Pages: 297
Recently, when on vacation I was looking for a quick read after realizing that the book I had brought, Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck, had already been read…by me. (Great book check it out…can't go wrong with Steinbeck…well, I didn't like Burning Bright.) I stopped at a bookstore and picked up Invisible Monsters. I find it is difficult to read too many Palahniuk books in a row. All of his characters are insane and he gets so involved in their thinking processes it is hard to not get sucked into their way of thinking, this can lead to a truly surreal experience. I imagine dropping too much acid too many days in a row will be the equivalent of reading 4 Palahniuk books in a row.
Invisible Monsters doesn't have a normal time flow. Jump to the end of the story. Jump to the middle of the story. Jump to an unrelated story. Jump to childhood. Jump to the end of the story(again). Jump to your first Dr. Seuss book. Jump to the middle-end-beginning where you find everyone is totally off their rocker including yourself and Chuck as well. It involves an accident victim that has had her jaw blown off. Jump to her as a fashion model. Jump to her in grocery store where no one will look at her. Everyone is just turning away as she looks at them. Jump to her stealing things since she won't get caught. Jump to the child saying "Look mommy that Monster is stealing food."
Palahniuk always writes books that are engaging and very different. I don't think there are too many "popular" authors out there willing to write about the subjects he thrives on. This book delves into the minds of people unhappy with who they are and what they do to make that change. Each character is interesting and deep.
To appreciate Palahniuk's books you need to enjoy his style. They can be overbearing and if that bothers you; you won't like his books. I feel this is one of his better works and definitely worth reading if you are a fan.
From now I will be giving a little more in depth rating on the books. I will be grading on three different points. Each will be worth 4 points and an extra bonus books fro great books for a total of 13. Readability will grade how easy the books are to read. Dr. Seuss is going to rate pretty high here. (Except Fox in Socks, That book is hard.) Long Term impact will be how I feel these books will stand in the years to come. (Steinbeck will rate high here) Engagement will judge how intrigued I was with reading the book. Sometimes a book will be great, but it is hard to stay with it.
Chuck Palahniuk
Invisible Monsters
2 Readability
2 Long Term Impact
4 Engagement (After consideration this was raised a point)
The Sparrow by Mary Doria.Russell
Pages: 432
In the early part of the 21st century radio signals from another solar system beams music that scientists pick up proving once and for all the we are not alone in this universe. The governments of the world take there time deciding what to about it. Emilio Sandoz a Jesuit Priest and a group of scientists and other priests are quickly set up and sent unknown by the rest of the world on a trip to make first contact with sentient beings from another world.
The book starts after the mission has failed and Sandoz, the only survivor, is back on Earth with maimed hands and a destroyed spirit. The chapters jump back and forth from the time of the discovery to the aftermath of the failed mission. Each time you are in the "present" you get a few clues explain what happened. And when you are in the "past" you find out more about the people and the relationships that are formed.
Reading this book gives you the feeling of many science fiction books. It delves into the wonders of the universe and what it takes for people to explore it. As the book continues you get more involved emotionally with the characters and how there lives are changed because of this mission. You find yourself feeling connected to characters and there problems emotionally and physically affect you as well. Each character, from the Jesuit priests to the scientific atheist, all are forced to redefine their relationship with God in the light of the new experiences.
I was truly surprised with The Sparrow. It drew me in and wouldn't let go until I had read the entire book. I stayed up night after night reading as much as I could.
4 Readability
3 Long Term Impact
4 Engagement
A total of 11 for Russell's first book. I look forward to continuing the adventure in the sequel, Children of God. Almost anyone would find this book appealing in some way.
Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie.
Yet another great book by Rushdie. As stated before I find Rushdie to be a great author and I have never been disappointed with his books, so take that into account with this review.
Be warned although I don't like to give away a lot of book in a review some of the following will gives hints of what happens. I will not reveal any of the really important parts.
This book tells of the life of Shalimar the Clown. His childhood, his youth, middle age and beyond all described. Not only is his life splayed across these pages so are the lives of all the people surrounding his life. The people around him and his family, at his birth. The color characters that fill his small village as he grows up. Eventually the story takes a turn after Shalimar is married. His wife leaves to get ahead in life and finds herself giving up what she had to get that which she didn't really want. This sends Shalimar down a different path. He get involved in militant Muslim uprising and becomes a killer. As his wife's life degenerates into a life of sloth and gluttony; Shalimar's life becomes a life of vice and death. Each losing the life they had for something less than that.
I found the book interesting in that you would get to know a character. Then as you met people in that person's life they would fade into the background as you focused on the new character. Eventually the lives of the people would start to get intertwined and the plot of the story would thicken. A stew of stories mixed together in a pot. Each person's life adding a different spice to make a wonderful literary meal.
Rushdie's world of magical realism is richer with the addition of this book. His life like characters, his mastery of language and engaging stories make for another fantastic book. It is hard not to give this living legend a perfect score.
4 Readability
4 Long Term Impact
3 Engagement
1 Bonus Point
A total of 12 for one of the greatest living authors. I imagine some would disagree, but there are only so many great works of literature and Rushdie has added to that list.
Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk
It is hard to describe this book. The book is about the largest gangbang ever. An aging porn queen, Cassie, is attempting to have sex with 600 men in one session. Now reading that might turn a lot of readers away from the book. That is probably why Chuck picked this as a subject. The thing is a huge gangbang isn't what it is really about. It is about the characters that are waiting in line for their turn. It is more about what happened in their lives to bring them to this point. I would say there are about 5 main characters. Sheila who is in charge of the movie, Mr. 72 who thinks he is the porn queen's son, the original man who got Cassie into porn in the first place Mr. 600, a fallen from grace TV star, and of course the star herself.
I have read a number of Palahniuk's book now and there are some similarities between the ones I have read. Usually some gross subject and an attention to detail that is encyclopedic in nature. Something such as cyanide gets describe in the book almost as if it was taken from an entry from Britannica. I find this usually leads to a hyper kind of reading. I'm not saying that to be critical, if anything it is something that makes his work unique. In this book he uses a style that makes each chapter a different character's point of view. This gives insight into the characters and gives them a truly personally feel. In fact I think this is the best aspect of the book.
Palahniuk has a huge cult following and if you are a fan you should defiantly pick it up. If you find pornography offensive or think a descriptive book in that genre would be, then I suggest you skip this one. If you are looking for something far from the beaten path of books or are looking for something new give this book a try. I give it a 7.The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
Obama's book is part autobiography part study of American values. Each chapter focuses on American Ideals that we hold dear. Values, Opportunity, and Family are a just a few of the topics he talks about.
Obviously, this book has a little more impact then just any book that I have reviewed. Senator Obama has a good chance of becoming the most powerful man in the world. I started reading this before he was the Democratic Nominee for president, but have supported him from the beginning of his campaign. I feel this book gives true insight into the man trying to lead our country. One thing I find comforting is his focus on what America has in common with itself. It seems like Republicans and Democrats are always touting what is different between them; how conservatives are this way and liberals are this way. Barack talks about the ways that we are the same. All of us want certain things, security, health, and steady income. When it comes to things that may conflict with others views he explains why he feels a certain way about it.
A media that has to have constant conflict to keep up ratings dominates our political landscape. Liberals argue that the media is biased towards conservatives. Conservatives say we have a Liberal Media. I think we can all agree when you watch the evening news you never get the whole story. Reading the books of our presidential candidates gives a more in depth view of what is really going on in the heads of our potential leaders.
So far as enjoyable reading this isn't the greatest book. I feel that wasn't the point. Barack Obama is trying to show people how he really feels and give a guideline as to what direction he will take as a our new president. I should point out this book was released in 2006 and I wasn't until late 2006 that he decided to run for president. I imagine that it was going through his mind as he wrote the book though. As a book to read I would rate it about a 7, sometimes he gets bogged down in wordy idealist writing that could come across a bit smoother. Considering its importance in our current political situation I feel everyone should read it so I would rate it a 9.
Anyone have McCain's Book? I would like to give a fair comparison.
I'm not going to hide it though!
OBAMA '08
OBAMA '08
OBAMA '08
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hossein
Normally I don't review two books together, but I read these one after the other and since they stand on common ground I thought it was appropriate.
Three Cups of Tea is autobiography of Greg Mortenson. After a failed attempt at K2 he gets lost coming off the mountain and finds himself in a small village. The extremely poverty stricken people give all that they have to this strange foreigner. Mortenson soon decides to make up their kindness by building a school for the local children, because they have none. Little does he know that his entire life would change and he would dedicate his life to schools and poor people in need.
The Kite Runner is a work of fiction that reads like and autobiography. It is a story of redemption. The main character, Amir, as a young man witnesses the rape of a childhood friend/servant and because of his embarrassment, at himself for not helping, eventually has his "friend" removed from his house. The rest of the book focuses on his life and what he does to make up for the things that have troubled him from his childhood.
These books are similar on many levels. Both are set in Pakistan/Afghanistan and both show the rise of the Taliban and the after effects and how the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan have made things much worse for all involved. Three Cups of Tea shows how one man with determination is fighting the problems with peaceful actions like building schools and helping those misplaced by the wars. It gives a real sense of how American's can be viewed in a good light if only we made actions worthy of revering. The Kite Runner is a more personal story. It gives a clear view of Afghanistan before the war and the terrible effects of what has happened since.
Of course they are not the same book. Greg is a person to be looked up and who put his life and family at risk to do the right thing for people he doesn't know. He found his life's calling and dedicated himself to it. Amir on the other hand is a privileged person who does nothing to stand up for himself or those he cares about. Only after a long life does he realize he needs to make up for the mistakes of his childhood.
I think both books are worth reading. They are especially important to American readers so we can see how we have affected the world and what we can do to make it a better place. I feel Three Cups of Tea is especially important. If we were to take the Trillions we had spent on killing and put it towards Greg Mortenson's goals the entire world would be a better place and much closer to peace. I give Three Cups of Tea an 11. It is an interesting and timely read about a great man. The Kite Runner wasn't as impressive. I found the author use of circular writing to be interested and appreciated the story, but I found it hard to care a lot about the main character and that did detract from the book. I think its main interest is its relevance to our times. I will rate it an 8.
Happy Reading!
I grade on a scale from 1-13. This is a normal 1-10 scale with the extra three for great booksHaroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
Rushdie has written a fairy tale filled with fun and adventure. It is interesting especially when compared to Rushdie's other works, but not all surprising. Typically his works have an element of fantasy. This book takes it to the extreme. Haroun the young man and hero of the book has a story telling father. His father, tragically, has lost the ability to tell stories any more. Haroun wakes one night to find a genie in his father's bathroom taking out the story water supply. After stealing the genie's wrench Haroun is soon taken on a fantastic trip into space and eventually to the source of all tales ever told, the Sea of Stories . There he is drawn into a plot to save the world from a future filled with sadness and no stories.
I found this book very entertaining. I was pleased as an adult, but the book could be read as a bedtime story for a child. (Over many nights of course) The use of words within the book is very unique. From characters that talk like a walking thesaurus to fish that only speak in rhyme;Rushdie makes the English language as fun to read as the story itself.
I admit that I am a huge fan of Rushdie and have always enjoyed his books. I think he is one of the greatest living authors and therefore my opinion of his books are somewhat biased. Nonetheless, if you are looking for a fun, quick, if a little predictable book this makes a great choice. If you have young children I would say this is a must.
On a scale from 1-13 I would give this a ten. I really think this should be a classic story read by children the world over. Because of Rushdie's somewhat tarnished reputation I doubt this will ever reach that level of popularity; much to the world's misfortune.
The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
The book is set in the Pacific side of WWII. The main focus of the book is on one platoon. The platoon is part of a 6,000-man force poised to take the Japanese-held island in order to clear the way for a larger American advance into the Philippines . You soon find yourself in the heads of the different characters and lost in the war that happened years before you were born.
The chapters begin with a description of one of the characters and then give you the story from his point of view. You start out with a group of men playing poker the night before the main attack on the island. You travel with them as they take the beach and head inland. Eventually, following them on an information gathering mission. I found that the book wasn't so much about the story by purely character driven. You go through each man finding out about there past, what made them who they are. You'll see a character from one person's point of view and later see it for his own.
I was surprised to find that my favorite character was the general of the army. His thought process was on a deep level that I hadn't seen in other books about military and war. Getting a look at the ideas going on in the upper reaches of the Army was something I hadn't ever thought about.
Mailer puts this book out as a work of fiction. Certainly, these exact people didn't do these exact things. But no matter it is a work of Realism. You become so involved into the lives of the men and it be comes impossible to not see them as real people. One thing that stuck me as different was it wasn't about what you would expect. It's not all explosions, gun fights, and death. It is a true account of what the men go through. The book takes you from floating on the cool ocean to digging latrines and building roads to sitting through the night on watch.
Interestingly enough Mailer claims this is one of his weaker works. Yet it is one of the most intense and in depth works about men in war I have ever read. 50 years after it's writing it stands as a classic, and rightfully so.
On my scale from 1-13 I give it an 11. Anyone with even a passing interest in what men live through in the horrors of war should read it.Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
This book presents itself as a story about a young man, Chris McCandless, who travels about North America on a journey of the soul. I found it is more of a journalistic report of what happened. It is labeled as a travel essay. Krakauer, admittedly more of a journalist than a novelist, searches for Chris' backtrack and retells his story through journals, letters and interviews with people who met McCandless on his travels. You find out at the very beginning of the book that he doesn't make it. A group of hunters/hikers find his rotting corpse in the hull of a deserted bus in the Alaskan wilderness. It follows his travels from a privileged upper class family in the east back and forth across the country into Mexico and eventually into Alaska. It seems interesting in that each place he goes he has a definite impact on the people he meets. Each interviewed person seems to think that Chris was a very special person.
I walk the fence on this book. I find the idea of just leaving everything and traveling around appealing. In fact, I have done it, just not to the extent that he does. The open road and wilderness and not having to answer to anyone appeals to most young American men, I imagine. I just don't seem to like the Chris as he is presented. He seems pretentious and overconfident of himself. He starts out by leaving and never letting his family know where he is. Leaving loved ones worried about your safety is unacceptable in my opinion. He then tries all of these half-thought out dangerous trips through rigorous terrain. On multiple occasions he seems to get himself back out alive, but only barely. It really seems like he was looking to die in the wilderness and it was only a matter of time before it happened. I was expecting a story about a possible hero to whom something went terribly wrong. Instead I got a biography of a troubled young man that seemed to care for few or himself.
I found the book somewhat entertaining. I can't really say I would suggest it to everyone. If you find the idea of leaving everything behind and just going off interesting I think you would find the book worth reading. If you don't think you would be interested then don't bother. I give it a 6 out of 13.
This is a non-fiction book about the environment. The premise is that by some means, either the second coming or a human specific disease, the entire human race is gone. No one is here to run the machines, pumps, nuclear devices that keep things running smoothly. All the cars in the world stop moving and stop pumping out carbon emissions.
In each chapter you are taken to a different part of the world to see what would happen. It starts in New York City and you soon find out that all that needs to happen is a decent rainfall and NYC would start falling apart. The whole city is built on marshy land and riddled with underground holes for pipelines and subways. All these are kept empty by massive pumps under the city. Once humans were gone the place would fill up with water and start eroding the understructure of the city.
In other chapters you go to mostly untouched areas of nature. One of these is an old growth forest in Poland that was always off limits to people because it was a king's domain. Eventually it became a sanctuary and is one of the only places in the entire world that hasn't been changed by human activity. Here you get an example of what the world could be like if we weren't here.
The author takes us to places that were once occupied by humans, but because of wars or other catastrophes are no longer inhabited. This shows us what would happen to a city after being deserted for a long time.
This book really gave me a feeling that as humans we have really done some damage. Do you realize that in the middle of the Pacific Ocean there is a floating pile of garbage (mostly plastic) three times the size of Texas ? I know that we have done irreversible damage to this planet, but this book puts it in terms that can't be ignored. As a book I found it captivating and felt a need to always keep reading. It is current and a very appropriate message for our times. I do feel that every American needs to read it to get a clue about what every single person does to add to the destruction of our planet. That said the book won't be able to stand the test of time because its message and need is in the present.
On my scale of 1-13 I rate it at an 8. (See I can rate under 10.) This is mostly because the highest ratings are only for books I think could be read a hundred years for now and have just as much impact. At that time this book will be more of a history book. Hopefully, we will have gotten our act together and books like this will get us to make the right choices.
Please read this book!
The Shadow of the Wind (Spanish: La sombra del viento) is a 2001 novel by Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón,
The novel is set in Barcelona right after the cival war. Daniel, the protagonist, and his father go to the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a huge library of old, forgotten titles lovingly preserved by a select few initiates. According to tradition, everyone initiated to this secret place is allowed to take one book from it, and must protect it for life. Daniel selects a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. Daniel becomes engrossed in the book and soon into the life of the author. He starts to search for the other books written by the author only to find that it is next to impossible. Daniel adventures soon run him into a mysterious figure that confronts and threatens Daniel. He claims to be Lain Coubert, a character from one of Carax’s books, who in the book is the devil. Paraphrased from Wikipedia
The story presents itself as a mystery, which at it’s heart is is. The parallels between Daniel’s and Julian’s life continue to draws you into this exciting book. As Daniel digs deeper trying to find answers to long unsolved questions he seems to just find more quesitons. As the mysery seems to get more confused so does Daniel’s personal life.
Zafon evokes the environment in a way that make you live in the book. You feel the heavy streets of old stone buildings, the dust filled chambers as you enter old mansions, the pounding of the rain as Daniel runs through the streets, you feel the fear that grips him as he goes down a long black flight of stairs. For the most part things are written in a straight forward manor that, filled with detail, makes you become lost in the streets of Barcelona.
The tale twists and turns like few do. Written with intense passion each character is fleshed out to the point that you feel that you have met them. From the main character to a minor one used to introduce more information you meet a "real" person. Just when you think you have figured out what is happening you turn the corner to find that you were wrong; only later to find you were right the first time.
I grade books on a 1-13 scale. 1-10 for normal book the extra three for the greats All of my books up to this point have been above 10. I imagine that readers probably think I am grading to high. I feel really lucky in the books I have been reading lately. I haven’t read a mediocre book in a while. Again I go above the scale and rate this 11. I feel this book can be a classic and in it’s native spanish I believe many already feel it is.
No comments:
Post a Comment