I`ve fallen off 'The 100 List' wagon this fall and winter. School reading has me very busy and when I have time to read for pleasure I have gone back to reading books that I`ve read a number of times before, for the comfort, or are simple brain candy.
This fall I read "The Remains of the Day", by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's a wonderful book. The voice of the Butler, Mr. Steven's, is perfect. I can't think of the words to describe how interesting he is. How creative the writing style is. It just is. I've never read a book in quite the same style and I enjoyed it immensely.
The book is Mr. Steven's reflection on his career as a butler in Pre-World War 2 England. All events are through his eyes and clouded by his perception of things, which at times, to use some British slang is quiet Daft. In some cases his miss-steps are through result of his belief that he has no other choice, he is after all 'a gentleman's gentleman' and there is a very strict etiquette required for this job. At other times, he is just a plain idiot with some things and all I want to do is shake some sense into him.
After reading “The Remains of the Day”, I picked up another novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, "When we were Orphans". It was disappointing, because while the voice and actions of Mr. Steven's in “The Remains of the Day” were completely entrancing, yet the character of Christopher Banks, in “When we were Orphan’s” was very unrealistic. His behaviour in some of the scenes was completely implausible and I found it impossible to willingly suspend my disbelief while reading this book. It was unfortunate and I hope that when I read another one of his novels, which I want to do, I will find them to be of the same calibre as “The Remains of the Day”.
Along with “The Remains of the Day” I also re-read, "The Red Tent", by , Anita Diamant which if you haven’t read yet, please stop reading this and go read it right now. It’s okay. I’ll wait for you to finish it...
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See what I mean? AMAZING! I love this book. LOVE IT. And that’s all I really need to say, otherwise I’ve devolve into incoherent gushing.
Next up:
"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies": I’m a huge Jane Austin Fan. HUGE. I love her book, except “Emma”, because wow! Emma is so very annoying. This speaks to the wonderful writing of Jane Austin for being able to create a character so frustratingly annoying I had to stop reading one of her books.
I’ve also read some biographies of Jane Austin and I’m convinced that she would have laughed until she peed, if she had the chance to read the Zombie version of her book.
This is a wonder book that takes her words and seamlessly blends in a Zombie Apocalypse. Having read “Pride and Prejudice” a number of times I know what parts are hers and what’s been added in by Seth Grahame Smith, yet the add-ins occur so effortlessly that they aren’t noticeable until after the zombie battles are almost over. (I'm looking forward to reading his "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter")
I highly recommend reading the funny and very entertaining book, AFTER reading the original. I think that it’s important to have experienced Jane’s work before reading this; it makes it a lot more engaging.
Let me think, what else I read this fall... Oh, "The Roar", by Emma Clayton. This is a post-apocalyptic young adult novel which was absolutely fascinating. What I liked best about this book was that at the very beginning there’s some foreshadowing to ‘the secret’ and about half way through I thought I had it figured out. As a got closer to the end of the book I felt pretty darn proud of myself for having figured it out and then I turned the page...
I love books that totally blow you out of the water with their endings.
There is a sequel, “The Whisper” and I’m just itching to get my hands on it. (fall 2011)
After “The Roar”, I read “The Mermaid’s Chair”, by Sue Monk Kidd, of “The Secret Life of Bee’s” fame. (also a very good book) Though a very different genre from “The Roar”, what the two books had in common was the unexpected ending. I like that in books.
And now I am reading, “World War Z”, by Max Brooks, which is a great book. It’s very well written and creepily believable. So much so I find myself planning how I would deal with a zombie invasion. I feel like a bit of bandwagon jumper, reading all these zombie books and getting into this whole zombie culture thing that exists. It’s not that I mocked this all in the past, just avoided it out of discomfort and fear.
I’m not sure when or how that changed, but I find it fascinating that there is a growing ‘zombie culture’ in the world today. I’m not ignorant of the whole mirroring of consumer society that zombies embody (heehee) and I can see how it is a reaction to the feelings of pressure to constantly consume. And sure I could write a long treatise on how we are all zombies in western consumer society. But I don’t really feel like it and I think I’ll stick to a more base level with all these zombie books – they’re just fun to read!
I am considering which book on ‘The 100 List’ I will read next, but as I head in to spring I will likely not have time to read for pleasure at all. School reading will have to take over once again until May, at which time I will return to 'The 100 List', or "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters"... it’s a hard call.
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