Weekly Geeks - On Wars...

This week's Weekly Geeks has two questions. One for Memorial Day, and one for summer reading. Due to the diametric opposites of the topics, I've decided to split this up into two posts. First one's on war....

With Memorial Day in the U.S. this coming Monday, I thought it would be appropriate to focus on the military. Either share your favorite book on war or movie on war and why. Provide a clip from the movie if you'd like or a passage from the book that shows us why you it's your favorite book or movie. Or do both. OR choose your own military theme, for example, if you have a relative or friend in the military and you would like to send them a video or a message of thanks, do that on your blog. OR do all three. The book and movie also don't have to be "patriotic" necessarily. For example, one of my favorite fictional books on war is Johnny, Get Your Gun by Dalton Trumbo.

This is going to be on books - I'm not a big movies buff. However, this book made a great movie as well, apparently (haven't seen it). Cutting to the chase, it's Schindler's List/Ark. The book won the Booker Prize in 1982, despite being a non-fictional masterpiece, and it follows the quest of one man to save the life of thousands of Jews from the gas chambers during World War II: Oskar Schindler. It's an incredibly absorbing book, which its author, Thomas Keneally, has tried to make as factual as possible, so as not to 'debase' the record of Schindler - fiction, according to the author, would do exactly that. 

I unfortunately don't have the book at hand, so I can't pull out a passage, but, I would recommend that book to anyone interested in that era. It's well-written, non-fictional, and fills us with hope, that even during the grossest of times, there was one man out there striving to make a difference. 

There are some other books that come to mind, including Philip Roth's The Plot Against America, which portrays an alternate reality, where Lindbergh won the Presidential elections in 1940, instead of Roosevelt. That was creepy: imagine a Fascist America! 

There are loads more, but, I think these are probably the two books I was completely blown away by. 

Happy Memorial Day, folks (albeit we don't celebrate it this side of the pond). 

Booking Through Thursday - Second First Time

What book would you love to be able to read again for the first time?

Loads, to be honest.  20, off the top of my head, in no particular order:

1.  The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
2. The Catcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger
3. We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver
4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
5. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
6. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
7. The Road - Cormac McCarthy
8. Disgrace - J.M. Coetzee
9. The Client - John Grisham
10. Where are the Children - Mary Higgins Clark
11. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
12. Macbeth - William Shakespeare
13. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
14. 1984 - George Orwell
15. Lust For Life - Irving Stone
16. To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
17. Schindler's Ark - Thomas Keneally
18. The Boy In The Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
19. The Faraway Tree series - Enid Blyton
20. Peter Pan - J. Barrie

Wow! I started off planning to have three, then before I knew it, I had eleven, and then, in the blink of the eye, it was twenty! I think this is not only a list of some of my favorite books, but also books that I honestly believe have changed my life in some way or the other. 

So, how about you?

Zoe Heller - Notes On A Scandal

Who doesn't love a good juicy scandal? The type that makes its way to the tabloids, and has everyone talking about it, and judging the protagonists of the impropriety. Everyone has an opinion, and more oft' than not, it's judging the miscreants. Society. Business as usual. 

So, what's the scandal? One newspaper headlines read:

Sex Teacher Passes Her Orals With Flying Colours

while another read:

Teacher Takes Keen Interest In Student Body. 

I'm sure you've heard about it: a teacher having an illicit affair with one of her high school students. Or, in this case, a happily married forty-one year old having an affair with a fifteen year old. 

But, the narrator isn't Sheba Hart, the forty-one year old teacher. Nor is it Steven Connolly, the student. Instead, it's Barbara Covett - a sixty-something year old woman, who has never married. Barbara is Sheba's friend, her defender, if you like. The Sun refers to her as the saucy school teacher's spin-doctor, despite the fact that she has had forty years of experience as a teacher, and has never been associated with anything scandalous prior to this. 

So, what prompts someone like Barbara to act as Sheba's defender? When Sheba walks into the school for the first time, Barbara feels like she's found her 'kindred spirit'. Jealousy overcomes her when she discovers that Sheba has befriended Susan, another teacher who Barbara dislikes. In fact, as the book progresses, the reader comes to find Barbara as an increasingly judgmental condescending character, who has a superiority complex, coupled with some major inhibitions about being single. She's overbearing, clingy, and tends to drive people away. Yet, her extremely high opinion of herself, and the way she manages to justify all her acts almost makes the reader feel sorry for her delusions of grandeur. 

Barbara uses gold stars to mark the timeline of her friendship with Sheba, in her notes; notes that she's writing in order to help Sheba's looming court case. She's almost subservient to Sheba, as she cooks for her, and looks after her, and takes great delight in Sheba's increasing dependence on her. Don't worry - these are not spoilers. In fact, this book is written retrospectively, so the thriller aspect of it is minimal. At the very outset, we know where the protagonists stand, and what has happened. 

Barbara (and subsequently, the reader) struggles to understand Sheba's infatuation with this semi-literate adolescent, who is marginally artistic. She has a devoted husband, a rebellious attractive teenage daughter, and a son with Downs' syndrome. Barbara at one point says that she'd bet they were happily married, and even according to Sheba, they are. In my opinion, what instigates Sheba is a combination of the innocence the boy has, as well as the adventure that a fling like this brings: sex sessions in Hampsted Heath (I kid you not!), meeting at his place when his parents are away, smuggling him into her basement studio, and finding some time in her art studio at school, where they drew the curtains.... Sheba isn't an idiot. She knows what the consequences of her actions are, if found out. But, that doesn't stop her. Incredible that people are ready to risk their entire life (as they know it) because someone finds them attractive, at a time when they're vulnerable to feeling otherwise due to a mid-life crisis of sorts.  

Why, then, was Sheba moved to such an extravagant estimate of his virtues? Why did shr insist on seeing him as her little Helen Keller in a sea of Yahoos. The papers will tell you that Sheba's judgment was clouded by desire: she was attracted to Connolly, and in order to explain that attraction, she convinced herself that he was some kind of genius. 

This is a fascinating gripping story of betrayal, sex, and infatuation. It's not a thriller, but yet you can't let go, and you're compelled to turn each page, and consume it all. It's well-written, funny at times, perverse, thought-provoking (specially in the beginning where they discuss why a woman being the deviant is funny, whereas if it was a man and a fifteen year old girl, it would be disturbing. Guess there is an element of truth in that), and truly shocking. Barbara's tone throughout the book is matter-of-fact and to the point, with minimal padding and meandering. So, while it's not as emotive as you'd expect it to be, it still makes a great read. 

Overall, four stars. 

Musing Mondays - Early Reading

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? Was it from a particular person, or person(s)? Do you remember any books that you read, or were read to  you, as a young child? (question courtesy of Diane)

The first book I read was The Little Red Hen. I still remember sitting on the couch in my parents' room, as my mum made the three-year-old me read it out loud. I had inherited a great collection of Ladybirds, from my older brother, so I lapped them up pretty quickly, with my mother helping me out.

As soon as I was done with the Ladybirds, I was introduced to a series and an author that pretty much got me addicted to reading, and I think I've almost read practically every book by her, over the years. Yup, you got it - it was Noddy's adventures in Toyland, and Enid Blyton.

I mean, as a five-year old, how can you not love a fantasy world, called 'Toyland', where a nodding doll drives a yellow car, and lives next to a family of bears? I was completely enthralled, and for the longest time, I actually believed that I could catch a train to Toyland someday. I also believed in the tooth fairy, and Santa Claus, so....

And then there was the Amelia Jane series, the Faraway Tree books (which is probably my favorite series from my childhood), the Galliano circus books, and a couple of more 'real' books like Those Dreadful Children, The Put-Em Rights and The Three Naughty Children.

Giving a little child a series like Faraway Tree is surely the best (and worst) thing you can do to her (in my case!). I spent ages imagining myself as one those kids, and going to The Land of Do-As-You-Please, and having friends like Silky and Moonface. I envied those fictional characters, and sometimes asked my mum why we didn't live near the Enchanted Wood. I think she got quite annoyed with me by the end of it...

I moved on to The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find Outers, The Secret series, Snubby's Mystery series, Jack's (and Kiki's) Adventure stories, and I think that led to more fantasy adventures. I would've done anything to be a part of The Famous Five, to know a dog like Timmy, and to know someone who had their own island, or their own lighthouse!

And finally, I read all of St. Clares, Malory Towers and The Naughtiest Girl. I tried modeling myself on Darrell from Malory Towers - she was just so.... perfect! I think I learnt a lot from them, and quite wanted to go to boarding school, just to re-live some of their adventues - like playing pranks and having midnight feasts.

So, I guess I have Enid Blyton to thank for my love of books, for 'til I was eleven, that's all I read (and re-read). I haven't re-read a single book by her in about three years, but I still remember the characters and the books, and it still makes me so blissfully happy.

I should also mention Roald Dahl, for I think as I started running out of Enid Blytons to read, and was in denial, my mum took me to the library, and checked out  The Witches, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Both were amazing, and I recently bought the box-set of Roald Dahl books, just because they were very enjoyable.

So yea, I actually remember most of the books I read while I was growing up, and I think I have my mum to thank for getting me hooked! Wouldn't have it any other way. :)

How about you? Who were your favorite authors / books while you were growing up? Any you read and re-read over and over again?

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half Of A Yellow Sun

War destroys all that is left of innocence. It pulls people together, and it drives them apart. People are left asking questions, as they pine for their loved ones, as they try and contemplate the horrors of war, and as they struggle to survive - just so that they can see a better day.

And it is this aspect of war that Adichie focuses on in her much-acclaimed novel, Half of a Yellow Sun. The story, based in the 1960s, revolves around the Nigeria-Biafra war - a historical event that has escaped the chapters of most history texts outside Africa - and the massacre, starvation, illness, and fear it brought in its wake, as the Igbo people battled for their independence, which was short-lived. Biafra (even my spell-check doesn't recognize it!), in 1970, returned to Nigeria, and as the book stated: a million people died, in the process.

The story's main protagonists are the twins: Olanna and Kainene, who are poles apart, both in looks and in attitude; their lovers: the 'revolutioary professor' Odenigbo, and the awkward introverted Richard - an expatriate writer, enchanted by Igbo history. And then of course, there's Ugwu, a poor village boy who has come to serve the professor, as a house-boy.

The twins, at the outset, are estranged and distant, for no reason whatsoever. Olanna is about to move in with Odenigbo, and teach in Nsukka, whereas Kainene is looking to take her father's business to greater heights. However, as things turn out, due to love and betrayal, the twins' rift grows deeper, and Olanna finds herself avoiding Kainene. She does, however, adopt Odenigbo's love-child from a brief one-night affair, and finds herself devoted to Baby's health and happiness.

When war breaks out, and strains some of the relationships, while simultaneously bridging the gap in some, we see the weakness and strength in the characters as never before.

Richard, an Englishman (and Kainene's lover) remains in the warzone, and writes articles for the international media, propagating the cause of the Igbo, instead of returning to his motherland. He is disgusted when some white journalists show up, and ask about the unfortunate death of another Englishman. His sarcastic comment at that point is along the lines of: one white person is equivalent to a thousand Biafrans.

Odenigbo finds comfort in his papers, and his theories, but when war breaks out he resorts to alcohol. Olanna, and Ugwu set up a small formal school, as all the schools around them are closed down, and transformed into refugee camps. Kainene, on the other hand, sets up a refugee camp, and tries to ensure that there are enough protein pills and food for everyone - specially the children.

As the characters are introduced, and their role in the story starts shaping up, I couldn't help but marvel at how Adichie's writing shifts from prosaic to poetic. And that, at times, is disconcerting. For example, in the opening chapter, Ugwu is overwhelmed by the richness of his new environment:

He looked up at the ceiling, so high up, so piercingly white. He closed his eyes and tried to reimagine this spacious room with the alien furniture, but he couldn't. He opened his eyes, overcome by a new wonder, and looked around to make sure it was all real. To think that he would sit on these sofas, polish this slippery-smooth floor, wash these gauzy curtains.

and I think that's a beautiful piece of writing - so vivid, and I can close my eyes, and actually imagine Ugwu's wonder, just by the above line.

But then, later on in the book, after the war had started, the descriptions were enough to make me, as a second-hand observer, feel queasy. The below is a snippet when Olanna was on a train, heading back home to her revolutionary lover, after the war had broken out, and the Igbo people were being found out and massacred.

Olanna looked at the bowl. She saw the little girl's head with the ashy-grey skin and the plaited hair and rolled back eyes and open mouth. She stared at it for a while before she looked away. Somebody screamed.

The woman closed the calabash. 'Do you know,' she said, 'it took me so long to plait this hair. She had such thick hair'.

And then there's the scene Richard witnessed at the airport, on landing from England, where his cousin was getting married.

Richard saw fear etched so deeply on to his face that it collapsed his cheeks and transfigured him into a mask that looked nothing like him. He would not say 'Allahu Akbar' because his accent would give him away. Richard willed him to say the words, anyway, to try; he willed him something, anything, to happen in the stifling silence and as if in answer to his thoughts, the rifle went off and (his) chest blew open, a splattering red mass [...]

My favorite character of the book has to be Kainene, just because she's offbeat, and has no illusions (read delusions) of grandeus about herself. While Olanna was occasionally self-piteous, Odenigbo was a character I couldn't relate to. He was an intellect, but came across as a know-it-all. Ugwu was a character I had grown quite fond of, as I could actually relate to some of his thoughts (hats off to Adichie for creating one of the most 'real' characters I've come across, in a long time), but without giving much away, I will say that there are certain things that make a character somewhat irredeemable. And Richard, well, I admired him for sticking to the Igbo people, as though they were his own, but, his character was probably the blandest of them all, if you know what I mean?

In this story about love, loyalty, betrayal, redemption, and survival, Adichie brings up the painful reality of war; unflinchingly discussing gang-rapes, starvation, children dying, and the horrors of air-strikes, where everyone tries to hide in a bunker. In an ironic statement, we see how everything is held together, precariously, as a girl's belly starts to swell, and her mother wonders is she pregnant or is she dying. (a swollen belly indicates 'kwashiorkar', or protein deficiency).

This is a very well-written profound book, and it really wouldn't surprise me if it became a classic of our times. However, in critique, the couple of things I will say are:

In my opinion, the flow of the book was disrupted by how the first section was based in the early 1960s, the second in the late 60s, the third in the early 60s again, and the final section was based in the late 1970s. I didn't quite understand why that was done, because I'm not at all convinced it enhanced the story in any way.

Second, why on earth was a six year old referred to as Baby throughout the whole book? Fair enough, it worked for Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing, but, in a warzone, even if you're trying to depict the innocence of a child, the name 'Baby' really doesn't do it. Well, it didn't for me!

And also, I found the last paragraph a weak ending to an otherwise great story. I really do not want to give much away at the time, but, it was an ending that left a bit to be desired. In fact, the way it came about was almost rushed.

Overall, a 7.5 on 10.

Weekly Geeks - Literature in a 'City Much Like Hell'

 So, this week, 'Weekly Geeks' asks us to take a literary tour of our hometown.

Do you live in a place where a famous author was born? Does your town have any cool literary museums or monuments? Does Stephen King live at the end of your street? Was Twilight set in your hometown?

You can talk about famous (or not so famous) authors who live there, novels set in there, or any other literary facts that you know about where you live. Feel free to embellish with pictures of places and/or authors, maps of the area, and fun facts about the authors. 

So, a 'city much like hell'? Did you get the reference? How about if I say, it's the city of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Changing of the Guards. And a couple of more hints: a famous song about a bridge falling down? The host of the 2012 Olympics. Guessing all of you have gotten it by now: London! 

London's a great place for literature. Many famous authors and poets have lived here/been buried here, and some incredible books have been based in London. In fact, Waterstones now-a-days has a table devoted to books on London (fiction and non-fiction), much like it has a table devoted to children's best-sellers, and many tables devoted to their everlasting three-for-two sale. 

So, while I could easily make this a five thousand word essay, let me just stick to a few of my favorite authors, and a few books that I have enjoyed tremendously. Oh, and for the record, it was Shelley who compared London to hell. I didn't know that 'til much recently, and I don't agree at all. For all its horrors, I haven't found a city I'd rather live in. Not New York, not Hong Kong, not Rome, not Paris. Maybe Los Angeles, but.... let me move on, before I digress much further. 

So, a few random facts: Milton, Hardy, Kipling, Tennyson, Chaucer, Dickens and Beatrix Potter are all buried in London. Orwell lived here for a while, and wrote the book Down and Out in Paris and in London based on his experiences slumming it out in London during the Great Depression. A few of Dickens' novels were based in London, focusing on poverty, orphanages, pickpockets and of course - the Victorian Society. Oliver Twist, which takes us back to the 19th century London, is easily the first book that comes to mind, when I think of Dickens and London. And, apparently (I wish I could confirm this), it's the first book in English that has a child protagonist. 

One of the greatest detectives of the millennium lived in London as well. Who, you ask? Elementary, my dear Watson. As he himself once said: Eliminate all other factors, and the one remaining must be the truth. The other variation of that, being, Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. The last one is actually one of my favorite quotes of all times (I used to love mystery novels, and used this principal to try and figure out the whudunnit). Anyway, it's good old Sherlock Holmes living at 221B Baker Street, with Dr. Watson. 

Moving from detectives to plays: The greatest playwright, Shakespeare, lived in London for a bit. The Tempest, Romeo & Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing were all written while he was in London. Weirdly enough, I've been to Shakespeare's home in Stratford-upon-Avon, but not done any Shakespeare related sight-seeing in London. Is that weird, or is that typical? 

Anyway, thought I'd share some pictures of Shakespeare's birthplace/home from my trip up to Stratford-upon-Avon a few years ago:

And to wrap it up, here are some more random facts:

John Keats gave up medicine to become an author. He trained at a hospital near London Bridge (Guy's Hospital). I don't know much about him as a doctor, but some of his poems were amazing. 

Oscar Wilde's last evening in England was in London. 

Lord Byron lived in Piccadilly before being driven into exile in the 19th century. 

Moving to slightly more recent times, Kings Cross station has erected a Platform 9 3/4 sign, as well as installed half a trolley against the wall, so that is looks like the other half goes over to the magical world of Harry Potter, from where he can catch the Hogwarts Express. 

Oh, and John Le Carre lives in Hampstead, which is about 20 minutes from mine. Never seen him or met him though... maybe I need to hang out there more often? 

So yes, that's literature in London for you, in a nutshell - and the little I can remember. I'm sure I'm forgetting loads.

Do you have any more facts about literature and London? Have you met a famous author here? Have you met a famous author anywhere? Do you have a favorite book that's based in and around London? Or, a movie? Maybe a song? 

.... and have a nice weekend, fellow-geeks. 

Booking Through Thursday - Gluttony

 

Book Gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or are you a controlled buyer, only purchasing books when you have run out of things to read?

It's like a rhetorical set of questions; the answers are a given, but I must own up to them, and confess, with a twinge of guilt. Guilt, not because I buy too many books, but because I don't peruse them fast enough. I try... I really do, but I only read for about two hours a day, which isn't much at all, considering the number of books I want to read is inversely proportional to the time I have to read them. 

So yes, I purchase books compulsively, and I call it an addiction, so I concede: I am a glutton! I comfort myself (and my parents) by saying, it could be worse: I could be splurging on cocaine. In a bookstore, some books just sit on a shelf, seducing me: Buy me, and I will make you very happy. And weak that I am, I succumb to this, and please both, the book and my library. As a certain Oscar Wilde once said: I can resist anything but temptation. 

On the flip side, my wallet isn't too happy, and my 'TBR' list silently judges me, as I add another name on. Ironically (or typically) enough, these 'seductive' books rarely exist on my TBR list prior to entering the shop. For example, Zusak's The Book Thief just lay there, and I swear, I half-imagined it doing a little jig singing, come to me (and for the record, that's not the only book that's flirted with me like that!). 

So, the number of books on my TBR list rapidly increase, and I just stare at it, swaying from feeling overwhelmed to feeling happy. Odds are, if I possess the book, I'll get 'round to reading it - eventually. Guess that means I'm not a controlled buyer. I always have about ten books on my shelf, just waiting to be picked up one fine morning (I'm one of those people who only reads one book at a time). Lately though, I'm trying to be sensible, as I order books on my TBR list on Amazon, just because it's more affordable. Of course, it has to be about four books, to qualify for super-saver free delivery!

However, I love entering bookstores, and just being surrounded by so many books. It's like my personal heaven... and of course, if I enter a bookstore, it's wrong to leave without buying at least one book (in my case, it's normally three-four). 

In my defense, I blame my mum, who used to buy me multiple books every time we went down to the local bookstore; and, allowed me to take out six books from the library in one go. I'm just so accustomed to always having a book at hand... talk about being a spoilt brat! 

So, how about you - do you just indulge yourself when it comes to books, like some people do with clothes and shoes (or ice-cream and chocolates!), or are you more controlled? Any other addictions you care to share? 

Oh, and Happy Thursday everyone! :)

Gene Brewer - K-Pax

He insists he came from K-PAX, about five years ago, on a beam of light. He's going to return on August 17, at 3:31 pm. In the meantime, he's in Ward II of the Manhattan Psychiatric Institute, under the supervision of Dr. Gene Brewer, who doesn't believe that he's alien. His name is prot. Yes, that's right - in lowercase. In K-PAX, the beings spell their names in lowercase, whereas astronomical bodies like PLANETS, EARTH, the WORLD are in uppercase.

But that's not the most bizarre thing about K-PAX. In fact, K-PAX has been around for millions of years, and not just a couple of millennia like EARTH. There's no government, there's no crime, people live happily, and the science and technology is supremely advanced. There's a herbal cure for everything, from AIDS to cancer. Money is non-existent, as is any kind of trade. In fact, it's much like Gonzalo's state (where he'd be King) in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Oh, and sex is painful, vegetarianism is the standard diet, and all beings co-exist in harmony. When asked for K-PAXians are like, prot says like Swedish people, or Gandhi, Lennon or, Thoreau.

As prot speaks to Dr. Brewer, who tries to figure out who prot really is, and where he's come from, we see prot as a funny, albeit patronizing, 'being' (prot is very insistent that EARTH is the only planet which has homo sapiens). However, if you aren't 'crazy' but you have someone (i.e. Dr. Brewer) treating you as though you are, the patronization is probably justified. Gene asks him multiple times where he's come from, and how he's traveled, and the answer is the same: Using mirrors and light!

As prot befriends some of the other patients at MPI, and starts helping them get better, they all have only the one thing on their agenda: they want to go back with prot. Heck, they all write essays to warrant their candidacy! And we have Dr. Brewer who struggles to find out more about him, and his condition - is he a savant (does that explain his knowledge about the UNIVERSE?)? Is he an amnesiac? Or, is there something more? Finally, he resorts to hypo-therapy...

This short quirky humorous book is one of a kind. You can't help but get completely immersed in it, and wonder about prot, and his home planet; about Dr. Brewer and his relationship with his parents; about life and how different it can be in reality and in utopia. I'm scared if I say more, I'll ruin the end for you, but, this book raises loads of interesting questions, and it gets you thinking...

"You mean your mental patients aren't treated with any drugs - herbs - to make them well?"

"Mental illness is often in the eyes of the beholder. Too often on this PLANET it refers to those who think and act differently from the majority."

"But surely there are those who are obviously unable to cope with reality...."

"Reality is what you make it."

I don't think I've read such a well-written funny thought-provoking fantasy book before, and if you have a chance, you must read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it! The only thing I can moan about is, the ending left much to be desired. Where does prot get his knowledge from? Is he actually alien? Will he return in four-five years, as he promised? How can he see light in the UV range? So many questions... no answers.

The book is the first of a trilogy, so I will probably pick up the sequel and the finale, to see how it pans out, and whether the story still has loopholes, or do all the pieces fit together. Woohoo! More books to be TBR list. Overall, a 7 on 10... and a very engrossing read.

Weekly Geeks - Mark It Down

Do you use bookmarks or just grab whatever is handy to mark your page? Do you collect lots of different bookmarks or do you have a favorite one that you use exclusively? If you're not someone who uses bookmarks on a regular basis, have you ever used anything odd to mark your place?

When I was much younger, I used to make bookmarks, using stickers and color pencils. I aimed at making one a week, and had then in a neat stack on my bookshelf, so that they were always easily accessible. Grab & go - for everyone who ever needed a bookmark at home. 

Those days are long gone!

There was also a time I used hotel key-cards and old credit cards as bookmarks as well. Or, if I was on holiday, and had purchased one of those $20 phone-cards, they did the trick... Yes, I kept misplacing them, and yes - the people around me used to get quite infuriated with my carelessness... But, it just made sense at the time! 

I have a couple of bookmarks (both presents) which I tend to use, now-a-days. One's an extremely adorable Winnie The Pooh one, that is commonly available at Waterstones, whereas the other is a souvenir from Switzerland.

However, more often than not, I end up using my travel card as a bookmark, as I mostly read on the tube. Of course, this ends up being painful sometimes, when I've finished a book but forgotten to take out my travel card. I'll tell you this - reaching the station, and then realizing you've left your travel card in a book at home (or work) is one of the most frustrating experiences ever! 

I also try and remember the page number. Of course, this is not foolproof, and very frequently, I end up scrambling through a fair few pages, in order to determine where I need to start reading from again. 

Sometimes, when I get to work, and I'm in the middle of the book, I just grab a pen/pencil/stapler from my desk and place it between the pages. It's convenient, and I don't need to fumble around at all when the day's done, and I'm ready to immerse myself in the book again. 

However, I don't dog-ear the pages, nor do I ever leave the book face-down. I'm one of those annoying finicky people who likes my books looking brand new. Yes, I know - books are supposed to look used and read and enjoyed. But - I don't know. To me, it feels realllllly wrong, as I think books are supposed to be treasured and valued and kept well. My copy of 'The Fountainhead has been read about sixteen times (by me alone), and the book still looks almost brand new, and strangely (and geekily) enough, I'm quite proud of that. 

Haruki Murakami - What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

This is a short hundred and eighty page book, which has Murakami talk about his life, and the importance of running in it. It's a quick-paced interesting read for everyone - be it a marathon runner, or a marathon reader. You can call it an autobiography, a memoir, a travel journal, or a training diary - the book easily fits all of the above descriptions.  Murakami started running at the age of thirty-three, the age that Jesus Christ died. The age that Scott Fitzgerald started to go downhill. That age may be a kind of crossroads in life. And in his words, it was my belated, but real, starting point as a novelist. 

 What initially seemed like a way to stay in shape, while writing his novels, Murakami came to find a deeper spiritual bond with running, and throughout the book, he draws out the parallels between writing a novel and running. 

Fortunately, these two disciplines - focus and endurance - are different from talent, since they can be acquired and sharpened through training. You'll naturally learn both concentration and endurance when you sit down everyday at your desk and train yourself to focus on one point. This is a lot like the training of muscles I wrote of a moment ago. You have to continually transmit the object of your focus to your entire body, and make sure it thoroughly assimilates the information necessary for you to writ every single day and concentrate on the work at hand. And gradually you'll expand the limits of what you're able to do. Almost imperceptibly, you'll make the bar rise. This involves the same process as jogging every day to strengthen your muscles and develop a runner's physique. 

However, while this book talks of the importance of running in Murakami's life, it is, by no means, preachy. It doesn't insist that the reader start running. In fact, he openly says that long distance-running is not for everyone, and if this book convinces someone to run, well and good, but if someone doesn't enjoy running, they'll never be able to continue with it, patiently. 

As the book progresses, Murakami's focus shifts from marathons (including one that lasted over 60 miles!), to triathlons, and his thoughts during the event. It talks of his training, and the competition with himself to beat a certain time. It talks of the horrors of training for the cycling part of the triathlon and the challenges he's faced with the swimming. As someone who tries to run at least one marathon a year (and always complete it, running - not walking), and has rarely been sidetracked due to injury or illness, Murakami's book is a revelation of sorts. It mentions the typical marathon runner's dilemma : the toughest part of the marathon comes after twenty-two miles are done. It discusses the solitary nature of running, as well how this sometimes brings great pleasure: be it due to the beautiful girl whose name he has never known, or due to running with John Irving, or to simply enjoy the music. 

With the London Marathon being the hot topic on everyone's lips for the last couple of weeks, this book immediately made it to the bestsellers list at most bookstores. Ironically enough, Murakami never mentions running a London marathon, although he has talks of his experiences running the New York marathon multiple times, as well as the marathons at Greece, Honolulu, Boston and Japan. 

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book. I've read just the one book by Murakami (Norwegian Wood), and I am not a long distance runner. I do, however, enjoy swimming and its solitary nature, so yes - I can relate to a fair few emotions and philosophies the author discusses. But... I digress. I don't even know why I picked up this book. However, I did enjoy reading it, and while I don't have what it takes to be a long-distance runner, I honestly admire Murakami's commitment to the sport. 

Overall, I'd say a 6 on 10 - maybe if I'd read more of Murakami (I do have a couple of his books on my reading list), or if I was a long-distance runner, I'd have enjoyed it a lot more. If you're a bigger Murakami fan than I am, or if you have an interest in long-distance running, pick up this book... 

Oh, To Be A Genius At 29

Reading The Great Gatsby earlier in this year was an incredible experience, and I'm pretty sure it's going to join The Fountainhead and A Catcher In The Rye in my list of annual reads. So, I wasn't completely surprised when I came across the following comment from the famous Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami, in his book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. 

 Gatsby really is an outstanding novel. I never get tired of it, no matter how many times I read it. It's the kind of literature that nourishes you as you read, and every time I do I'm struck by something new, and experience a fresh reaction to it. I find it amazing how such a young writer, only twenty-nine at the time, could grasp - so insightfully, so equitably, and so warmly - the realities of life. How was this possible? The more I think about it, and the more I read the novel, the more mysterious it all is. 

I agree with every single word of the above - and if you haven't read The Great Gatsby yet, please do. If you have, what do you think? Do you agree? Does it make you want to read more of Fitzgerald's work?  

Musing Mondays - The Bottomless TBR List

How many books (roughly) are in your tbr pile? Is this increasing in number, or does it stay stable? Do you ever experience tbr anxiety in the face of this pile? (question courtesy of Wendy)

I have about twelve books that are just stacked on my desk/bookshelf, begging to be picked up and read. However, I maintain a virtual 'tbr' list (62 books at the moment), which seems to grow faster than Moore's Law (replace 'number of transistors on a chip' with 'number of books on my tbr list'). I apologize for the geek-speak. 

So nope, it doesn't stay stable. I think there are more books that I want to read, than the amount of time I have to read them. Even if I quit my job, and renounce every worldly activity I indulge in, I still doubt I'll be able to read all the books I want to. And that, is depressing. Extremely so. 

Anxiety - nah! But sometimes, I do spend ages contemplating which book should I read next so as not to waste time. I'm actually making a conscious effort to go through the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, as well as Booker and Pulitzer winners, just because the odds are, those books will change my life (for the better). Of course, I am bound to pick up the new Mary Higgins Clark, or the new Grisham. Even the new Jeffrey Archer novel. And sometimes, I do sigh, thinking of all the good books out there, just waiting for me to read them.....