Challenge Wrap Up #1 - The 1% Well Read Challenge '09

I signed up for 1morechapter's 1% Well Read Challenge earlier on this year, making a shortlist of twenty books, and striking them out as and when done.

Of course, what with me being me, and all that, I added two books on, in the last two months, which weren't in the original shortlist.

The challenge provided us with three options, and always one for taking the easy way out, I opted for the second:

1. Read 10 titles from the original list from March 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009
2. Read 10 titles from the new list from March 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009
3. Read 13 titles from the combined list (of almost 1300 titles) from March 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010. In other words, “What were they thinking dropping titles from Dostoevsky and Jane Austen?”

The final ten books read were:

1. F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby (7th March 2009)
2. Philip Roth - The Plot Against America (15th March 2009)
3. Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale (6th April 2009)
4. Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange (9th April 2009)
5. George Orwell - Animal Farm (10th April 2009)
6. Alice Walker - The Color Purple (21st April 2009)
7. Patricia Duncker - Hallucinating Foucault (4th May 2009)
8. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Half of a Yellow Sun (13th May 2009)
9. Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children (11th June 2009)
10. Jeffrey Eugenides - The Virgin Suicides (17th July 2009)

My two favorite books this year have been from this challenge (Clockwork Orange and Great Gatsby). However, what I found really cool about this one was that, I picked up a couple of books without even realizing they were on the 1001 Books To Read Before You Die list (The Plot Against America and The Virgin Suicides).

As I've finished this one quite early (I'm really struggling with my other challenges at the moment), I might try and go for the third option (thirteen 'til March 2010). Wanted to read all three, The Life and Times of Michael K, Cloud Atlas and Kafka On The Shore, before the year rolled forward, anyway.

If this is being hosted again, next year, I'm definitely signing up! Thanks so much for this challenge :)

Jeffrey Eugenides - The Virgin Suicides

Once upon a time (in the 1970s), there were five sisters: Cecilia, Therese, Mary, Lux and Bonnie - the Lisbon girls. But Cecilia, the youngest, killed herself. And then, by the end of that one year, there were none.

The Virgin Suicides, written by a collective 'we' (as opposed to 'I', or in third person), traces the events that occurred from the first attempted suicide, to the last, from the eyes of young boys (school mates and neighbors of the Lisbon girls) who are now middle-aged, and still reflecting on the life and times of the enchanting, mesmerizing teenage girls, short, round-buttocked in denim, with roundish cheeks.

The reader takes a trip with them down memory lane in the 1970s elm-streeted America, as they present various 'exhibits'  (a polaroid of their house, canvas high-tops, a brassiere), interview people who knew the Lisbon girls (including their parents), and remember the only time the girls went to a dance, or, the 'party' in the basement of their house, which was followed by the first successful suicide. There were unsigned notes exchanged, a telephone conversation which had the boys and the Lisbon girls playing music back and forth to one another, and of course, the strong presence of the mother's strong Catholic roots, which prompted her to admonish the girls for make-up, bleaching, wearing halter-tops etc.

While this book touches on a very depressing subject, the casual and conversational nature of the book, coupled with the 'legacy' the Lisbon girls left behind hardly makes the reader reach for a pack of tissues.

They (the Lisbon girls) became too powerful to live among us, to self-concerned, too visionary, too blind. What lingered after them was not life, which always overcomes natural death, but the most trivial list of mundane facts: a clock ticking on a wall, a room dim at noon, and the outrageousness of a human being thinking only of herself. [...] They made us participate in their own madness, because we couldn't help but re-trace their steps, re-think their thoughts, and see that none of them led to us.

There's something creepy, almost stalker-like, about these boys, who used to gaze at the Lisbon house, in search for any indication of the Lisbon sisters, and what they were doing - be it looking through their window panes, or keeping an eye on their father, as he would mirror their well-being (this is after the girls rarely, if ever, left home). An element of unrequited love, the curiosity of adolescence and the enigma that surrounded the five sisters, who most people couldn't differentiate by name - the book in a nutshell!

The one thing that baffles me is, there was never any reason given for the first suicide. While the narrators were contemplating on that as well, no conclusive answer was reached, despite them having perused Cecilia's journal. What prompts a thirteen year old to first slit her wrists, and when that doesn't kill her, jump and impale herself on a fence, while a party is going on in the basement?

This is a fantastic debut novel, but, it also leaves a lot to be desired. For one, suicide can't be trivialized, and specially not the suicide of five teenage sisters, which ends up tearing the family apart - or, what's left of it anyway! I also found the characters intriguing, but I couldn't relate to them in any way, shape or form: be it Cecilia, always wanting to wear a wedding dress, or Lux, who has innumerable sexual encounters on the roof of her own house - her parents wouldn't be able to see her. The rest of the neighborhood would!

However, after reading this, I am looking forward to reading Middlesex, as I really enjoyed the style of writing.

Rating: 3

Musing Mondays - Judging A Book By Its Cover

Today's Musing Monday's question is:

We all know the old adage about not judging a book by it’s cover, but just how much sway does a book cover have when it comes to your choice of book – whether buying or borrowing? Are there any books you’ve bought based on the cover alone?

Yup, I'm guilty of the above. If a cover *looks* interesting, I will pick up the book. Of course, if the blurb at the back of the book is uninteresting, I'll drop it like a hot potato. However, most publishers have this annoying knack to make any gist sound interesting. That's daylight robbery, in my opinion.

In the recent past (last two months), I've picked up two books based solely on their covers, and ironically enough, for very different reasons.

A Murder Of Quality by John le Carre was one such book, where the cover was simple, and classic, but the title of the book was written in a nice sprawly font.

And then there's Angela Carter's The Magic Toyshop, where the title and the cover intrigued me. It's a busy cover, which looks like something out of a fantasy book. Normally, I wouldn't be attracted to covers like this, but... there was just something about it that caught my eye.

How about you? Do you tend to impulse buy, based on the cover of books, or are you a more pragmatic well-researched buyer?

J.M. Coetzee - Disgrace {Weekly Geeks Q&A}

This is the final post on the Weekly Geeks Q&A from 13th June. It's taken me about a month to 'catch up', and I will still have a trilogy to go. As I'm planning on re-reading His Dark Materials in August, I'll hold off until then. Yes, I tend to procrastinate ever so often.

I read Disgrace last year, and really enjoyed it, mostly because the story starts off on one note, but just spins off, and the sequence of events that follow seem very surreal.

On with the questions... Well, umm, question (singular) in this case.

From gautami tripathy:

Disgrace: what is it about? Do you recommend Coetzee to your readers? Is it your first by that author?

'Disgrace' is about a professor, David Lurie, at the Technical University in Cape Town. He has an affair with a student, and her parents lodge a complaint with the University. At a formal inquiry, he admits to sleeping with the student, but refuses to seek clemency or admit that he was wrong. Instead, he resigns to his daughter's farm in rural South Africa, as he waits for the whole thing in Cape Town to blow over.

This, according to me, is where the story starts: about Lurie's relationship with Lucy (his daughter), and their life on the farm. It touches upon them being victimized by racial attacks, where Lucy is raped and Lurie burnt, and its aftermath, which leads to Lurie's perspective on life and women changing.

I recommend Coetzee to anyone who listens to me! I loved this book, and its straightforward simple writing, that touches on many thought-provoking and difficult subjects: racism, rape, redemption, reality. It doesn't offer a quick-fix to the disgrace of apartheid, but, it does end on a note of hope...

Nope. I read Diary of a Bad Year before I picked this one up. I was completely enthralled by that book, due to its quirky writing style. It might be one of the most 'intelligent' books I've read in the recent past, and hence, when I saw Disgrace, I had to pick it up.

I have both, Youth and The Life and Times of Michael K on my TBR. The latter is supposed to be Coetzee's best book 'til date, so I'm really looking forward to that.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez - News of a Kidnapping

Background:

This is another one for the Take A Chance Challenge, hosted by Jenners at Find Your Next Book Here: Public Spying. I commute for a couple of hours daily, and loads of people around me are reading something or the other; some books that I'm intrigued by, and some books I see and go: Meh. I saw someone reading this book, and my curiosity piqued. I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez's works, but surprisingly, I hadn't stumbled upon this one before. So, I made a mental note of it. With a book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, one can't go wrong, right?

Review:

This non-fictional book traces the last few months of Pablo Escobar's freedom, as he used every trick in the book to ensure he wasn't extradited to the United States. Kidnapping important socio-political figures, like journalists and family members of politicians in high places, Escobar attempts to leverage his bargaining power with the President/Government of Colombia.

This book follows both, the life in captivity (relationships with each other, the guards, their fears, and hopes) for the ten hostages, as well as the struggle their family went through, trying to get them released - from trying to convince the President, to avoiding an armed raid, lest it led to someone innocent dying. While the President is pressured by the families and the media to take a stand that will ensure the hostages' release sooner, he sticks by what he believes in.

The Constituent Assembly, shrouded in uncertainties, would meet in the next few days, and he could not allow weakness on the part of the government to result in an amnesty for the drug traffickers.

As he says:

"The real threat came at those moments when we faced the temptation or risk, or even the rumor of a possibility of an amnesty" - in short, the unthinkable danger that the conscience of the Constituent Assembly would also be taken hostage.

This book is scary, it reminds us of the devil Escobar was, and how all of Medellin was in his hands; a result of the charitable works in the marginal neighborhoods where the spent their impoverished childhoods.

Luck and a clandestine life had left Escobar in charge of the hen house, and he became a legend who controlled everything. ... At the height of his splendor, people put up altars with his pictures and lit candles to him in the slums of Medellin. It was believed he could perform miracles. No Colombian in history ever possessed or exercised a talent like his for sharing public opinion. And none had a greater power to corrupt. The most unsettling and dangerous aspect of his personality was his total inability to distinguish between good and evil.

The story is gripping, haunting and fantastic. It is an insight into Colombian history, Escobar himself, and the trials and tribulations of the hostages and their families. Despite being a work of non-fiction, not being grossly exaggerated, and despite knowing what happens to Escobar eventually, the book still reads like fiction, with one caveat: by the style of writing, it was easy to tell which hostages had been killed, and which survived, from the very beginning.

What makes this book very 'real' is that Marquez interviewed all the protagonists he could, and then retold their stories. In fact, Maruja (one of the hostages) and Alberto Villamizar (a Colombian politician) approached Marquez to write about her sixteen month captivity. The book itself has minimal exaggeration, as Marquez weaves his magic making all of us hope that something like this never befalls anyone ever again.

If you've ever wondered about the enigma that is Escobar, read this book, for a combination of Marquez's style of writing, and the story itself makes this book simply unputdownable.

Rating: 5

Weekly Geeks - Where In The World...

This week's Weekly Geeks asks you to tell us about your globe trotting via books. Are you a global reader? How many countries have you "visited" in your reading? What are your favorite places or cultures to read about? Can you recommend particularly good books about certain regions, countries or continents? How do you find out about books from other countries? What countries would you like to read that you haven't yet?

Use your own criteria about what you consider to be "visiting" -- whether a book is written about the country or by a native or resident of the country.

For fun, create one of these maps at this website ticking off the countries you've read books from - you might be surprised how many (or how few!) countries you've read. Include the map in your blog post if you're so inclined.

Feel free to tell us about any actual world traveling you've done in addition to your literary travels.

I'm sticking to global-trotting via the medium of books in this post, restricted to the last seven months. I don't think I can recall all the books I've read, based in different destinations, but, this year, I have been trying out a self-imposed 12 Country Challenge, where I try and read books from twelve different authors belonging to twelve different countries. I'm almost done with this; have one more book to go.

I am not including books from United States of America and United Kingdom, due to the sheer volume of them. However, am including some of the countries the books were based in.

Europe

1. Denmark {Anne Holm - I Am David}
2. Germany {Bernhard Schlink - Homecoming}
3. Hungary {Gyorgy Dragoman - The White King}
4. France {Patricia Duncker - Hallucinating Foucault}
5. Spain {Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow Of The Wind}
6. Czech Republic {Milan Kundera - The Book of Laughter & Forgetting}
7. Ireland {Sebastian Barry - The Secret Scripture}
8. Ireland {Anne Enright - The Gathering}

Middle East

1. Turkey {Orhan Pamuk - The White King}

Africa

1. Nigeria {Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Half Of A Yellow Sun}

Asia

1. Japan {Haruki Murakami - Norwegian Wood}
2. Japan {David Mitchell - Number9Dream}
3. India {Rohinton Mistry - Such A Long Journey}
4. India {Vikas Swarup - Q&A}
5. India {Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children}
6. Pakistan {Mohsin Hamid - Moth Smoke}

South America

1. Columbia {Gabriel Garcia Marquez - News of a Kidnapping}

As for books I'd like to read - well, some Brazilian/Argentinean literature would be nice. Also, books based in China/Hong Kong. Don't think I've read anything based in those countries, which is a pity.

How about you? Do you enjoy globe-trotting as well?

And, I have one more book for this challenge left. Any recommendations?

Booking Through Thursday - Unread

Booking Through Thursday presents an idea from 'The Toddled Dredge':

So here today I present to you an Unread Books Challenge. Give me the list or take a picture of all the books you have stacked on your bedside table, hidden under the bed or standing in your shelf – the books you have not read, but keep meaning to. The books that begin to weigh on your mind. The books that make you cover your ears in conversation and say, ‘No! Don’t give me another book to read! I can’t finish the ones I have!’

I wish I could cover my ears and say "No! I can't finish the ones I have." However, me and books is like moths to flames, or, bees to honey. I just can't say no! My stack isn't too bad right now (umm, it's been worse).

So, from left to right, you have:

1. Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Angel's Game. I absolutely loved Shadow of the Wind, so when I saw his new book was out, and Waterstones was selling the hardback for half price, I had to buy it. I just couldn't say NO.
2. Nancy Huston - Fault Lines This was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008, and it's part of my self-imposed challenge to read all major prize-winners and nominations.
3. James Ellroy - LA Confidential Ok, I can see the eyes rolling, but, sometimes, all you need is a good fast-paced easy read.
4. Linda Grant - When I Lived In Modern Times About three people have recommended this book to me, so I ended up borrowing it from a friend. Is it wrong that because of the cover and the print, I don't really want to read it?
5. Wally Lamb - The Hour I First Believed I've never read a Wally Lamb novel before. Time I started to?
6. John le Carre - A Most Wanted Man I really enjoyed A Murder Of Quality, which I read last month. Also, The Constant Gardener was great. So, when Waterstones was selling this for £3.49, how could I walk away?
7. Angela Carter - The Magic Toyshop I loved the cover, and I loved the name of the book. How often do you see a book with that kind of a title in the 'adult' section of a bookstore?
8. Jeffrey Eugenides - The Virgin Suicides I'm actually reading this right now. Loads of people rave about Middlesex, so, I thought I'd introduce myself to his writing with the debut novel.
9. Orhan Pamuk - My Name Is Red This has been lying on my book shelf since early March. I quite liked The White Castle, so it made sense to get this book. I really don't know why I haven't started reading it yet.
10. Catherine O'Flynn - What Was Lost I started reading this, and forgot it at a friend's place. By the time I met him next, I was already well into another book, and it just kind-of slipped lower in the list.

How about you? Is your stack within the 10 book mark, or, is it way beyond? Or, are you more pragmatic, and have only books you can finish?

Also, have you read any of the books above? Any you recommend I bump up the list?

Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale {Weekly Geeks Q&A}

I'm still playing catch-up on 13th June's Weekly Geeks. I know, I know, it's been about a month, and that's ample time to catch up! However, after this, I'll just have two more to do: Disgrace, and His Dark Materials. Am planning to re-read the latter this month, so might end up doing that one after!

Anyway, on with it...

From gautami tripathy:

The Handmaid’s Tale is one of the best books I have read. What did you think of it? Do you think it is possible? Can you see a future like that? Did it scare you?

I thought it was fantastic. It's well-written, a page-turner, and depicts a heavily dystopian futuristic society, which scared the living daylights out of me!

However, when you ask if I find it possible or not, I have to say, I don't. Maybe, it's only me, but I find the dystopias presented in 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451 much more realistic than this. I know people have found this book scarily possible, but, in my opinion, the human race has progressed way too much, to let women be reduced to nothing but maids and handmaids ("Handmaids" are women who have only one purpose: conceive a child for the family that looks after her). With each generation, women are becoming more powerful, and more career-oriented, at the expense of not having families, and settling down. The world is becoming smaller, and the cries of democracy are louder than ever. I just can't see the government of the United States being overthrown, and replaced by this totalitarian nightmare. That said, I can see this happening in some extremist countries, where women are not allowed to drive, vote, or leave their house without a man.

I am not American, but, with today being 4th of July, one has to ask the question: can the 'leaders of the free world' ever be the polar opposite?

The book scares me. I think Offred, the protagonist, said something along the lines of many handmaids tend to commit suicide, instead of living life as they do - under constant pressure and no guarantees. To be honest, if I was ever unlucky to exist in a society like that, I'd probably just kill myself. Luckily, I don't think something this horrible will happen in my lifetime. For that, I'm grateful.

From Maree:

I loved The Handmaid’s Tale – did you find it scarily possible?

I didn't. I just can't see a society like that coming into existence. Maybe I'm in denial. Maybe I'm an optimist. But... I just don't see it!

From Kristen:

I have a slight fear of reading Margaret Atwood again – she’s so revered in Canada that it’s intimidating. Talk me into why I should read the Handmaid’s Tale :o)

Jeez, I'm not very convincing. :( I'll try though...

Atwood is probably revered in Canada for a reason: she's that good! That should be reason enough to read the book. What makes this book really special, is, realizing how lucky we are, as things stand. Feminism is rampant right now, and women are allowed to make their own decisions, with respect to what to wear, and when to settle down and have kids. Their choice isn't restricted to being a 'martha' (a maid), or a handmaid. Can you imagine having to flip a coin between those two options, and nothing else?

It's well-written, it's a page-turner, and Atwood's made the story as real as possible: from Offred being your regular American woman, to feeling semi-conscious seeing Japanese tourists in shorts (revealing their legs). Can people be conditioned that easily? Or, in a society where there are no choices, people just accept things the way they are to make their life that much easier? It raises some provocative questions, which you probably don't want to think about, and which will haunt you for a long long time.

Did I do a good job of talking you into it?

From Rebecca:

The Handmaid’s Tale haunted me for weeks after I read it. I loved it and don’t think I’ll ever forget it, but I know that not everyone feels that way. What was your reaction to it? Did you find it believable and frightening or too futuristic and extreme? How would you describe it in 1 or 2 sentences to someone who’s never heard of it before?

As already mentioned above, it scared me. A lot. More than I want to admit. I can't imagine ever living in a society like that, and frankly speaking, death might be more viable. But... I also thought it was out and out fiction, and too extremist to be 'real'.

Two sentence summary:

The United States has been replaced by the Republic of Gilead, a futuristic society, where women are reduced to being 'reproductive' machines for unknown men, and then give up the child to the wife of these men. Everyone knows what their purpose is... and ironically enough, most other women envy the 'handmaids' for the alternative is being a maid, and not being treated with dignity or respect.

From Jodie:

Why do you think so many dystopian novels set in the future find women subjugated once again? What did you think of the rich women’s complicity in the other women’s fate in The Handmaid’s Tale?

I don't know. Will we do the full 360, and go back to the beginning, where women are subjugated for their role in the 'Original Sin' again? Is there another episode that will replace the 'Original Sin'? Or, will some radical extremist group take over the world, and ensure that some of their customs regarding women will take precedence over what the Western world knows today.

Well, that's a tough one. I think it depends on the rich woman - they are dependent on the handmaid for one thing, and one thing only. While some of the rich women are likely to be grateful to their handmaid for providing them with a child - something they can now 'buy', they are not obliged to be so. Simultaneously, some women will hold the handmaids in contempt, for it cannot be easy for them to see their husband indulging in sexual activities with another woman, out of 'protocol'. Probably this coupled with their own sense of incompletion leads to the untoward fate of handmaids. Of course, if and when the handmaids are having an actual relationship with the husband, without the wife's knowledge, and she finds out, the fate is much worse....

Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper

It's a parent's worst nightmare: their two year old daughter being diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, and no one in the family being a bone-marrow match. They can go on the 'list', for an unknown donor, but, the odds of finding the perfect match are scarce. So, they have another baby. Nope, not to 'replace' their ill daughter, but to save her. The new baby, a 'designer' baby, has been created to be a perfect match for her sister...

And now, at the age of thirteen, Anna wants out, and she's suing her parents for medical emancipation. Kate, her sister is sixteen, and while she had been in remission, the cancer came back. Her entire life, Anna has been saving Kate's life - blood transfusions, bone marrow transplants, etc. And now, Kate's kidneys are giving up, and Anna is expected to be the donor.

However, Anna has a different idea, and finds a lawyer, and takes her family to court over the rights to her own body. While one can't blame her for this decision - every activity of her life is dependent on her sister; be it camp, or be it a friend's birthday party - one does wonder what finally triggers this decision. Is she ready for a life independent of her sister? Or, has she finally been pushed too far? Is it because she's always been invisible to her parents, but for Kate? Or, is it because she was created for a 'purpose', and never really had the 'childhood' most kids do? Or, is it something completely different?

This unbearably sad, emotional and heart-breaking story follows Anna's battle against her parents, and the family's battle to stick together, while everything seems to be coming apart at the seems. There's Jesse, the brother who is a juvenile delinquent; there's Brian, the father, an amateur astronomer and a full time fireman, and there's Sara, the mother, the ex-lawyer, the obsessive protector of Kate.

The book explores the points of view of every member of the family, with each chapter being narrated by one member. Campbell, Anna's lawyer, and Julia, Anna's guardian ad litem have their fair share of narrations as well, and this brings the whole book together incredibly. We aren't restricted to the views of just one actor, and as readers, we are allowed to sympathize and empathize with all of them. Your heart goes out to thirteen year old Anna, who's confused, and while one would assume selfish, can you really blame her? You can almost feel Sara's anger towards Anna on hearing her decision, as she's motivated by keeping Kate alive. And then there's Brian - the sensible objective parent, who's more rational and sticks by Anna. Of course there's Jesse, and you can't help but feel sorry for him.... he couldn't be the perfect match for his sister! The characters grow and evolve through this book, and you can see how each decision and action tears them apart, while simultaneously, bringing them together.

The book delivers this punch at the end, which you just don't see coming, and that's what hits the hardest. Life has this weird way of balancing out, and sometimes, it's not a fair or fine balance.

It's a contemporary book, exploring arguments and controversies that persist in the medical world today: from 'designer babies' to 'stem cell research'. It's fascinating, as you wonder, do parents really always know what's best for their children? Is Sara acting on what's best for Anna, or what's best for Kate? And it boggles your mind, to see a thirteen year old girl being adult enough to stand up for something she wants, despite ambivalence being rampant in her heart and mind. No one can doubt, for even an instant, that the two sisters don't love each other a lot.

Rating: 5

Booking Through Thursday - Celebrity Memoirs

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks:

Do you read celebrity memoirs? Which ones have you read or do you want to read? Which nonexistent celebrity memoirs would you like to see?

I haven't read very many, to be honest. Most of the times, it feels like a money-making gimmick. Take some of the footballers in their early twenties, for example. They've barely peaked, but they all have a memoir. On the other hand, if the likes of Zidane or Cantona had a proper memoir, I'd be rushing out to get it. (I'm a bit of a sports buff!)

The one book that I did really enjoy was Lance Armstrong's It's Not About The Bike. I thought it was well-written, and interesting... and he did have something to write about! Battling cancer, and then going on to win Tour de France. That's quite commendable, don't you think?

Not sure if these count as 'memoirs' (dictionary definition-wise), but Irving Stone wrote Lust for Life (about van Gogh) and The Agony and The Ecstasy (about Michelangelo). I think it was those two books that got me into art, and both remain my favorite artists. I forced my parents to take me to Rome as a graduation present, just to see the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and I dragged a couple of my friends to New York last year, predominantly to go to the Met and MoMA. Again, were they celebrities, or, do we glorify them now, for they weren't appreciated in their time? Well, van Gogh wasn't.

I would really like to read Syd Barrett's memoir, but there are so many versions out there, that I'm scared I'll end up picking one up which doesn't justify the genius he was at any level. I've got an image of him in my head, where he's some kind of music god, and I don't want that to get ruined.

Oh, and as a special treat, this is my favorite painting by van Gogh. Isn't it amazing? Don McLean even wrote 'Starry Starry Nights' as an ode to the genius.

John le Carré - A Murder Of Quality

Background:

This book was also picked up as part of the Take A Chance Challenge - Judge A Book By Its Cover. The copy of the book has a cover identical to the one on the left, and I fell in love with it! I've only read one le Carré before: The Constant Gardener. That was about four years ago, and while I liked the book, for some reason I can't pinpoint, I've never picked up another one... until now!

So, what's so special about the cover? Well, for starters, it's simple. It's not glossy, like most covers out there. Instead, it's got a matte finish, with the title of the book being glossy. I love the way the title is sprawled, the font and the color. Finally, there's the picture: it shows a hut in the middle of nowhere.

Taking all of the above into account, you know it's got to be a good mystery. The author is well-known, the cover is simple (which would normally signify the plot being simple and not overtly convoluted, which tarnishes most mystery books), and it's got the 'surprise' factor: "where is this happening? Is it realistic?" And most importantly, is it a proper 'whodunnit', with ample clues scattered around, to that the inner detective can piece them together?

It's always amazing, when you pick up a book randomly, and it turns out to be fantastic, meeting your expectations almost all the way.

Review:

An unpopular teacher's wife is killed in a prestigious boarding school, Carne. A school where 'perception dies with puberty,' and one of its oldest teachers claims never to have taught a student. Instead, the rare scholar that does go through has ignored the 'cult of mediocrity' which the school has propagated through the generations.

A murder in a school is always going to be talked about - by the students, the staff, and the media. However, what makes this murder slightly more bizarre is the fact that the victim wrote to Christian Voice, claiming that her husband was going to kill her. By the time Miss Aisla, the editor, received the letter, and got in touch with an old friend, George Smiley, to help her investigate the veracity of it, Stella Rode was dead. So, you have the obvious suspect: the husband! But, what if he has an airtight alibi?

As Smiley sets out to determine who the culprit is, the reader is given an insight into how respectable people really aren't as straightforward as you'd expect them to be. Conversely, they tend to be petty and small-minded, attracting attention to themselves, as possible suspects, for... if it comes down to that, everyone has a motive.

The book is not complicated; it doesn't twist and turn, looking for the 'shock' ending. However, what le Carré masterfully does is, weave a story, which keeps the user engrossed and guessing. Honestly, I didn't figure out who the perpetrator was, but, when it was disclosed, almost casually, I wasn't surprised. The other thing is, the book was kept short and simple, at 180 pages, and that's what a good mystery novel should do!

Rating: 4

Musing Mondays - Half Way In

This week's Musing Mondays muses on mid year reading.

Now that we’ve come to the middle of the year, what do you think of your 2009 reading so far? Read anything interesting that you’d like to share? Any outstanding favourites?

I've completed forty-two books so far. That's about eight short of my half-year target, which means I'll need to read eight more books in the second half of the year. However, I do have a couple of holidays planned, which means long flights, which means books to read like there's no tomorrow. :)

I've enjoyed almost all the books I've read this year, with three notable exceptions:

1. Anne Enright - The Gathering
2. Kate Summerscale - The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher
3. Kurt Vonnegut - Breakfast of Champions

If I had to recommend only three books (this is tough), they would be:

1. F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
2. Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange
3. Haruki Murakami - Norwegian Wood

My proudest achievement so far has been finishing and enjoying Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. I had tried reading it some years back, and wasn't able to finish it. Didn't think I'd make it this time, but... (Well done, me!)

I do have the following reviews outstanding (naughty me!):

1. Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper
2. John le Carre - A Murder Of Quality
3. Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale

So, that's my half-year in a nutshell. How about yours? Happy with your progress? Not so much? Plans for the rest of the year?