Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro caught my eye at the bookstore a few months ago. I texted the title to myself for future reference. Later that day I asked Mike to send a text using my phone and he was really curious about the person who sent me a text saying, "Never let me go." That's understandable but I couldn't stop laughing. It sounded so silly to have to admit I sent it to myself. Thank goodness he believed me that it was a book title and that I'm not crazy.

The novel is one of those science-fiction books that people who don't like science-fiction (like me) will still enjoy. Although central to the plot, the sci-fi elements still feel subtle. Is that even possible? Basically, you are reading a coming of age story about three people who happen to be a bit... different. Halisham boarding school seems like a perfect environment to grow up in, except it isn't. The story unfolds slowly as you learn more and more details about this special program established to aid in society's survival.

Never Let Me Go was recently made into a movie. It wasn't incredible but I really liked the color scheme and cinematography.

Recommendation: Give it a go, but watch the movie after.

Books of 2011

Another sleepy year on the book blog, but I'm hoping for that to change. At least a little.

The good news is I did it this year. To read more books than the previous year I needed to complete 27 books. Thanks to a fairly relaxing holiday in Vietnam the official 2011 total is: 28!

So the bar wasn't set very high... but let's not worry about that.

Here are my books for the year:
1. Empire Falls by Richard Russo (483)
2. Half the Sky: How to Change the World by Nicholas D. Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn (278)
3. Sheik's Batmobile: In Pursuit of American Pop Culture in the Muslim World by Richard Poplak (333)
4. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (335)
5. The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart (393)
6. Made in America by Bill Bryson (509)
7. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (326)
8. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (256)
9. Married to a Bedouin by Marguerite van Geldermalsen (279)
10. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (241)
11. 101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian by Pamela Rice (204)
12. Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga (351)
13. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (292)
14. Clemetine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker (161)
15. The Elephant's Journey by Jose Saramago (205)
16. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (137)
17. Starter for Ten by David Nicholls (473)
18. Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson (196)
19. Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord (167)
20. The Help by Katheryn Stockett (522)
21. A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews (324)
22. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson (287)
23. Silas Marner by George Eliot (384)
24. Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell (307)
25. The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith (419)
26. Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson (328)
27. One Day by David Nicholls (448)
28. Freefall by Oran Canfield (336)

Even better news is that I'm already about to finish my second book for 2012!

Empire Falls

A friend loaned me Empire Falls by Richard Russo over the summer. I brought it back to Abu Dhabi with me and opened it up a few weeks later. Finally... I've finished.

The story of Empire Falls is the story of a small once robust New England town that is diminishing each day. Not too much happens in Empire Falls but it all seems to be orchestrated by the wealthiest resident, Mrs. Whiting. The protagonist, Miles Roby, feels the weight of Mrs. Whiting the most. As the story unfolds, Russo reveals deeper connections between the townspeople.

This story felt a bit like a meander to me. Perhaps it's that I was only able to read small bits at a time and never fully felt absorbed. I kept at it, enjoying the mellow storyline enough. Finally, near the end of the story a big event occurs that was able to hold my attention.

Recommedation: It's a Pulitzer Winner, but not for me.

Books of 2010

Ouch. This blog fell into such a deep sleep that it rolled off the bed and kept on snoozin'.

Oh, and I failed again. I should have read 62 books to beat 2009's reading list. Do I get credit for my actual count being the reverse? No?

Only 26 books in 2010.

I like to think I'm really just setting myself up for success in 2011. Surely I can read 27 books this year. Surely...

Here are my books for the year:

1. Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore (280)
2. Fluke or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore (383)
3. The Private Diaries of Catherine Deneuve: My Life Behind the Camera with Luis Bunuel, Francois Truffaut, Roman Polanski, and Lars Von Trier by Catherine Deneuve (164)
4. Raise High the Roof Beams, Carpenters by J.D. Salinger (92)
5. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (432)
6. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (272)
7. The Other Hand by Chris Cleave (374)
8. Towelhead by Alicia Erian (319)
9. Flush by Carl Hiaasen (295)
10. My Friend Leonard by James Frey (375)
11. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (288)
12. Love in a Headscarf: Muslim Woman Seeks the One by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed (263)
13. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby (249)
14. Population: 485 Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry (234)
15. Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer (325)
16. Arthur & George by Julian Barnes (505)
17. Barcelona Plates by Alexei Sayle (215)
18. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire (495)
19. Misconception by Ryan Boudinot (214)
20. Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk by Tony Dushane (214)
21. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl (514)
22. Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson (259)
23. The Horrific Sufferings of the Mind-Reading Monster Hercules Barefoot: His Wonderful Love and His Terrible Hatred by Carl-Johan Vallgren (282)
24. The 19th Wife: A Novel by David Ebershoff (514)
25. Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (270)
26. May Contain Nuts by John O'Farrell (392)

My Friend Leonard

I picked up My Friend Leonard by James Frey a few weeks ago in Dubai. It caught my eye because I recently read his first book, A Million Little Pieces.

Here's the thing. This book is horrible.

I'm sure you remember the hubbub over these books. Frey was endorsed by Oprah for A Million Little Pieces... that is until the Smoking Gun revealed that the majority of the book is absolute junk. Still, it was fun to read the book and try to decipher the real from the fake.

By the time I read My Friend Leonard, the novelty had worn off. Before the book begins a note explains to the reader that hefty chunks of the book were made up. Not the best way to start a memoir.

So here's the story:

James is just being released from his fictional jail time. Unfortunately, he's a day too late to prevent his girlfriend from committing suicide. (That's honestly not a spoiler). The rest of the book is James putting his life back together with the help of Leonard, his mobster friend from rehab. James earns money illegally and then decides to be an honest man... trying to make his living as a writer. After a move to Los Angeles James makes an attempt at filmmaking.

Doesn't really sound that interesting, does it? Yeah, it's not. In addition to reading like straight bull****, some of the sentences were actually painful. I could just imagine Frey reading these lines with deep intensity... gross. An example:

"The pain I feel the sadness and sorrow and grief that are with me all day every second in every breath and beat of my heart in every thought in every step in everything I see and hear there is nothing but pain and sadness and sorrow and grief and I know drinking will make it go away."

Yep, that's one sentence.

Recommendation: Not.

The Other Hand / Little Bee

Last summer a few friends came through town for a visit and waffle sandwiches. Quickly the conversation turned to my friend's new book. Naturally, I asked, "What's it about?" "I can't tell you" she very quickly replied, "but you have to read it." It seems that the editor believed so strongly in the unfolding of the story that she requested readers not spoil it for others.

Several months later I came across The Other Hand by Chris Cleave while browsing the bookshop. I flipped to the back and read, "We don't want to tell you what happens in this book." Immediately I thought of that summer day eating our waffles at a picnic table and my friend's very mysterious book recommendation.

After a little research I discerned that indeed it was the same book only under a different title. It was published as Little Bee in North America and The Other Hand worldwide. (Why?)

Since I can't give you a recap of the story... here's a bit more from the back of the book from where I left off:

"It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it so we will just say this:

This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice. Two years later, they meet again - the story starts there...

Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your frinds about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds."

So there you have it.

Recommendation: When you're ready for a quick engaging read that just might possibly give you night sweats, let this be it.

Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters

I've suddenly found that my reading resources are somewhat... limited. Not only are books expensive in this bit of the world, the title selection is lacking. Since I've kept track of the books I've read over the past few years, I've learned that I have quite the eclectic reading habit. I might be reading a biography one day and children's literature the next. Not having such a wide variety to choose from led me to the classics section while I was looking for a book to bring with me to Thailand. Thankfully I noticed a new-to-me title in the petite J. D. Salinger section... and that's how I found, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters.

This publication is bundled with another short story, Seymour: An Introduction... but I won't mention that here.

Raise High is another story detailing the life of members of the Glass family. A family whose dinner table I would love to join, for the record. This time Buddy is telling about Seymour's wedding. Buddy attends the wedding and later finds himself in a stuffy car with the bride's aunt, the angry matron of honor and her husband, and a small man in a dashing top hat. What an uncomfortable place to be for the brother of the absent groom! You see, Seymour never arrived...

The bulk of the story is comprised of the time spent in the car and the intrigue is housed in the question of whether the party will discover Buddy's connection to the groom... a fact he has skillfully sidestepped.

As with all of Salinger's writing, I was immediately captivated. I appreciated being let in on Buddy's "little joke" of a concealed identity and almost forgot the fictitious nature of the Glass family, in general.

And I can't close without mentioning Salinger's death just days before my reading of the selection. I didn't learn of the news until after returning from Thailand but was saddened altogether to hear it.

Recommendation: Fans of Salinger will be delighted but start with Nine Stories if you haven't yet.