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.