restored my faith in the FUN of reading. Thank God. For a while there, I was worried.

I highly recommend this book. At the very least, it's entertaining.

My next book is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. But I'm currently taking a break from the list and reading Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, which I'm enjoying very very much.

I'm liking Middlesex

And apparently so does D. He's been stealing the book from me and reading it on the side. He's now even claiming it's his book!

I'm only a third through and with somebody stealing my book repeatedly, it'll take me some time to get through.

Oh well.

Cannot Find Adjunct: An Undigest by Peter Manson

My trusty library could not find a copy of this book. Very strange.

I couldn't find it in amazon.com either. Oh well.

Just started Middlesex by Jeffrey Euginedes. I've always wanted to read it, so that's a good place to start...

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

Another book that took me ages to get through. In the end, I didn't even bother finishing it.

I picked it up thinking it was going to be a fast paced, action-packed, interesting novel. I was SO wrong.

It started off from a very interesting premise: What if Charles Lindbergh (famous aviator/Nazi supporter) won the American presidency? But it didn't deliver, in my opinion. Everything was a build up and by the time you get to the end, you feel cheated.

Why, oh why, are these books in my list??

Saturday by Ian McEwan

I held on to this book for almost 2 months. It took me that long to get to it and read through.

It was BORING. It happened in one day but felt like an eternity. The ending was a non-event.

As you can guess, I absolutely hated it.

3 books in 2 months!

That's sad. I've only posted 3 blogs on books since I first started my reading journey.

I usually chow through books quickly, usually a book a week, if not more. Now, I get 3 books in 2 months. Not a good statistic.

Well, I'm almost through with The Plot Against America, which is another slow slow read. I've already skimmed through the end but I decided not to blog about it until I've completely read it. In the interest of fairness.

On another note, I tried reading Ryu Murakami's Almost Transparent Blue. Ugh. Couldn't stomach it. I guess it was ground breaking when it came out, especially in Japan. But, it's just not my kind of book. Stomach churning. I returned it to the library without finishing it.

I borrowed it because he has the same last name as one of my favorite authors, Haruki Murakami. Their writing style could not be any more different. Lesson learned.

The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble

I finished reading The Red Queen a week and a half ago. I just couldn't be bothered reviewing it. Now, I can't remember too much about it. Oh well.

It's essentially 2 books in one with a flimsy thread holding them together. The first part, as told by the "Red Queen", is interesting and fascinating for the most part. A tad bit wordy and slow reading but I liked it.

With the second half, you have to wonder what the point is. It didn't enhance the first story nor did it even expand or expound it. The main character (as well as everyone else) was a bit annoying and the story never really goes anywhere. At the end, all I could ask was, So What?

I've never read Drabble before and this experience does not make me want to rush out and read her again.

If you like history or have a special interest in Korea, I'd suggest you read the first part of the book but don't bother with the second half. If you're neither, I'd say stuff it, there are more interesting books out there.

I'm still here

Still plodding through The Red Queen. It's not the easiest of reads but I'm more than mid-way. I'll get there...

Short update

...
I decided to shelve Saturday for now. I was getting nowhere.

I'm reading The Red Queen now. Looks promising. I got past page 20.

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

I've been wanting to read Zadie ever since my sister said she was amazing. I read Nick Laird (Zadie's husband) previously (Utterly Monkey). Chrismiss had borrowed some books from my library when she was here and I read some of them before I returned them. I was utterly not impressed. Very British male, very typical. Similar to Nick Hornby, whom I am not a fan of (High Fidelity was such a disappointment). But I digress. I'm here to write about Zadie after all.

I tried reading On Beauty with a very open mind and with minor expectations, not wanting a repeat of what happened during my reading of Ishiguro. But, either I failed keeping in my expectations to a minimum, or this book just did not live up to the hype.

Yes, it was very well written. Yes, the characters were complex and developed. But, I could not connect with any of them at all. It was fascinating reading about the Belseys and the Kipps but all i could think of was, So what? Maybe it was because there were too many characters (and Zadie was trying her best to give justice to each of them) and too many things happening. But the novel felt disjointed. I'm sorely disappointed.

I'm still willing to give her another chance though. I will read White Teeth. Good thing it's on my list.

_______

I'm now trying to tackle Saturday by Ian McEwan. I'm encountering the same problems I had when I was reading the last 2 novels. The writing is very good, yes, but it also seems to be too self-important.

Maybe it's my frame of mind. I've decided to do something about it. I've borrowed a popcorn book from the library and will read it in the meantime so that I can appreciate good writing better. What's a popcorn book you ask? No substance, very unsatisfying but easy to munch and get through (sometimes addictive).