Margot's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 23 Feb 2025 17:44:24 -0800 60 Margot's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Behind the Painting: And Other Stories]]> 1327071 Behind the Painting, with three short stories highlighting the plight of the underclass: "Those Kind of People," "Lend Us a Hand," and "The Awakening."

Behind the Painting is the story of a Thai student studying in Japan who becomes infatuated with an older Thai woman. The novel reflects postwar Thai society in the vanity of the aristocracy and the pragmatism of the new elite; in the social more of concealing one's true feelings; and in the restricted existence of unmarried women and the resulting pressure to marry, whatever the circumstance. Paralleling these Thai cultural themes are the universal themes of the fear of aging and the vagaries of love.

Siburapha (Kulap Saipradit, 1905-1974) has enjoyed a checkered reputation in the Thai literary world. A popular and accomplished writer of romantic novels in the late 1920s, his later work tackled themes of social injustice and inequality. Imprisoned from 1952 to 1957, Siburapha subsequently sought asylum in China, where he remained for the rest of his life.]]> 160 Siburapha 9747551144 Margot 0 to-read 3.61 1936 Behind the Painting: And Other Stories
author: Siburapha
name: Margot
average rating: 3.61
book published: 1936
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Brass Age 101261128 'Like Olga Tokarczuk, Å najder has written a novel about a Europe that has lost its diversity and has been
destroyed by fascism, communism and, in recent times, nationalism ... a modern epic' Le Monde

'A masterpiece' La Repubblica

The very next day processions of young men, some still children, began to move around the little town of Nuštar, with drums providing a steady rhythm ... These young men came from German families, Germans living outside the Reich, Volksdeutsche. Some stayed in their houses, some were shut up in the storeroom by their mothers, but as time went on more and more of them followed the drumming ...

1769. A hungry year in Germany. Kempf the ancestor departs his homeland with his compatriots in search of a brighter future. Years pass and generations of Germans make Slavonia their home. But in 1940, when Europe is at war once more, this minority, the Volksdeutsch, are called to fight for the Reich, for a land now foreign to them.

Among their ranks is Georg Kempf, the narrator's father. Forcibly conscripted into the Waffen SS, he deserts, aware of the danger that this involves. At the end of the war, he falls in love with a committed partisan called Vera despite the if they had met earlier, each one would have had to kill the other.

The Brass Age, Slobodan Å najder's masterpiece, is both a family saga and a powerful historical novel about the destiny of those shackled by history, and the generations doomed to inherit the contradictory fates of their forebears. Å najder looks to his own biography to capture two hundred years of conflict and dividing ideology. In the process, he reconstructs a world that fell apart.]]> 599 Slobodan Å najder 1914495233 Margot 5

It's such a big book in every way: scope, structure, story. The Age of Brass by Slobodan Å najder is a powerful and intricately layered novel that intertwines personal and historical narratives to explore the legacy of war, complex identity, belonging, and memory.


The story spans over 200 years. In 1769 , as a year of famine strikes Germany, Kempf the ancestor, leaves his homeland along with others like him , seeking a better life, a land of prosperity promised by Maria Theresa. Over the years, generations of Germans settle in Slavonia, making it their new home. But as Europe plunges into war by 1940, this minority group, the Volksdeutsche, are summoned to fight for the Reich—a country that has become alien to them. Among them is Georg Kempf, the father of the narrator. Drafted into the Waffen SS against his will as a forced volunteer, Georg deserts after a while, fully aware of the grave risk. At the war's end, he falls in love with Vera, a dedicated partisan but the thing is : had they met earlier, they would have been compelled to kill each other. They are enemies. Can they beat that even at war's end?

It's a really complex, intricate with shifting perspectives, an unusual narrator that's outside the flow of time and covers a really vast region and intersections of various interests, personal conflicts and identities on top of timely questions about how wars are waged and where it leaves innocents. How historical shifts sweep individuals along.

The novel’s structure is non-linear, fragmented and told through shifting perspectives, reflecting the fragmented and often contradictory nature of memory. One of the most unique and intriguing aspects of *The Age of Brass* is its narrator: the protagonist’s unborn son. This choice of narrator adds a layer of distance and reflection to the story, as the unborn child observes and recounts the events leading up to his own conception and birth. The narrator’s position outside the flow of time allows for a broader, more philosophical perspective on the events that unfold, imbuing the narrative with a sense of inevitability, albeit he does sometimes question it and points to alternate ways things might have gone. This narrative voice deepens the exploration of legacy and identity, as the unborn son contemplates unfolding events. The story continues mostly in his voice afterwards,but still shifts to his parents for the briefest time left.

The novel is rich with themes of guilt, complicity, and the burden of history. Å najder skillfully portrays the psychological and emotional toll that the war has taken on his characters, particularly the father. The characters are complex and deeply human,, he presents a nuanced portrait of individuals caught in the tides of history, forced to navigate the treacherous waters of complicity and survival. And hus take really is very broad, taking in the political situation of the entire region, including Poland with all the emotional turmoil.

The Brass Age is an affecting and intellectually stimulating novel that confronts the moral ambiguities of history.]]> 4.50 2016 The Brass Age
author: Slobodan Å najder
name: Margot
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/11
date added: 2024/08/11
shelves: 2024, best-1st-person, favourites, jewish, journey, long-novels, meandering, memory, multiple-perspectives, parents-and-children, war
review:
" In Nürnberg, the S.S. was proclaimed an army of criminals. It may sound paradoxical, but Kempf may have kept that seal of belonging just because in his case there could be no question of real belonging."


It's such a big book in every way: scope, structure, story. The Age of Brass by Slobodan Å najder is a powerful and intricately layered novel that intertwines personal and historical narratives to explore the legacy of war, complex identity, belonging, and memory.


The story spans over 200 years. In 1769 , as a year of famine strikes Germany, Kempf the ancestor, leaves his homeland along with others like him , seeking a better life, a land of prosperity promised by Maria Theresa. Over the years, generations of Germans settle in Slavonia, making it their new home. But as Europe plunges into war by 1940, this minority group, the Volksdeutsche, are summoned to fight for the Reich—a country that has become alien to them. Among them is Georg Kempf, the father of the narrator. Drafted into the Waffen SS against his will as a forced volunteer, Georg deserts after a while, fully aware of the grave risk. At the war's end, he falls in love with Vera, a dedicated partisan but the thing is : had they met earlier, they would have been compelled to kill each other. They are enemies. Can they beat that even at war's end?

It's a really complex, intricate with shifting perspectives, an unusual narrator that's outside the flow of time and covers a really vast region and intersections of various interests, personal conflicts and identities on top of timely questions about how wars are waged and where it leaves innocents. How historical shifts sweep individuals along.

The novel’s structure is non-linear, fragmented and told through shifting perspectives, reflecting the fragmented and often contradictory nature of memory. One of the most unique and intriguing aspects of *The Age of Brass* is its narrator: the protagonist’s unborn son. This choice of narrator adds a layer of distance and reflection to the story, as the unborn child observes and recounts the events leading up to his own conception and birth. The narrator’s position outside the flow of time allows for a broader, more philosophical perspective on the events that unfold, imbuing the narrative with a sense of inevitability, albeit he does sometimes question it and points to alternate ways things might have gone. This narrative voice deepens the exploration of legacy and identity, as the unborn son contemplates unfolding events. The story continues mostly in his voice afterwards,but still shifts to his parents for the briefest time left.

The novel is rich with themes of guilt, complicity, and the burden of history. Å najder skillfully portrays the psychological and emotional toll that the war has taken on his characters, particularly the father. The characters are complex and deeply human,, he presents a nuanced portrait of individuals caught in the tides of history, forced to navigate the treacherous waters of complicity and survival. And hus take really is very broad, taking in the political situation of the entire region, including Poland with all the emotional turmoil.

The Brass Age is an affecting and intellectually stimulating novel that confronts the moral ambiguities of history.
]]> You Like It Darker 201242757 From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,� writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,� and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids� explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,� a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,� a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,� a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man� asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.]]> 512 Stephen King 1668037718 Margot 0 to-read 4.16 2024 You Like It Darker
author: Stephen King
name: Margot
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Babel 57945316 From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 Margot 5
I'll be sure to add this book to my shelves.]]> 4.17 2022 Babel
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Margot
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/06
date added: 2024/08/10
shelves: 2024, favourites, long-novels, parents-and-children, war
review:
I love the concept. It's all at once a story about language in a reworking of the Babel story, and how language shapes relations, including those of power. She shows, rather than tells, the abuses of imperialism. And she's not preachy. And the devil is in the little details. Here she draws on the father-son storyline, in another on the trope of a jilted lover. On top of extensive knowledge and engaging research. Engaging characters too. All the while the book reads like a bit of a steampunk adventure with all the silver working, secret societies, plot twists, drama. It's an engaging read that covers a lot of topics, but with a clear focus, the Babel Tower being a focal point of power. Can there be one language/ unity or is it destined to failure because of power relations where sides usurp higher ground on some vague ideas of superiority ? It's not so much divine intervention but humans that ruin the idea of Babel. The book also explores corrupt, dark academia and that aspect was riveting.

I'll be sure to add this book to my shelves.
]]> The Time of the Hero 119945 379 Mario Vargas Llosa 0571173209 Margot 0 to-read 3.95 1962 The Time of the Hero
author: Mario Vargas Llosa
name: Margot
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1962
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Murambi, The Book of Bones 468273 228 Boubacar Boris Diop 0253218527 Margot 5
I don't pretend to understand the complexities of African politics or specifics of its history and I was very young when all of this happened but, as I observe current events, it saddens me how history repeats itself all the time, everywhere. As always there are quiet heroes who go against the grain - a Hutu nun who refuses to quit helping, for instance. Some break, others become martyrs. And these wounds cut so deep. There are disturbing images and passages, every page leaves you boiling. But the book also shows Rwandan people as struggling, continuing and alive beyond that.


"I didn't realize that if the victims shouted loud enough, it was so I would hear them, myself and thousands of other people on earth, and so we would try to do everything we could so that their suffering might end. It always happened so far away, in countries on the other side of the world. But in these early days of April in 1994, the country on the other side of the world is mine."




When your husband murders you because you're of different blood, what else is there to say? When thousands kill and rape because they feel they can get away with it- and do- what more is there to say about humanity? So many scarred lives. All in the name of what? And then there was Joseph Karekazi. There are those, as always who try to go against the grain. Some break, others try to help until the bitter end but is that enough to make people forgive ?

And like the writer of Prophet Song writes - the world but of what has been done and what will be done and what is being done to some but not others, that the world is always ending over and over again in one place but not another and that the end of the world is always a local event, it comes to your country and visits your town and knocks on the door of your house and becomes to others but some distant warning, a brief report on the news, an echo of events that has passed into folklore.]]> 4.07 2004 Murambi, The Book of Bones
author: Boubacar Boris Diop
name: Margot
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/18
date added: 2024/02/17
shelves: 2023, memory, parents-and-children, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, war
review:
Rwandan genocide of 1994, an event in which between 800,000 to 1.200.000 individuals were killed, most with weapons wielded by their neighbours, captured in two moments- before the impending doom and the aftermath. It's shown through a chorus of voices - of both the aggressors and the victims and leaves one feeling fear and anger. And profound sadness at how some obscure idea of ethnicity can suddenly turn even your loved ones against you. At the core of the story is Cornelius, a history teacher and novelist, who returns to Rwanda after years of exile and has to come to terms with some truths that leave him both a perpetrator and product of the genocide.

I don't pretend to understand the complexities of African politics or specifics of its history and I was very young when all of this happened but, as I observe current events, it saddens me how history repeats itself all the time, everywhere. As always there are quiet heroes who go against the grain - a Hutu nun who refuses to quit helping, for instance. Some break, others become martyrs. And these wounds cut so deep. There are disturbing images and passages, every page leaves you boiling. But the book also shows Rwandan people as struggling, continuing and alive beyond that.


"I didn't realize that if the victims shouted loud enough, it was so I would hear them, myself and thousands of other people on earth, and so we would try to do everything we could so that their suffering might end. It always happened so far away, in countries on the other side of the world. But in these early days of April in 1994, the country on the other side of the world is mine."




When your husband murders you because you're of different blood, what else is there to say? When thousands kill and rape because they feel they can get away with it- and do- what more is there to say about humanity? So many scarred lives. All in the name of what? And then there was Joseph Karekazi. There are those, as always who try to go against the grain. Some break, others try to help until the bitter end but is that enough to make people forgive ?

And like the writer of Prophet Song writes - the world but of what has been done and what will be done and what is being done to some but not others, that the world is always ending over and over again in one place but not another and that the end of the world is always a local event, it comes to your country and visits your town and knocks on the door of your house and becomes to others but some distant warning, a brief report on the news, an echo of events that has passed into folklore.
]]> <![CDATA[The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue]]> 50623864
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.]]> 448 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387565 Margot 1 blacklisted
Pulp fiction, nothing more. Very shallow, monotonous, brings no historical depth, nothing interesting but self-serving filler material.]]> 4.16 2020 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Margot
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2024/02/17
shelves: blacklisted
review:
Books like this , to me, feed VERY false ideas about what it means to be strong and Independent. Addie is terribly self-absorbed and sex hungry, nothing more. Her pact with the demon is lame, the book, instead of being interesting, offers casual sex filler material. The other characters also just focus on that and don't get me started on the idiot supposed love interest who is bi. Ridiculous mess of a book.

Pulp fiction, nothing more. Very shallow, monotonous, brings no historical depth, nothing interesting but self-serving filler material.
]]> Klara and the Sun 54120408
In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?]]> 340 Kazuo Ishiguro 059331817X Margot 5
I loved the poetry of it. I loved the ideas and the thought behind it. What is love? And more importantly, can love be replaced?

There was something very special, but it wasn't inside Josie. It was inside those who loved her


This has been a very quick read. I love the concept and how poetically and subtly Ishiguro executes it. An Al is bought as a companion for a girl, Josie- then things become difficult and strained as her family and friends face difficulties. When times are dire, all sorts of solutions and applications for Al are considered. But should an Al be more than it is? Can it be more than it is? On the other hand, can it be treated like just a threatening robot? Ishiguro considers a variety of stances throughout the story. I also love the structure of a journey and even a quest. We start with Klara's life at get store and follow the process of being chosen and her life with her family and her own determination to take up a quest that she believes will help.
Klara believes in the power of the sun, by doing so she believes, she has faith. She acts with compassion and childlike, wonder-filled intention when she asks the Sun for help at one point, embarking on her quest. I loved that part of the story. The belief that things could get better.

While she examines and ponders, humans around her change, fight, and struggle. Aside from the relation with the Al, there's a coming of age love story going on that motivates some of Klara's thoughts and actions.

What I appreciate is that Ishiguro adds some details between the lines. He keeps me engaged, makes me think about the other things between the lines, the technology etc. The things outside the central story, around the central story, the broader context are painted with suggestive strokes. He avoids sensationalism or cheapness in my eyes, and focuses on the essence, on the contemplations of change, of love, of the relationship to Als. His characters are sympathetic, too Aside from Klara, I really liked Rick. But I didn't like his mother.

Is the theme common to sci-fi books? Sure and there's absolutely nothing wrong with another take on the topic. The theme is relevant and Ishiguro executes it with a delightful warmth and delicacy to discuss love. I loved this book. It's reflective.

There are a few f bombs but all in all it's a delightful, contemplative read all throughout! I read it in one sitting. Overall, it has left me with a good, peaceful feeling on finishing. It's lovely, poetic, subtle, engaging. I like the central question and Klara has a lot of heart in her belief. I felt like I soaked up the sun after reading it.


I might return to this one sometime, just to feel the feelings again and to ponder.]]> 3.71 2021 Klara and the Sun
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Margot
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/04/03
date added: 2024/02/11
shelves: 2021, best-protagonist, doll, houses, interesting-concepts, journey, novels-under-300-pages, parents-and-children, feel-good-smile, favourites
review:
A delightful, poetic journey full of sun and delicate stoical warmth.

I loved the poetry of it. I loved the ideas and the thought behind it. What is love? And more importantly, can love be replaced?

There was something very special, but it wasn't inside Josie. It was inside those who loved her


This has been a very quick read. I love the concept and how poetically and subtly Ishiguro executes it. An Al is bought as a companion for a girl, Josie- then things become difficult and strained as her family and friends face difficulties. When times are dire, all sorts of solutions and applications for Al are considered. But should an Al be more than it is? Can it be more than it is? On the other hand, can it be treated like just a threatening robot? Ishiguro considers a variety of stances throughout the story. I also love the structure of a journey and even a quest. We start with Klara's life at get store and follow the process of being chosen and her life with her family and her own determination to take up a quest that she believes will help.
Klara believes in the power of the sun, by doing so she believes, she has faith. She acts with compassion and childlike, wonder-filled intention when she asks the Sun for help at one point, embarking on her quest. I loved that part of the story. The belief that things could get better.

While she examines and ponders, humans around her change, fight, and struggle. Aside from the relation with the Al, there's a coming of age love story going on that motivates some of Klara's thoughts and actions.

What I appreciate is that Ishiguro adds some details between the lines. He keeps me engaged, makes me think about the other things between the lines, the technology etc. The things outside the central story, around the central story, the broader context are painted with suggestive strokes. He avoids sensationalism or cheapness in my eyes, and focuses on the essence, on the contemplations of change, of love, of the relationship to Als. His characters are sympathetic, too Aside from Klara, I really liked Rick. But I didn't like his mother.

Is the theme common to sci-fi books? Sure and there's absolutely nothing wrong with another take on the topic. The theme is relevant and Ishiguro executes it with a delightful warmth and delicacy to discuss love. I loved this book. It's reflective.

There are a few f bombs but all in all it's a delightful, contemplative read all throughout! I read it in one sitting. Overall, it has left me with a good, peaceful feeling on finishing. It's lovely, poetic, subtle, engaging. I like the central question and Klara has a lot of heart in her belief. I felt like I soaked up the sun after reading it.


I might return to this one sometime, just to feel the feelings again and to ponder.
]]> <![CDATA[We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves]]> 16176440
Meet the Cooke family: Mother and Dad, Lowell, Rosemary and her unusual sister Fern. Rosemary begins her story in the middle. She has her reasons. “Until Fern’s expulsion...,� Rosemary says, “she was my twin, my funhouse mirror, my whirlwind other half and I loved her.� As a child, Rosemary never stopped talking. Then, something happened, and Rosemary wrapped herself in silence.

In We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler weaves her most accomplished work to date—a tale of loving but fallible people whose well-intentioned actions lead to heartbreaking consequences.]]> 310 Karen Joy Fowler 0399162097 Margot 5
1. The importance of empathy. How we treat animals and the ethical implications of animal experimentation.
2. Family dynamics and how they change and shape us.
3. Keeping secrets damages bonds
4. Nature vs nurture: growing with animals and the impact of the environment.
5.The power of language- the protagonist struggles to find her voice.




An interesting and well-intentioned book about how we treat animals and live with them, but also about how we develop, imitating behaviours and how it affects us. Lots of well- informed research has gone into this and the author presents many arguments that are thought-provoking. It's also about what it means to be human and who is more human and how humane we are to animals.

Tw: references and descriptions of cruelty to animals.

There is a family: a father, mother, son and two daughters. A happy family, except one of them is a chimpanzee, meant to twin grow along with the protagonist as part of an experiment. But then the chimpanzee Fern grows strong and scares her human sister, driving a rift in the family. Who are we? What does it mean to be human? What is family? What is animal?

The structure of the story is interesting as it starts in medias res. It's a common classical trope that I personally find very engaging and in this case, it really built the interest over time and was an effective way to spring into the story while withholding some secrets.

The strongest point is the research and how the story builds off it. The main character and her behaviours, how she experienced living with an animal. What was it like for her growing up.. There's lots of room to discuss and consider the ethics of experimenting on animals and humans like this. And what happens when you grow attached but then suddenly you are forced to make a hard choice? What happens to the animal when you make that choice? Sometimes that choice is hard, but there are plenty of cases where, say, dogs and cats are discarded like unwanted thrash. The novel asks us to consider that. It's not preachy.]]> 3.70 2013 We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
author: Karen Joy Fowler
name: Margot
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/18
date added: 2024/02/11
shelves: 2024, animals, interesting-concepts, meandering, parents-and-children
review:
In the phrase ' human being,' the word 'being' is much more important than the word 'human.'

1. The importance of empathy. How we treat animals and the ethical implications of animal experimentation.
2. Family dynamics and how they change and shape us.
3. Keeping secrets damages bonds
4. Nature vs nurture: growing with animals and the impact of the environment.
5.The power of language- the protagonist struggles to find her voice.




An interesting and well-intentioned book about how we treat animals and live with them, but also about how we develop, imitating behaviours and how it affects us. Lots of well- informed research has gone into this and the author presents many arguments that are thought-provoking. It's also about what it means to be human and who is more human and how humane we are to animals.

Tw: references and descriptions of cruelty to animals.

There is a family: a father, mother, son and two daughters. A happy family, except one of them is a chimpanzee, meant to twin grow along with the protagonist as part of an experiment. But then the chimpanzee Fern grows strong and scares her human sister, driving a rift in the family. Who are we? What does it mean to be human? What is family? What is animal?

The structure of the story is interesting as it starts in medias res. It's a common classical trope that I personally find very engaging and in this case, it really built the interest over time and was an effective way to spring into the story while withholding some secrets.

The strongest point is the research and how the story builds off it. The main character and her behaviours, how she experienced living with an animal. What was it like for her growing up.. There's lots of room to discuss and consider the ethics of experimenting on animals and humans like this. And what happens when you grow attached but then suddenly you are forced to make a hard choice? What happens to the animal when you make that choice? Sometimes that choice is hard, but there are plenty of cases where, say, dogs and cats are discarded like unwanted thrash. The novel asks us to consider that. It's not preachy.
]]> The Night Circus 9361589
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.]]> 506 Erin Morgenstern Margot 5
I really liked this story with its imaginative flair, a flair for the wonderful and fantastical. It's a lovely fairy tale with a touch of well- placed romance but also about the fantastic in our lives. It's a well-structued meandering story, we visit the circus as events unfold in it and as it begins to unravel.
It's storytelling where you are inside of things, a microcosm built of wonder and intrigue and the protagonists strive to find a way out to forge their own path, their happiness; in general to make their own choice at last. But to gain something, they must lose something else. Is the price too high? You decide.

-the plot revolves around a bet, a game of wits between old adversaries who choose to imprison two young people in an impossible situation. it propels the story forward, we observe how the game affects not only the chosen ones, Marco and Ceila but others around them - I loved this
-also loved how we travel with the circus in space and time , meeting ensemble cast, seeing how the lore of the circus spreads and grows, what it brings to people outside the circus
-the descriptions of the circus are wonderful, you feel the sense of wonder
- I love how Ceila and Marco fall in love, that was a very palpable connection between them, and I was happy they found their freedom from roles neither of them ever wanted and that freedom was in each other.
-the ending brings more to the table and all in all I'd say it's a thoughtful fairy tale.

Note that while Ceila, Marco and others were absolutely lovely, it's not a story you will remember for characters, but for the central idea and some considerations about storytelling and where events take the characters. The circus is central to everything, the circus is the main character as well as the field, where everything happens: the wonders, but also how those wonders affect others.


The central idea was super and I loved meandering through the circus, loved observing the game and loved how the game turned into a desire to give and collaborate; that Marco and Ceila couldn't help but fall in love and that feeling helped them challenge the game and build a collaboration instead. It's a pleasant read, the game propels the plot and you are drawn into the night circus , enjoying all it has to offer, you cheer for Marco and Ceila and for the supporting characters.

Ordered a physical copy and going to enjoy the love story in the night circus again. It's a good read for when you look for something magical and fairy tale like.


"And there are never really endings, happy or otherwise. Things keep going on, they overlap and blur, your story is part of your sister’s story and is part of many other stories, and there is no telling where any of them may lead."]]> 4.00 2011 The Night Circus
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Margot
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/28
date added: 2024/02/11
shelves: 2024, atmospheric, favourite-fairytales, favourites, love-including-sweet-clean-romance, meandering, circus, escape, houses, interesting-concepts
review:
The Circus arrives without warning.

I really liked this story with its imaginative flair, a flair for the wonderful and fantastical. It's a lovely fairy tale with a touch of well- placed romance but also about the fantastic in our lives. It's a well-structued meandering story, we visit the circus as events unfold in it and as it begins to unravel.
It's storytelling where you are inside of things, a microcosm built of wonder and intrigue and the protagonists strive to find a way out to forge their own path, their happiness; in general to make their own choice at last. But to gain something, they must lose something else. Is the price too high? You decide.

-the plot revolves around a bet, a game of wits between old adversaries who choose to imprison two young people in an impossible situation. it propels the story forward, we observe how the game affects not only the chosen ones, Marco and Ceila but others around them - I loved this
-also loved how we travel with the circus in space and time , meeting ensemble cast, seeing how the lore of the circus spreads and grows, what it brings to people outside the circus
-the descriptions of the circus are wonderful, you feel the sense of wonder
- I love how Ceila and Marco fall in love, that was a very palpable connection between them, and I was happy they found their freedom from roles neither of them ever wanted and that freedom was in each other.
-the ending brings more to the table and all in all I'd say it's a thoughtful fairy tale.

Note that while Ceila, Marco and others were absolutely lovely, it's not a story you will remember for characters, but for the central idea and some considerations about storytelling and where events take the characters. The circus is central to everything, the circus is the main character as well as the field, where everything happens: the wonders, but also how those wonders affect others.


The central idea was super and I loved meandering through the circus, loved observing the game and loved how the game turned into a desire to give and collaborate; that Marco and Ceila couldn't help but fall in love and that feeling helped them challenge the game and build a collaboration instead. It's a pleasant read, the game propels the plot and you are drawn into the night circus , enjoying all it has to offer, you cheer for Marco and Ceila and for the supporting characters.

Ordered a physical copy and going to enjoy the love story in the night circus again. It's a good read for when you look for something magical and fairy tale like.


"And there are never really endings, happy or otherwise. Things keep going on, they overlap and blur, your story is part of your sister’s story and is part of many other stories, and there is no telling where any of them may lead."
]]> Dracul 38363799 The prequel to Dracula, inspired by notes and texts left behind by the author of the classic novel, Dracul is a supernatural thriller that reveals not only Dracula's true origins but Bram Stoker's--and the tale of the enigmatic woman who connects them.

It is 1868, and a twenty-one-year-old Bram Stoker waits in a desolate tower to face an indescribable evil. Armed only with crucifixes, holy water, and a rifle, he prays to survive a single night, the longest of his life. Desperate to record what he has witnessed, Bram scribbles down the events that led him here...

A sickly child, Bram spent his early days bedridden in his parents' Dublin home, tended to by his caretaker, a young woman named Ellen Crone. When a string of strange deaths occur in a nearby town, Bram and his sister Matilda detect a pattern of bizarre behavior by Ellen--a mystery that deepens chillingly until Ellen vanishes suddenly from their lives. Years later, Matilda returns from studying in Paris to tell Bram the news that she has seen Ellen--and that the nightmare they've thought long ended is only beginning.]]> 497 Dacre Stoker 0735219346 Margot 0 to-read 4.15 2018 Dracul
author: Dacre Stoker
name: Margot
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Little Eve 59808007
“A great day is upon us. He is coming. The world will be washed away.�

On the wind-battered isle of Altnaharra, off the wildest coast of Scotland, a clan prepares to bring about the end of the world and its imminent rebirth.

The Adder is coming and one of their number will inherit its powers. They all want the honor, but young Eve is willing to do anything for the distinction.

A reckoning beyond Eve’s imagination begins when Chief Inspector Black arrives to investigate a brutal murder and their sacred ceremony goes terribly wrong.

And soon all the secrets of Altnaharra will be uncovered.]]> 271 Catriona Ward 1250812658 Margot 2
But overall, I found it pretentious. Piles contrived sensationalist shocks and delivers them through muddled, pretentious storytelling to sound mysterious and "literary". Particularly the bizarre rituals of the family are incomprehensible. Faux, and with a man-hating mentality streak.]]> 3.69 2018 Little Eve
author: Catriona Ward
name: Margot
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2024/02/03
date added: 2024/02/03
shelves: 2024, escape, multiple-perspectives, parents-and-children
review:
A group of girls are raised in a weird sick cult. They do weird shit, are abused and are confused and stupid as hell. You're placed inside a cult and see it from the perspectives of characters affected by it. The narrators are very unreliable. I appreciate that, it's one of my favourite devices.

But overall, I found it pretentious. Piles contrived sensationalist shocks and delivers them through muddled, pretentious storytelling to sound mysterious and "literary". Particularly the bizarre rituals of the family are incomprehensible. Faux, and with a man-hating mentality streak.
]]> Strung (Strung Trilogy, #1) 59580654 341 Per Jacobsen 8797329428 Margot 0 to-read 3.80 2021 Strung (Strung Trilogy, #1)
author: Per Jacobsen
name: Margot
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams]]> 14045 In the mainstream of Japan's literary tradition, As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams not only reveals much that is most appealing in Japanese literature but also stands on its own as a remarkable and haunting portrait of a woman.

Born in A.D. 1008 at the height of the Heian period, Lady Sarashina (as she is known) probably wrote most of her work towards the end of her life, long after the events described. Thwarted and saddened by the real world with all its deaths and partings and frustrations, Lady Sarashina protected herself by a barrier of fantasy and so escaped from harsh reality into a rosier more congenial realm. She presents her vision of the world in beautiful prose, the sentences flowing along smoothly so that we feel we are watching a magnificent scroll being slowly unrolled.

'It is like seeing a garden at night in which certain parts are lit up so brightly that we can distinguish each blade of grass, each minute insect, each nuance of colour, while the rest of the garden and the tidal wave that threatens it remain in darkness'--Ivan Morris

]]> 148 Lady Sarashina Margot 0 to-read 3.90 1050 As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams
author: Lady Sarashina
name: Margot
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1050
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Prophet Song 158875813
On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find the GNSB on her step. Two officers from Ireland’s newly formed secret police are here to interrogate her husband, a trade unionist.

Ireland is falling apart. The country is in the grip of a government turning towards tyranny and Eilish can only watch helplessly as the world she knew disappears. When first her husband and then her eldest son vanish, Eilish finds herself caught within the nightmare logic of a collapsing society.

How far will she go to save her family? And what � or who � is she willing to leave behind?

Exhilarating, terrifying and propulsive, Prophet Song is a work of breathtaking originality, offering a devastating vision of a country at war and a deeply human portrait of a mother’s fight to hold her family together.]]> 259 Paul Lynch Margot 5
Similar in style to The Road, but a lot more powerful. Because the Road feels too distant. Prophet Song could take place here and now. And in some places - it does. It hits as close to home as it can. The setting in Ireland highlights just how much. And it's shattering. Because the end of the world is a local event, but at the same time, putting in a specific locality like Dublin, you highlight so much more powerfully how UNIVERSAL it is.

It portrays the rapid collapse of a society that is intimately familiar to us, our very own. The speed at which our known world, along with its laws and relationships, can disintegrate is what lends this book its profound impact. This style of writing seems even more potent here than in works like McCarthy's, as it reflects a chilling reality that is not just possible but actually happens. Everything is normal - until it's not. Is it too late then?

The story unfolds against the backdrop of an encroaching totalitarian regime, gradually stripping away freedoms and rights, invading every aspect of life. It poignantly explores a woman's fight to keep her family and her own world amid the crumbling structures of law, education, work, and societal bonds. Even as everything else fades into chaos, the significance of loved ones remains paramount. The narrative's relentless pace mirrors the protagonist's struggle, set in a contemporary, developed Western nation, making the events feel all too real. All too close. It's a stark reminder of how quickly rights can be eroded, emergency and martial laws enacted in the name of false truths, false ideology, rights to information likewise taken away, mounting - and very costly- bureaucracy, and ordinary people can vanish without a trace � a scenario that has been a reality in many parts of the world. But we cling to hope along with the character. Even in the face of facts, until one particularly hard hitting event finally strips us of all illusion.

It's a sobering reminder to cherish and protect our freedoms, as they can be swiftly taken away by those in power. It really makes you appreciate what you have. Powerful read, truly. Like a punch in the gut. It's unrelenting from start to finish. You literally feel the oppression coming down on you.]]> 4.03 2023 Prophet Song
author: Paul Lynch
name: Margot
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/16
date added: 2024/01/17
shelves: 2024, dystopia-and-post-apocalyptic, escape, favourites, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, that-ending, war
review:
"the world is always ending over and over again in one place but not another and that the end of the world is always a local event, it comes to your country and visits your town and knocks on the door of your house and becomes to others but some distant warning, a brief report on the news, an echo of events that has passed into folklore".

Similar in style to The Road, but a lot more powerful. Because the Road feels too distant. Prophet Song could take place here and now. And in some places - it does. It hits as close to home as it can. The setting in Ireland highlights just how much. And it's shattering. Because the end of the world is a local event, but at the same time, putting in a specific locality like Dublin, you highlight so much more powerfully how UNIVERSAL it is.

It portrays the rapid collapse of a society that is intimately familiar to us, our very own. The speed at which our known world, along with its laws and relationships, can disintegrate is what lends this book its profound impact. This style of writing seems even more potent here than in works like McCarthy's, as it reflects a chilling reality that is not just possible but actually happens. Everything is normal - until it's not. Is it too late then?

The story unfolds against the backdrop of an encroaching totalitarian regime, gradually stripping away freedoms and rights, invading every aspect of life. It poignantly explores a woman's fight to keep her family and her own world amid the crumbling structures of law, education, work, and societal bonds. Even as everything else fades into chaos, the significance of loved ones remains paramount. The narrative's relentless pace mirrors the protagonist's struggle, set in a contemporary, developed Western nation, making the events feel all too real. All too close. It's a stark reminder of how quickly rights can be eroded, emergency and martial laws enacted in the name of false truths, false ideology, rights to information likewise taken away, mounting - and very costly- bureaucracy, and ordinary people can vanish without a trace � a scenario that has been a reality in many parts of the world. But we cling to hope along with the character. Even in the face of facts, until one particularly hard hitting event finally strips us of all illusion.

It's a sobering reminder to cherish and protect our freedoms, as they can be swiftly taken away by those in power. It really makes you appreciate what you have. Powerful read, truly. Like a punch in the gut. It's unrelenting from start to finish. You literally feel the oppression coming down on you.
]]> Slade House 40611069 Keep your eyes peeled for a small black iron door.

Down the road from a working-class British pub, along the brick wall of a narrow alley, if the conditions are exactly right, you’ll find the entrance to Slade House. A stranger will greet you by name and invite you inside. At first, you won’t want to leave. Later, you’ll find that you can’t. Every nine years, the house’s residents � an odd brother and sister � extend a unique invitation to someone who’s different or lonely: a precocious teenager, a recently divorced policeman, a shy college student. But what really goes on inside Slade House? For those who find out, it’s already too late...

Spanning five decades, from the last days of the 1970s to the present, leaping genres, and barreling toward an astonishing conclusion, this intricately woven novel will pull you into a reality-warping new vision of the haunted house story—as only David Mitchell could imagine it.]]> 241 David Mitchell 0812998693 Margot 5
*Fresh take on Haunted house
*Oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere
*Characters are flawed and desperate and it makes them vulnerable to the house's dark influence.

I'll read Bone Clocks, but this was dark and thrilling and a fast read that pulled me in with its eerie mystery. I swallowed in one sitting. I should read Cloud Atlas soon.

I'll reread on Halloween, it will hit that spot.

I'll return to this after reading other Mitchell books.]]> 3.79 2015 Slade House
author: David Mitchell
name: Margot
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/07
date added: 2024/01/07
shelves: atmospheric, halloween, interesting-concepts, meandering, multiple-perspectives, 2024, houses, escape
review:
A great Halloween read, a compelling ghost story about taking lives to live on. I enjoyed the thrill and the concept of a decaying house flickering in and out of reality and of two souls desperate to survive against all odds and across time. I felt most sorry for Sally Timms in all this. It's insanely compelling.

*Fresh take on Haunted house
*Oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere
*Characters are flawed and desperate and it makes them vulnerable to the house's dark influence.

I'll read Bone Clocks, but this was dark and thrilling and a fast read that pulled me in with its eerie mystery. I swallowed in one sitting. I should read Cloud Atlas soon.

I'll reread on Halloween, it will hit that spot.

I'll return to this after reading other Mitchell books.
]]> <![CDATA[Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl]]> 52288751
It’s too late for me, but maybe it will help some of the others.
~ Catherine Wolfe Donohue]]> 311 Samantha Wilcoxson Margot 5
My brother had a phase in his life when he lamented that we are all living dead people. Well, I did not expect to find that phrase reflected so chillingly here.

A story about a historical topic I had no idea about. Luminous presents the fight of women who were employed by radium dial paint companies

I read that the women painting dials were instructed to lick their paintbrush tips while painting the numbers on the dials. They were not warned about dangers and did not suspect problems until they began to suffer severe symptoms. The tragedy is that for its time, this work was well-paid skilled labour available for women, and could even be considered patriotic contribution to WWI effort. They painted watch dials for soldiers and instrument panels for military equipment—all glowing in the dark.

The story focuses on Catherine Donahue, a strong and compassionate woman who joins Radium Dial to support her family. The book paints a fairly idyllic picture at first, but as the consequences of radium exposure become evident, it takes a chilling turn.

Catherine lives with her Uncle and Aunt and tries to come up with a way to help them financially � she finds the ad for Radium Dial and enrols nearly immediately. It’s sad how that’s pretty much her only option. She is told lies about radium and though initially work and camaraderie are as I described � quite idyllic and Catherine meets the love of her life � things begin to change drastically very soon. First, they are but distant echoes but materialise into something truly hard hitting the closer to home things start happening.

In the midst of this Catherine enjoys a truly heartwarming happiness with her husband Tom and their kids. All those early moments , falling in love, hopes and plans, and warm moments are written with such endearing charm that it makes me want to revisit them.

Catherine's bond with Tom, is a highlight of the story, showcasing unwavering support in challenging times.They enjoy the kind of strong bond one can be jealous of. It was truly something I fell in love with in the book. The stalwart, unbreakable support was something to treasure throughout the pages. Catherine made significant observations that I strongly agreed with about how such everyday things, the love and support you get, especially in small, subtle everyday ways, shouldn’t be taken for granted. But even more so the love that comes when the going really gets hard, as it most definitely did for Catherine,Tom and their children.

Their faith plays a significant role in their lives and keeps them resilient. I am usually wary of religious worship in books, because sometimes it’s too preachy, but Catherine and her husband are presented from the start as having strong faith, it’s part of who they are, and maybe part of the community they live in, with a simpler way of life. But faith keeps them fighting.

This small community they are part of has its dark side, as few believe Catherine's fight against Radium Dial, most are against it considering it's a major source of employment. This kind of desperation is what really got to me. Tom and Catherine count their blessings among all this, their life is fortunate - they start out with no mortgage, a meager life but blessed with love and joy. And even when things take a turn for the worse, they find their silver linings and their love is like a beacon. In a sense this bittersweetness is amazing - radium helped them meet, radium forces them to say goodbye.There's a scene in which Catherine says something to the effect that she at least wanted to look like a glowing angel for her husband, because that's the final thing she'd be able to do to show she loves him. That really hit me hard.

The writing is simple yet effectively conveys the contrast between the idyllic beginning and the chilling reality that unfolds under the surface and creeps on its victims when their lives are at their high points. Each chapter is preceded by telling quotes that reflect the developments. She shows how far reaching the consequences of radium were and even more so � how steep was the price for naivety at the hands of a company with no integrity. Naivety, but also unnerving lack of viable employment choices.

The girls keep working happily despite the distant echoes that not all may be well. It’s chilling to see how the mood gradually changes as they start to see their suspicions are true and their fears come to pass as the illness starts claiming more and more of them. It’s chilling how desperation to keep a job leads them to the horrors they have to live through. It’s chilling to see the first victim experience the effects of radium poisoning. Catherine reflects how lonely and terrifying that must have felt. It's chilling how even doctors tell them there is no such thing as radium poisoning. Tom and Catherine have every reason to be furious because they know their life, the life they'd live with love, has been stolen from them.

The gradual change in mood and the desperation to keep their jobs,and the impact of radium poisoning are unsettling, with Catherine's love providing some comfort amidst the grief.

Catherine is half-prepared for what’s to come as a "living dead woman", she fights for her family, but even in all the grief the love she has is comforting. It kind of cushions the impact for the reader, but at the same time makes it even more hard-hitting because for such people, you want a happy ending and yet it's one that cannot come in this case. There is a particularly heartbreaking scene in the courtroom when all emotions spill out. It's devastating and doesn't leave you indifferent. And yet, Catherine and Tom keep the love and the fight until the end, against the odds.

They are fictionalised but they were real people and I’m, glad the writer decided to write the book the way she did, because she created emotional attachment to characters and through that � the story resonates more strongly with me. And chills me more. I also appreciate she picked up a topic I had no knowledge of and also showed the resolve of these women. And the meaning of simple happiness, where love is true, despite the odds. I believe in these things.

However, I also think it would be interesting to write the novel from the perspective of the Reeds, the company owners, the lawyers defending them. The novel creates emotional attachment and successfully conveys the sense of dread that unfolds for good people, good people you want happy. . But I think I'd like to read this story from the side of the Reeds- could be interesting. How did all this affect them when they hid the medical results, when they kept lying? The grey morality here would be interesting to explore. There's potential there.]]> 4.45 Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl
author: Samantha Wilcoxson
name: Margot
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/20
date added: 2023/09/20
shelves: 2023, favourites, love-including-sweet-clean-romance
review:
Reviewing this as part of Coffee and Thorn Book Tours. My reviews are guaranteed to be honest. My ratings are based on how much the book resonated with me.

My brother had a phase in his life when he lamented that we are all living dead people. Well, I did not expect to find that phrase reflected so chillingly here.

A story about a historical topic I had no idea about. Luminous presents the fight of women who were employed by radium dial paint companies

I read that the women painting dials were instructed to lick their paintbrush tips while painting the numbers on the dials. They were not warned about dangers and did not suspect problems until they began to suffer severe symptoms. The tragedy is that for its time, this work was well-paid skilled labour available for women, and could even be considered patriotic contribution to WWI effort. They painted watch dials for soldiers and instrument panels for military equipment—all glowing in the dark.

The story focuses on Catherine Donahue, a strong and compassionate woman who joins Radium Dial to support her family. The book paints a fairly idyllic picture at first, but as the consequences of radium exposure become evident, it takes a chilling turn.

Catherine lives with her Uncle and Aunt and tries to come up with a way to help them financially � she finds the ad for Radium Dial and enrols nearly immediately. It’s sad how that’s pretty much her only option. She is told lies about radium and though initially work and camaraderie are as I described � quite idyllic and Catherine meets the love of her life � things begin to change drastically very soon. First, they are but distant echoes but materialise into something truly hard hitting the closer to home things start happening.

In the midst of this Catherine enjoys a truly heartwarming happiness with her husband Tom and their kids. All those early moments , falling in love, hopes and plans, and warm moments are written with such endearing charm that it makes me want to revisit them.

Catherine's bond with Tom, is a highlight of the story, showcasing unwavering support in challenging times.They enjoy the kind of strong bond one can be jealous of. It was truly something I fell in love with in the book. The stalwart, unbreakable support was something to treasure throughout the pages. Catherine made significant observations that I strongly agreed with about how such everyday things, the love and support you get, especially in small, subtle everyday ways, shouldn’t be taken for granted. But even more so the love that comes when the going really gets hard, as it most definitely did for Catherine,Tom and their children.

Their faith plays a significant role in their lives and keeps them resilient. I am usually wary of religious worship in books, because sometimes it’s too preachy, but Catherine and her husband are presented from the start as having strong faith, it’s part of who they are, and maybe part of the community they live in, with a simpler way of life. But faith keeps them fighting.

This small community they are part of has its dark side, as few believe Catherine's fight against Radium Dial, most are against it considering it's a major source of employment. This kind of desperation is what really got to me. Tom and Catherine count their blessings among all this, their life is fortunate - they start out with no mortgage, a meager life but blessed with love and joy. And even when things take a turn for the worse, they find their silver linings and their love is like a beacon. In a sense this bittersweetness is amazing - radium helped them meet, radium forces them to say goodbye.There's a scene in which Catherine says something to the effect that she at least wanted to look like a glowing angel for her husband, because that's the final thing she'd be able to do to show she loves him. That really hit me hard.

The writing is simple yet effectively conveys the contrast between the idyllic beginning and the chilling reality that unfolds under the surface and creeps on its victims when their lives are at their high points. Each chapter is preceded by telling quotes that reflect the developments. She shows how far reaching the consequences of radium were and even more so � how steep was the price for naivety at the hands of a company with no integrity. Naivety, but also unnerving lack of viable employment choices.

The girls keep working happily despite the distant echoes that not all may be well. It’s chilling to see how the mood gradually changes as they start to see their suspicions are true and their fears come to pass as the illness starts claiming more and more of them. It’s chilling how desperation to keep a job leads them to the horrors they have to live through. It’s chilling to see the first victim experience the effects of radium poisoning. Catherine reflects how lonely and terrifying that must have felt. It's chilling how even doctors tell them there is no such thing as radium poisoning. Tom and Catherine have every reason to be furious because they know their life, the life they'd live with love, has been stolen from them.

The gradual change in mood and the desperation to keep their jobs,and the impact of radium poisoning are unsettling, with Catherine's love providing some comfort amidst the grief.

Catherine is half-prepared for what’s to come as a "living dead woman", she fights for her family, but even in all the grief the love she has is comforting. It kind of cushions the impact for the reader, but at the same time makes it even more hard-hitting because for such people, you want a happy ending and yet it's one that cannot come in this case. There is a particularly heartbreaking scene in the courtroom when all emotions spill out. It's devastating and doesn't leave you indifferent. And yet, Catherine and Tom keep the love and the fight until the end, against the odds.

They are fictionalised but they were real people and I’m, glad the writer decided to write the book the way she did, because she created emotional attachment to characters and through that � the story resonates more strongly with me. And chills me more. I also appreciate she picked up a topic I had no knowledge of and also showed the resolve of these women. And the meaning of simple happiness, where love is true, despite the odds. I believe in these things.

However, I also think it would be interesting to write the novel from the perspective of the Reeds, the company owners, the lawyers defending them. The novel creates emotional attachment and successfully conveys the sense of dread that unfolds for good people, good people you want happy. . But I think I'd like to read this story from the side of the Reeds- could be interesting. How did all this affect them when they hid the medical results, when they kept lying? The grey morality here would be interesting to explore. There's potential there.
]]> Wolf Weather 169739609 63 Miles Watson Margot 5
Content warning : death, sexual imagery

It's an enthralling novella that breathes new life into the werewolf trope. This story is all about contemplation and rich storytelling. It's a blend of atmosphere and thought-provoking themes, showcasing the author's talent for immersive, visual storytelling.

Meet Crowning, a soldier of the legion, moulded by strict rules. His life revolves around discipline, and he's stationed at a now-deserted fort that has faced relentless attacks. It's cold and deserted, but filled with haunting memories. As the sole survivor, he represents the last stand against the encroaching monsters.

What sets this novella apart is its ability to make you question the essence of humanity. Was Crowning, who served an army that pillaged and plundered under orders from a leader he never even personally saw or knew, a monster from the start? In contrast, the creatures he battles against seem to enjoy a freedom he can only dream of. It's almost like a poetic justice—those who conquer are now being conquered by the wild and its creatures.

The prose is captivating, immersing you in the harshness of a soldier's trance-like daily survival, surrounded by an ever-present sense of dread. Loneliness and coldness permeate the narrative, making it incredibly evocative. The atmosphere is really pitch-perfect. A quick and gripping read, informed by the writer's knowledge of military life. The style really puts you there and then.



At the risk of sounding ignorant because there are many things I don't know, the only thing that to me felt somehow out of place was coffee. As far as I read, coffee wasn't known in ancient Rome and soldiers would more likely drink posca so I kinda questioned its presence here and it felt a little immersion breaking.

Overall, it's a compelling read. The author's deep understanding of military life shines through, enhancing the immersion. The story unfolds naturally, not forced, which is the hallmark of a truly engaging read—one that's born from genuine experiences and solid knowledge, with a thought-provoking concept and a message that resonates]]> 4.56 Wolf Weather
author: Miles Watson
name: Margot
average rating: 4.56
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/04
date added: 2023/09/04
shelves: 2023, animals, forest, interesting-concepts, mythology-religion
review:
"You yourself have precipitated it. You came here. Unwanted. Unwelcome. But you came. Filled this place with yourselves. And now we will fill ourselves with you".

Content warning : death, sexual imagery

It's an enthralling novella that breathes new life into the werewolf trope. This story is all about contemplation and rich storytelling. It's a blend of atmosphere and thought-provoking themes, showcasing the author's talent for immersive, visual storytelling.

Meet Crowning, a soldier of the legion, moulded by strict rules. His life revolves around discipline, and he's stationed at a now-deserted fort that has faced relentless attacks. It's cold and deserted, but filled with haunting memories. As the sole survivor, he represents the last stand against the encroaching monsters.

What sets this novella apart is its ability to make you question the essence of humanity. Was Crowning, who served an army that pillaged and plundered under orders from a leader he never even personally saw or knew, a monster from the start? In contrast, the creatures he battles against seem to enjoy a freedom he can only dream of. It's almost like a poetic justice—those who conquer are now being conquered by the wild and its creatures.

The prose is captivating, immersing you in the harshness of a soldier's trance-like daily survival, surrounded by an ever-present sense of dread. Loneliness and coldness permeate the narrative, making it incredibly evocative. The atmosphere is really pitch-perfect. A quick and gripping read, informed by the writer's knowledge of military life. The style really puts you there and then.



At the risk of sounding ignorant because there are many things I don't know, the only thing that to me felt somehow out of place was coffee. As far as I read, coffee wasn't known in ancient Rome and soldiers would more likely drink posca so I kinda questioned its presence here and it felt a little immersion breaking.

Overall, it's a compelling read. The author's deep understanding of military life shines through, enhancing the immersion. The story unfolds naturally, not forced, which is the hallmark of a truly engaging read—one that's born from genuine experiences and solid knowledge, with a thought-provoking concept and a message that resonates
]]> The Altar of the Dead 672172 The Altar of the Dead is a short story by Henry James, first published in his collection Terminations in 1895. A fable of literally life and death significance, the story explores how the protagonist tries to keep the remembrance of his dead friends, to save them from being forgotten entirely in the rush of everyday events. He meets a woman who shares his ideals, only to find that the past places what seems to be an impassable barrier between them. Although James was not religious in any conventional sense, the story shows a deep spirituality in its treatment of mortality and the transcendent power of unselfish love.

Excerpt:
There were other ghosts in his life than the ghost of Mary Antrim. He had perhaps not had more losses than most men, but he had counted his losses more; he hadn't seen death more closely, but had in a manner felt it more deeply. He had formed little by little the habit of numbering his Dead: it had come to him early in life that there was something one had to do for them. They were there in their simplified intensified essence, their conscious absence and expressive patience, as personally there as if they had only been stricken dumb. When all sense of them failed, all sound of them ceased, it was as if their purgatory were really still on earth: they asked so little that they got, poor things, even less, and died again, died every<->day, of the hard usage of life. They had no organized service, no reserved place, no honor, no shelter, no safety. Even ungenerous people provided for the living, but even those who were called most generous did nothing for the others. So on George Stransom's part had grown up with the years a resolve that he at least would do something, do it, that is, for his own -- would perform the great charity without reproach. Every man _had_ his own, and every man had, to meet this charity, the ample resources of the soul.]]> 40 Henry James 1406518379 Margot 5
Haven't read much of James but this particular story is spiritual and emotional. It's a story of a man who doesn't forget the dead, does everything he can to preserve their memory from being lost in the rush of everyday life.In doing so, he befriends a woman who turns out to be related to a friend that betrayed him and who remains devoted to this one memory, the memory the protagonist doesn't face. They drift apart and he sees more of his friends depart this world, with that one unlit candle kind of haunting him.

In the end, the story is more than about honouring the dead: it's about unselfish love and how forgiveness and love can overcome past wrongs. A beautiful, heartfelt, touching read.]]> 3.50 1895 The Altar of the Dead
author: Henry James
name: Margot
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1895
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/08/24
shelves: 2023, favourites, love-including-sweet-clean-romance, single-short-stories, that-ending
review:
"He had done many things in the world—he had done almost all but one: he had never, never forgotten".

Haven't read much of James but this particular story is spiritual and emotional. It's a story of a man who doesn't forget the dead, does everything he can to preserve their memory from being lost in the rush of everyday life.In doing so, he befriends a woman who turns out to be related to a friend that betrayed him and who remains devoted to this one memory, the memory the protagonist doesn't face. They drift apart and he sees more of his friends depart this world, with that one unlit candle kind of haunting him.

In the end, the story is more than about honouring the dead: it's about unselfish love and how forgiveness and love can overcome past wrongs. A beautiful, heartfelt, touching read.
]]> 1984 5470 328 George Orwell Margot 5 4.15 1949 1984
author: George Orwell
name: Margot
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1949
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/07/30
shelves: long-novels, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life
review:

]]> Sisters of the Crimson Vine 62216903
Soon he’ll learn there are worse fates.

After a brutal accident, John awakens in the dilapidated Crimoria Convent under the care of thirteen unconventional nuns. Grievous injuries trap him within the borders of the ruined sanctuary and its strangely successful vineyard. When his body starts healing faster than nature allows, John’s questions quickly pile up.

A pair of Church auditors arrive to look into the convent’s finances. It’s obvious the pair are unwelcome guests, but John has bigger concerns. The order’s annual ritual draws near and John begins to discover things that make him wonder if any of them are truly safe in the hands of the Sisters of the Crimson Vine.
“A taut braid of repressed desires, implied deviance, and eldritch horror. McMillan coyly lures us to a finale as repulsive as it is compelling.� � Stoker award-winning Jamie Flanagan, co-writer of The Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Mass

“In her masterful debut novella, Sisters of the Crimson Vine, P.L. McMillan cultivates dread like a fine wine. The more we sip, the deeper we sink into this insidious tale grown from the seed of Jackson’s “The Lottery� planted in a Lovecraftian terroir and harvested in Ari Aster’s Midsommar. Like the title characters� famed libation, you will not be able to stop reading once you imbibe. A drunken sense of imbalance and uncertainty remains with you until the very end. Lovers of the occult will be pleasantly satiated by P.L. McMillan’s gothic offering.� � Stoker award-winning EV Knight, Three Days in the Pink Tower

�Sisters of the Crimson Vine by P.L McMillan is folk horror at its very best. The visuals, tension and mood created then intermixed with undeniable dread and mystery rides the very edges of illumination and darkness. P.L explores themes of religious hypocrisy and the power of women and sacrifices made to survive. She expertly subverts older tropes into something terrifying and new. This book is as vivid and twisted as any Aster movie.� � Brenda S. Tolian, Blood Mountain


�Sisters of the Crimson Vine is a perfectly paced suspenseful story that will make you want to savor every word. Invoking the ominous folk horror atmosphere of the Wicker Man and Midsommer, P.L. serves an unsettling tale of the supernatural bond between women and nature and the power and price of living free from patriarchal dominance.� � Joy Yehle, author and host of The Burial Plot horror podcast]]> 110 P.L. McMillan Margot 3 2023, atmospheric
I can detect notes of Shirley Jackson in it , with a twist ending but in
general find it cheesy and a bit contrived. Sexy nuns worshipping deity, and separate from mainstream Church, hateful patriarchal Catholic priests (very shallowly treated) and a guy in the middle of it Lacks depth and tension isn't really all that strong, even though I can't deny it is there to get you going.
It's all in all an easy read, though leaves a so-so aftertaste with little to sink my teeth into .There is a certain visual thinking behind it but it just doesn't quite reach the depth I would have liked. And I could smell where this was going a mile early. So was expecting it to do something unexpected with what I was expecting. But it failed me.

I do like the theme, though. It's about church. Even though I consider myself a religious person, I like my worldview to be challenged and I can't deny that church has brought a lot of trouble, and there is a hint of criticism here that, if deepened,could have made a shattering tale. think it could have been a bit more , and explore more the idea of women as witches/ possessed by Satan from a deeper angle. As such, it failed to shatter me.

I recommend "Mother, Joan of the Angels" for a deeper treatment of a similar theme. Still, it can be a fun read for Halloween. But it just doesn't cut it for me.]]> 4.19 Sisters of the Crimson Vine
author: P.L. McMillan
name: Margot
average rating: 4.19
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/23
date added: 2023/07/23
shelves: 2023, atmospheric
review:
A guy gets into an accident and is saved by unorthodox nuns. As he recovers and gets to know them, he starts suspecting there's something fishy going on.

I can detect notes of Shirley Jackson in it , with a twist ending but in
general find it cheesy and a bit contrived. Sexy nuns worshipping deity, and separate from mainstream Church, hateful patriarchal Catholic priests (very shallowly treated) and a guy in the middle of it Lacks depth and tension isn't really all that strong, even though I can't deny it is there to get you going.
It's all in all an easy read, though leaves a so-so aftertaste with little to sink my teeth into .There is a certain visual thinking behind it but it just doesn't quite reach the depth I would have liked. And I could smell where this was going a mile early. So was expecting it to do something unexpected with what I was expecting. But it failed me.

I do like the theme, though. It's about church. Even though I consider myself a religious person, I like my worldview to be challenged and I can't deny that church has brought a lot of trouble, and there is a hint of criticism here that, if deepened,could have made a shattering tale. think it could have been a bit more , and explore more the idea of women as witches/ possessed by Satan from a deeper angle. As such, it failed to shatter me.

I recommend "Mother, Joan of the Angels" for a deeper treatment of a similar theme. Still, it can be a fun read for Halloween. But it just doesn't cut it for me.
]]> <![CDATA[East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North (Calla Editions)]]> 4895622 208 Peter Christen Asbjørnsen 1606600036 Margot 4 4.21 East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North (Calla Editions)
author: Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
name: Margot
average rating: 4.21
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/01
date added: 2023/07/01
shelves: 2020, favourite-fairytales, short-story-collections
review:

]]> Lamb to the Slaughter 13382062 "The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight � hers and the one by the empty chair opposite..."

Lamb to the Slaughter (1953) is a short story by Roald Dahl. It was initially rejected, along with four other stories, by The New Yorker, but was ultimately published in Harper's Magazine in September 1953. It was adapted for an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and starred Barbara Bel Geddes. Originally broadcast on April 13, 1958, it was one of only 17 AHP episodes directed by Hitchcock himself. The story was subsequently adapted for Dahl's British TV series Tales of the Unexpected. Dahl also included it in his short story compilation Someone Like You.

Lamb to the Slaughter demonstrates Dahl's fascination with horror (including elements of black comedy), a theme that would influence both his in adult fiction as well as his children stories.]]> 15 Roald Dahl Margot 5
As usual with Ronald Dahl, it's an interesting little read..]]> 4.17 1953 Lamb to the Slaughter
author: Roald Dahl
name: Margot
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1953
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: 2023, atmospheric, favourites, single-short-stories, that-ending
review:
After her husband unexpectedly reveals some devastating news, a pregnant woman takes matters into her own hands, resulting in a twist.

As usual with Ronald Dahl, it's an interesting little read..
]]> <![CDATA[A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND (CLASSIC BOOK): WITH ILLUSTRATION]]> 128881187 222 Flannery O'Connor Margot 5
A family embarks on a road trip that takes a dark turn when they encounter a criminal known as The Misfit, leading to an unexpected and unsettling conclusion.

It's a powerful gothic south story about redemption and Grace of God. Is only God good?]]> 5.00 1949 A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND (CLASSIC BOOK): WITH ILLUSTRATION
author: Flannery O'Connor
name: Margot
average rating: 5.00
book published: 1949
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: 2023, favourites, single-short-stories, that-ending
review:
I read it online,just picking a single story edition to add to my shelves.

A family embarks on a road trip that takes a dark turn when they encounter a criminal known as The Misfit, leading to an unexpected and unsettling conclusion.

It's a powerful gothic south story about redemption and Grace of God. Is only God good?
]]> <![CDATA[The Lady or the Tiger? And, the Discourager of Hesitancy]]> 200337 Story summary: In ancient times, a king devised a system of justice where guilt or innocence was determined entirely by chance. The system worked this way: When a man committed a crime important enough to interest the king, notice was given that the fate of the accused person would be decided, on a given date, in the arena of the amphitheater. When the date arrived and everyone had assembled in the galleries, the king gave a signal, a door beneath him opened, and the accused stepped out into the arena. Two doors, exactly alike and side by side, faced the accused, and it was his duty to open one of them. He could open either door he pleased. If he opened the one, a hungry tiger would spring upon him and tear him to pieces. But, if he opened the other door, a beautiful lady came out and the accused was immediately married to her, as a reward for his innocence.

The king had a beautiful daughter, with whom a young man of common blood fell in love. The king's daughter was also in love with the young man. The love affair went on for some time before the king discovered its existence. Immediately, the king had the youth placed into prison and set a day for the trial in the arena. The appointed day arrived, and the galleries of the arena were filled. The signal was given, a door beneath the royal party opened, and the lover of the princess walked into the arena. The princess, through the use of her position and money, had learned behind which door stood the lady and behind which waited the tiger. The youth expected her to have learned this information, and he looked toward her for a signal. Her signal was toward the right, and the youth went to the door on the right and opened it. The story leaves it up to the reader to decide which came out of the door--the lady or the tiger. Which did the princess decide? Was it to let her lover to live and love another woman, or did she decide that if she couldn't have him no one would?]]> 36 Frank R. Stockton 0874067987 Margot 5
It stands for an unsolvable dilemma. Great story.]]> 3.92 1882 The Lady or the Tiger? And, the Discourager of Hesitancy
author: Frank R. Stockton
name: Margot
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1882
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: 2023, favourite-fairytales, favourites, single-short-stories
review:
"The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton: Set in an ancient kingdom, this story presents a moral dilemma where a condemned man must choose between two doors, one hiding a tiger and the other a lady.

It stands for an unsolvable dilemma. Great story.
]]> The Monkey's Paw 8779896 The Monkey’s Paw is a classic horror tale that gives new meaning to the phrase “be careful what you wish for.�

One of W.W. Jacob's most memorable works, The Monkey’s Paw has become a classic horror story and has been adapted numerous times, including into episodes of such popular television series as The X-Files, The Twilight Zone, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and Tales from the Crypt.]]> 32 W.W. Jacobs 1583419195 Margot 5
Be careful what you wish for. An atmospheric horror story that explores the co sequences of tampering with fate and builds suspense.]]> 3.83 1902 The Monkey's Paw
author: W.W. Jacobs
name: Margot
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1902
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: 2023, atmospheric, interesting-concepts, single-short-stories, favourites
review:
When a family acquires a mystical monkey's paw that grants three wishes, they soon discover the unexpected and sinister consequences that come with it.

Be careful what you wish for. An atmospheric horror story that explores the co sequences of tampering with fate and builds suspense.
]]> The Gift of the Magi 143534 O. Henry's classic tale of the wisest gifts of Christmas is itself a gift to share and treasure.

In a shabby New York flat, Della sobs as she counts the few coins she has saved to buy a Christmas present for her husband, Jim. One dollar and eighty-seven cents is all the money she has in the world. A gift worthy of her devotion will require a great sacrifice: selling her long, beautiful hair. Set in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, this classic piece of American literature tells the story of a young couple and the value of love.

Jim, meanwhile, has made a sacrifice for Della that is no less difficult. As they exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, the discovery of what each has done fills them with despair, until they realize that the true gifts of Christmas can be found more readily in their humble apartment than in any fine store. Set in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, this classic piece of American literature tells the story of a young couple and the value of love.

O. Henry paints a masterly portrait of unfaltering love, a haven from the harsh world outside. The poignancy of his story is captured in Zwerger's eloquent art, wherein every glance, every gesture, tells a subtle truth.]]> 26 O. Henry 141693586X Margot 5

A couple in dire financial circumstances each sacrifices their most prized possession to buy a gift for the other, resulting in a heartwarming and unexpected conclusion.]]> 4.10 1905 The Gift of the Magi
author: O. Henry
name: Margot
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1905
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: 2023, christmas, feel-good-smile, single-short-stories, favourites
review:
A cute little story about giving with love, gifts that from the heart.


A couple in dire financial circumstances each sacrifices their most prized possession to buy a gift for the other, resulting in a heartwarming and unexpected conclusion.
]]> The Most Dangerous Game 157076 The Most Dangerous Game features a big-game hunter from New York who becomes shipwrecked on an isolated island in the Caribbean and is hunted by a Russian aristocrat.]]> 48 Richard Connell 1599869691 Margot 4 3.93 1924 The Most Dangerous Game
author: Richard Connell
name: Margot
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1924
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: 2023, atmospheric, single-short-stories
review:
A hunter becomes the hunted in this suspenseful story, as a man finds himself trapped on an island where a wealthy eccentric hunts humans for sport.
]]> The Open Window 60574470 4 Saki Margot 5 4.09 The Open Window
author: Saki
name: Margot
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: escape, favourites, single-short-stories, that-ending
review:
A young girl tells a visitor a chilling story about the tragic fate of her family. The unexpected twist lies in the truth behind her tale. Truth vs fiction, escapism, dramatic irony. Great little story with sinister undertones.
]]> <![CDATA[The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (2004-09-01)]]> 147210938 0 Guy de Maupassant Margot 4
The story explores looking for happiness in material wealth and a discrepancy between reality and appearance.]]> 4.00 The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (2004-09-01)
author: Guy de Maupassant
name: Margot
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: 2023, france, single-short-stories, that-ending, favourites
review:
A good story with a trust ironic ending. A woman borrows an expensive necklace to wear to a high-society event but loses it.

The story explores looking for happiness in material wealth and a discrepancy between reality and appearance.
]]> In the Miso Soup 17810
From postmodern Renaissance man Ryu Murakami, master of the psycho-thriller and director of Tokyo Decadence, comes this shocking, hair-raising roller-coaster ride through the nefarious neon-lit world of Tokyo’s sex industry.]]> 217 Ryū Murakami 014303569X Margot 4

Theme: city as the protagonist, good and evil, city exploration at night, flanerie, wandering around the underworld of Tokyo, crime, mental instability, psychological tension

This is an original thriller that creates a very strong psychological tension and explores the blurred boundaries between good and evil. Set against the backdrop of a bustling city, we follow Kenji, an unlicensed guide around Tokyo's lurid nightlife corners as he accompanies an obscene, bizarre American tourist seeking nighttime thrills. But what if the American actually looks for more than thrills, a sort of spiritual cleansing? And what can an unlicensed Japanese do when he's guiding a murderer? It's a good story that explores the darker side of Japanese culture with themes such as loneliness, emptiness, pointlessness and the shady things we might do to try and make up for it, as well as the hipocrisy of the system and society that allows it. With vivid and atmospheric descriptions, "In the Miso Soup" is a sensory experience of the city, from the neon-lit streets to the hidden alleyways and its nightclubs. The author's observations and attention to detail bring the city to life.Through the eyes of the protagonist, we delve into a world of moral ambiguity. As the story unfolds, you may question your own perceptions and try to deal with uncomfortable truths. It kept me on the edge of my seat, revealing haunting secrets lurking beneath the surface.

Warning: graphic depiction of particularly nasty mass murder including genitalia that leaves Kenji in shock for the rest of the book.it also involves a lot of female prostitution

I liked the symbolism of the ending and that in the end Frank showed a human side of himself. It leaves you with haunting questions about the nature of humanity.

It's a good, gripping read. Flanerie of the Tokyo underworld.]]> 3.62 1997 In the Miso Soup
author: Ryū Murakami
name: Margot
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/03
date added: 2023/06/04
shelves: 2023, best-1st-person, escape, interesting-concepts, japanese, meandering, novels-under-300-pages, that-ending
review:
"Malevolence is born of negative feelings like loneliness and sadness and anger. It comes from an emptiness inside you that feels as if it’s been carved out with a knife, an emptiness you’re left with when something very important has been taken away from you."


Theme: city as the protagonist, good and evil, city exploration at night, flanerie, wandering around the underworld of Tokyo, crime, mental instability, psychological tension

This is an original thriller that creates a very strong psychological tension and explores the blurred boundaries between good and evil. Set against the backdrop of a bustling city, we follow Kenji, an unlicensed guide around Tokyo's lurid nightlife corners as he accompanies an obscene, bizarre American tourist seeking nighttime thrills. But what if the American actually looks for more than thrills, a sort of spiritual cleansing? And what can an unlicensed Japanese do when he's guiding a murderer? It's a good story that explores the darker side of Japanese culture with themes such as loneliness, emptiness, pointlessness and the shady things we might do to try and make up for it, as well as the hipocrisy of the system and society that allows it. With vivid and atmospheric descriptions, "In the Miso Soup" is a sensory experience of the city, from the neon-lit streets to the hidden alleyways and its nightclubs. The author's observations and attention to detail bring the city to life.Through the eyes of the protagonist, we delve into a world of moral ambiguity. As the story unfolds, you may question your own perceptions and try to deal with uncomfortable truths. It kept me on the edge of my seat, revealing haunting secrets lurking beneath the surface.

Warning: graphic depiction of particularly nasty mass murder including genitalia that leaves Kenji in shock for the rest of the book.it also involves a lot of female prostitution

I liked the symbolism of the ending and that in the end Frank showed a human side of himself. It leaves you with haunting questions about the nature of humanity.

It's a good, gripping read. Flanerie of the Tokyo underworld.
]]> The Abdication 58654682 Following the promptings of an inner voice, Tula, a young woman from the city, trudges into Topeth. Her quest is to abide with the angels and thereby discover the right and proper exercise of free will. To do that, she has to cross the bridge � and overcome her vertigo. Topeth is in upheaval; the townsfolk blame the death of a child on dust from the nearby copper mines. The priests have convinced them that a horde of devils have thrown the angels out of Unity and now occupy the bridge, possessing anyone who trespasses on it. Then there’s the heinous Temple of Moloch!
The Abdication is the story of Tula’s endeavour to step upon the path of a destiny far greater than she could ever have imagined.]]> 328 Justin Newland 1800463952 Margot 4 2023
"Out of death came life; out of the swamp grew the lily of the valley; out of ugliness came beauty".

A highly unique, genre-bending story that explores the idea of mankind's free will, and obedience to fear, control but also tradition and myths. Creative use of the Bible is made here, lots of biblical imagery and tropes are brought alive in an imaginative manner, set in a colourful and fast paced world that reads in part like thriller and horror (some parts made me think of Shirley Jackson's lottery in that there's mob mentality in blindly following certain traditions),in part like a fairy tale, in part like a biblical retelling, in part like a philosophical treaty and in part like Greek mythology.

We follow Tula as she makes her way to a town called Unity, where humans and angels once coexisted. But humans wanted to make their own path and departed, starting an irreversible path. Have they used this path well, Tula questions as she contemplates the story and residents of Topeh , their fears and blind obedience, their problems and nightmares. It becomes clear very early on Tula has ties to this place. Donkeys recognise her, she fits the description of a long lost daughter of the commander of the guard. In a way, Tula is Topeh's prodigal daughter.

The town of Topeh is a grotesque place, where bullying thrives and people blindly follow oppressive rules. They have been led to believe anything outside, especially the town of Unity across a feared bridge, may be the work of devils. The town is ruled by a duo of a greedy tyrant and a faux religious leader/ lackey- but their word is final. This really brings up real world analogies and how things are constructed and operate, with fear and blackmail that strip people of space to think for themselves. Geb the commander has tied hands and, as a fair person, he's the one often humiliated. Tula stumbles into all this, a 18 year old firm believer in angels. Her forced stay in Topeh may either shake those beliefs or fortify them as her fate is irrevocably tied to the lot.

Has destiny brought Tula here? Are her actions really guided by free will or a predestined sense of belonging? She has this inner voice guiding her.... Despite questioning the residents of Topeh, is Tula different except that she follows a different binding force? There is much to think about, the book really offers a comprehensive take on freedom, beliefs and what belies those beliefs.

I cared for characters and was heartbroken when things happened to them, especially Geb and Sarah.. if things were different, the ending would have been perhaps easier to accept. I felt regret at the ending. Tula is free to choose but is her choice really her? There's a touch of silver lining, though.

This book is a product of a creative and questioning mind who has much to say and will whisk you away into his world, where every word painted with vivid brushes is like a movie. You see it, you are there with the characters. The writer has a lovely, delicate , descriptive style I really liked. It takes you on a unique journey. Moreover, there is a notable deliberation in the use of certain turns of the phrase. There is a scene in which he uses a phrase " throwing ourselves off s bridge like lemmings in s mass suicide" the phrase felt a bit anachronistic because I immediately associated it with the game, and that certainly was the conjured image - like those lemmings falling off bridges but in that part the tyrant was voicing his thoughts, hence I felt it was at odd but not immersion breaking. But the intention of that comparison is very strong. Like mass controlled suicide- after all players controlling lemmings could lead them to their deaths. So yes, very nice style and interesting, purposeful comparisons


I would have liked deeper exploration of some of the protagonists' mindsets and true beliefs and to have the book spend more time developing the lives of the protagonists as they are and before Tula arrived because the setup is really creative and interesting, so I wanted more. This book could be even more than it is, with a deeper exploration of psychology of characters living under oppression, but what it is is very questioning and a compelling mix of different elements as Tula's quest. Definitely a writer I see myself returning to, and certainly a book that will leave a lasting impression because it's unique and explores an interesting topic.]]> 4.37 The Abdication
author: Justin Newland
name: Margot
average rating: 4.37
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/16
date added: 2023/06/04
shelves: 2023
review:
Received a free copy as part of a book tour to do an honest review.

"Out of death came life; out of the swamp grew the lily of the valley; out of ugliness came beauty".

A highly unique, genre-bending story that explores the idea of mankind's free will, and obedience to fear, control but also tradition and myths. Creative use of the Bible is made here, lots of biblical imagery and tropes are brought alive in an imaginative manner, set in a colourful and fast paced world that reads in part like thriller and horror (some parts made me think of Shirley Jackson's lottery in that there's mob mentality in blindly following certain traditions),in part like a fairy tale, in part like a biblical retelling, in part like a philosophical treaty and in part like Greek mythology.

We follow Tula as she makes her way to a town called Unity, where humans and angels once coexisted. But humans wanted to make their own path and departed, starting an irreversible path. Have they used this path well, Tula questions as she contemplates the story and residents of Topeh , their fears and blind obedience, their problems and nightmares. It becomes clear very early on Tula has ties to this place. Donkeys recognise her, she fits the description of a long lost daughter of the commander of the guard. In a way, Tula is Topeh's prodigal daughter.

The town of Topeh is a grotesque place, where bullying thrives and people blindly follow oppressive rules. They have been led to believe anything outside, especially the town of Unity across a feared bridge, may be the work of devils. The town is ruled by a duo of a greedy tyrant and a faux religious leader/ lackey- but their word is final. This really brings up real world analogies and how things are constructed and operate, with fear and blackmail that strip people of space to think for themselves. Geb the commander has tied hands and, as a fair person, he's the one often humiliated. Tula stumbles into all this, a 18 year old firm believer in angels. Her forced stay in Topeh may either shake those beliefs or fortify them as her fate is irrevocably tied to the lot.

Has destiny brought Tula here? Are her actions really guided by free will or a predestined sense of belonging? She has this inner voice guiding her.... Despite questioning the residents of Topeh, is Tula different except that she follows a different binding force? There is much to think about, the book really offers a comprehensive take on freedom, beliefs and what belies those beliefs.

I cared for characters and was heartbroken when things happened to them, especially Geb and Sarah.. if things were different, the ending would have been perhaps easier to accept. I felt regret at the ending. Tula is free to choose but is her choice really her? There's a touch of silver lining, though.

This book is a product of a creative and questioning mind who has much to say and will whisk you away into his world, where every word painted with vivid brushes is like a movie. You see it, you are there with the characters. The writer has a lovely, delicate , descriptive style I really liked. It takes you on a unique journey. Moreover, there is a notable deliberation in the use of certain turns of the phrase. There is a scene in which he uses a phrase " throwing ourselves off s bridge like lemmings in s mass suicide" the phrase felt a bit anachronistic because I immediately associated it with the game, and that certainly was the conjured image - like those lemmings falling off bridges but in that part the tyrant was voicing his thoughts, hence I felt it was at odd but not immersion breaking. But the intention of that comparison is very strong. Like mass controlled suicide- after all players controlling lemmings could lead them to their deaths. So yes, very nice style and interesting, purposeful comparisons


I would have liked deeper exploration of some of the protagonists' mindsets and true beliefs and to have the book spend more time developing the lives of the protagonists as they are and before Tula arrived because the setup is really creative and interesting, so I wanted more. This book could be even more than it is, with a deeper exploration of psychology of characters living under oppression, but what it is is very questioning and a compelling mix of different elements as Tula's quest. Definitely a writer I see myself returning to, and certainly a book that will leave a lasting impression because it's unique and explores an interesting topic.
]]> <![CDATA[Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 199, April 2023]]> 125073902 225 Neil Clarke Margot 5 3.62 2023 Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 199, April 2023
author: Neil Clarke
name: Margot
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/04/23
shelves: 2023, short-story-collections, various-sci-fi
review:
I liked the stories , particularly the one Andrea Kriz. Resonates with h current debates on ai generated art and is a evocative bit of fiction.
]]> A Tale for the Time Being 15811545
Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox—possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao's drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future.Ìý

Full of Ozeki's signature humour and deeply engaged with the relationship between writer and reader, past and present, fact and fiction, quantum physics, history, and myth, A Tale for the Time Being is a brilliantly inventive, beguiling story of our shared humanity and the search for home.]]> 432 Ruth Ozeki 0670026638 Margot 5 2. Moving story of a father and a daughter in a return narrative. What is home? Where is home? Coming of age as Nao learns the truth about her father and confronts her early assumptions and learns to deal with her bullies and persecutors.
3. How do we face evil we are met with? What is a hero?
4. Lots of references to Japanese culture
5 Proust is important for this book

There's Nao who writes a diary and Ruth who finds the diary years later. Nao is a teenage girl born to Japanese parents who moved to America when her father got a job...but returned to Japan after things went downhill..Nao has trouble adjusting to the new life in a place she doesn't see as home and whose realities are strange to her. Her father is suicidal ..Nao has assumptions about it but the truth is very moving in the end.

Truths are discovered as we read the story together with Ruth. But perhaps it's Ruth who is the subject of Nao's story.

It's a really stimulating read that's easy to pick up after aa slump and keeps you engaged,asks relevant questions and creates the characters with much love and humanity.]]> 4.06 2013 A Tale for the Time Being
author: Ruth Ozeki
name: Margot
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/06
date added: 2023/01/29
shelves: best-1st-person, children-pov, friendship, japanese, journey, meandering, time, 2023, books-stores-booksellers, escape, favourites, interesting-concepts, island, parents-and-children, war, loved-covers, memory, story-within-a-story, that-ending
review:
1. Reader-writer story
2. Moving story of a father and a daughter in a return narrative. What is home? Where is home? Coming of age as Nao learns the truth about her father and confronts her early assumptions and learns to deal with her bullies and persecutors.
3. How do we face evil we are met with? What is a hero?
4. Lots of references to Japanese culture
5 Proust is important for this book

There's Nao who writes a diary and Ruth who finds the diary years later. Nao is a teenage girl born to Japanese parents who moved to America when her father got a job...but returned to Japan after things went downhill..Nao has trouble adjusting to the new life in a place she doesn't see as home and whose realities are strange to her. Her father is suicidal ..Nao has assumptions about it but the truth is very moving in the end.

Truths are discovered as we read the story together with Ruth. But perhaps it's Ruth who is the subject of Nao's story.

It's a really stimulating read that's easy to pick up after aa slump and keeps you engaged,asks relevant questions and creates the characters with much love and humanity.
]]> Signal Fires 59573299
Two families. One night. A constellation of lives changed forever.

A TIME Best Fiction Book of the Year � A Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction � A Real Simple Best Book of the Year

An ancient majestic oak stands beneath the stars on Division Street. And under the tree sits Ben Wilf, a retired doctor, and ten-year-old Waldo Shenkman, a brilliant, lonely boy who is pointing out his favorite constellations. Waldo doesn’t realize it but he and Ben have met before. And they will again, and again. Across time and space, and shared destiny.

Division Street is full of secrets. An impulsive lie begets a secret—one which will forever haunt the Wilf family. And the Shenkmans, who move into the neighborhood many years later, bring secrets of their own.. Spanning fifty kaleidoscopic years, on a street—and in a galaxy—where stars collapse and stories collide, these two families become bound in ways they never could have imagined.

Urgent and compassionate, SIGNAL FIRES is a magical story for our times, a literary tour de force by a masterful storyteller at the height of her powers. A luminous meditation on family, memory, and the healing power of interconnectedness.]]> 229 Dani Shapiro 0593534727 Margot 0 to-read 3.85 2022 Signal Fires
author: Dani Shapiro
name: Margot
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Riki i Drogi 59336146 128 Mark Liwin 8364375415 Margot 5
This little known story has been named one of the outstanding books for young people with disabilities by the Swiss International Board on Books for young people (ibby)

It's another book with a very effective use of the first-person POV. This time, we put on the shoes of a fourteen-year-old boy with Asperger's. His life resembles a broken plate and, to pick up the pieces, we follow him to the forest, where he meets a talking dog who shares life stories with him, teaching the boy how to deal with reality. It's a heartbreaking and sympathetic story about being different- and dealing with social prejudices and how they affect the family too. It's also about being kind and learning to be more tender towards one another as well as dealing with loss. I think we often hang on to those who depart, by clinging to schedules, acting out what's , afraid of letting go. Escaping to the forest is like stopping time, he tries to suspend time, find refuge in it and think about things, deal with them. But once he leaves the forest , time will move on again. Can he do it it? It's a really wise, sensitive book on many levels and one to return to. I hope it'll be available in English. The literal translation of the title is Riki and Ways.



------

Pewnym truizmem stało się stwierdzenie, że książki pozwalają nam żyć tysiąc żyć. Jest to jednak jeden z moich najukochańszych truizmów bo gdzie indziej, jak nie w literaturze, z roli oszalałego z rozpaczy i żądzy zemsty senegalskiego żołnierza w armii francuskiej podczas I wojny światowej możemy w jednej chwili stać się 14-letnim chłopcem ze diagnozowanym zespołem Aspergera? Narracja pierwszoosobowa to bardzo potężne narzędzie, z którym eksperymentowali różni pisarze ale którego potencjał, w moim odczuciu, w pełni wykorzystują dopiero pisarze tacy, jak David Diop czy właśnie Mark Liwin, ponieważ umiejętnie przemawiają do emocji, poruszają, pisząc z empatią sprawiają, że możemy poczuć trochę tego, co czują ich bohaterowie.

To jest tak jak mówi nasz bohater, "wszyscy potrzebują szczególnej uwagi, nie tylko ja, ponieważ to oznacza, że jesteś dla kogoś cenny". Polecam tą książkę, jest przepełniona wrażliwością na drugiego człowieka. Umiejętnie skonstruowana narracja pierwszoosobowa jest dla mnie narzędziem, który to unaocznia. Wejście w czyjąś rolę wzmaga chęć bycia empatycznym, wykazywania większego zrozumienia wobec drugiego człowieka, którego być może zbyt często i zbyt szybko oceniamy nie próbując właśnie widzieć spraw z perspektywy innych doświadczeń.

"Riki i Drogi" to mądra, przepełniona wrażliwością na drugiego człowieka książka, pozbawiona powierzchownego sentymentalizmu i tandety. Nie błyszczy, ale jest złotem, i jest pełna emocji.

Bohatera spotykamy w środku lasu. Co on tam robi staje się jasne pod koniec opowieści. W międzyczasie zaprzyjaźnia się z niezwykłym, gadającym psem, który opowiada mu różne historie i przekazuje pewne życiowe doświadczenia. Wyprawa do lasu pomaga bohaterowi nauczyć się nowych sposobów radzenia z rzeczywistością, która nie jest łatwa, choć moim zdaniem i tak chłopak sobie radzi. Jest to opowieść o braku wsparcia społecznego, o krzywdzących ocenach i lekceważących, być może przepełnionych strachem, podejściach z jaką mogą spotykać spotykać się osoby „inne� , ale przesłania są bardzo uniwersalne. Bohater zmaga się z bardzo trudnymi zmianami, czyniąc to trzyma się pewnych schematów. Zmiany w życiu jak śmierć kogoś bliskiego są trudne. Ile czasu trzyma się czasem wtedy ich numer w telefonie, lub też screenshota z tym, że dzwonili do nas ostatnio wczoraj, tydzień temu, w lutym, a już ich nie ma. Trzymanie się pewnych utartych rytuałów i zachowań daję powierzchowną iluzję, że możemy coś zatrzymać, chociażby na chwilę, bo tego chcemy, bo nie chcemy może czuć jeszcze jakiegoś opuszczenia i pustki. Ale tak się nie da. I myślę, że skoro nasz czternastoletni bohater ma odwagę jak gdyby przywrócić bieg czasu, możemy robić to i my.

Czytajmy Wschodni Express (seria, w której ukazała się m.in ta książka), dobór autorów i tekstów jest unikalny � kto inny skupia się na mało znanej literaturze Europy Środkowo- Wschodniej? Uważam że to zacna inicjatywa. Są zacni wydawcy i księgarnie poświęcone literaturze angielskiej, azjatyckiej. Warto też poznawać opowieści naszych bliskich sąsiadów. Na pewno mają dużo do powiedzenia.]]> 3.87 2016 Riki i Drogi
author: Mark Liwin
name: Margot
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/12
date added: 2022/04/19
shelves: 2021, children-pov, novels-under-300-pages, favourites, ukraine, parents-and-children, forest, animals, best-1st-person, escape
review:
I really wish this book was available in English. It's pure gold - even if it doesn't glitter.

This little known story has been named one of the outstanding books for young people with disabilities by the Swiss International Board on Books for young people (ibby)

It's another book with a very effective use of the first-person POV. This time, we put on the shoes of a fourteen-year-old boy with Asperger's. His life resembles a broken plate and, to pick up the pieces, we follow him to the forest, where he meets a talking dog who shares life stories with him, teaching the boy how to deal with reality. It's a heartbreaking and sympathetic story about being different- and dealing with social prejudices and how they affect the family too. It's also about being kind and learning to be more tender towards one another as well as dealing with loss. I think we often hang on to those who depart, by clinging to schedules, acting out what's , afraid of letting go. Escaping to the forest is like stopping time, he tries to suspend time, find refuge in it and think about things, deal with them. But once he leaves the forest , time will move on again. Can he do it it? It's a really wise, sensitive book on many levels and one to return to. I hope it'll be available in English. The literal translation of the title is Riki and Ways.



------

Pewnym truizmem stało się stwierdzenie, że książki pozwalają nam żyć tysiąc żyć. Jest to jednak jeden z moich najukochańszych truizmów bo gdzie indziej, jak nie w literaturze, z roli oszalałego z rozpaczy i żądzy zemsty senegalskiego żołnierza w armii francuskiej podczas I wojny światowej możemy w jednej chwili stać się 14-letnim chłopcem ze diagnozowanym zespołem Aspergera? Narracja pierwszoosobowa to bardzo potężne narzędzie, z którym eksperymentowali różni pisarze ale którego potencjał, w moim odczuciu, w pełni wykorzystują dopiero pisarze tacy, jak David Diop czy właśnie Mark Liwin, ponieważ umiejętnie przemawiają do emocji, poruszają, pisząc z empatią sprawiają, że możemy poczuć trochę tego, co czują ich bohaterowie.

To jest tak jak mówi nasz bohater, "wszyscy potrzebują szczególnej uwagi, nie tylko ja, ponieważ to oznacza, że jesteś dla kogoś cenny". Polecam tą książkę, jest przepełniona wrażliwością na drugiego człowieka. Umiejętnie skonstruowana narracja pierwszoosobowa jest dla mnie narzędziem, który to unaocznia. Wejście w czyjąś rolę wzmaga chęć bycia empatycznym, wykazywania większego zrozumienia wobec drugiego człowieka, którego być może zbyt często i zbyt szybko oceniamy nie próbując właśnie widzieć spraw z perspektywy innych doświadczeń.

"Riki i Drogi" to mądra, przepełniona wrażliwością na drugiego człowieka książka, pozbawiona powierzchownego sentymentalizmu i tandety. Nie błyszczy, ale jest złotem, i jest pełna emocji.

Bohatera spotykamy w środku lasu. Co on tam robi staje się jasne pod koniec opowieści. W międzyczasie zaprzyjaźnia się z niezwykłym, gadającym psem, który opowiada mu różne historie i przekazuje pewne życiowe doświadczenia. Wyprawa do lasu pomaga bohaterowi nauczyć się nowych sposobów radzenia z rzeczywistością, która nie jest łatwa, choć moim zdaniem i tak chłopak sobie radzi. Jest to opowieść o braku wsparcia społecznego, o krzywdzących ocenach i lekceważących, być może przepełnionych strachem, podejściach z jaką mogą spotykać spotykać się osoby „inne� , ale przesłania są bardzo uniwersalne. Bohater zmaga się z bardzo trudnymi zmianami, czyniąc to trzyma się pewnych schematów. Zmiany w życiu jak śmierć kogoś bliskiego są trudne. Ile czasu trzyma się czasem wtedy ich numer w telefonie, lub też screenshota z tym, że dzwonili do nas ostatnio wczoraj, tydzień temu, w lutym, a już ich nie ma. Trzymanie się pewnych utartych rytuałów i zachowań daję powierzchowną iluzję, że możemy coś zatrzymać, chociażby na chwilę, bo tego chcemy, bo nie chcemy może czuć jeszcze jakiegoś opuszczenia i pustki. Ale tak się nie da. I myślę, że skoro nasz czternastoletni bohater ma odwagę jak gdyby przywrócić bieg czasu, możemy robić to i my.

Czytajmy Wschodni Express (seria, w której ukazała się m.in ta książka), dobór autorów i tekstów jest unikalny � kto inny skupia się na mało znanej literaturze Europy Środkowo- Wschodniej? Uważam że to zacna inicjatywa. Są zacni wydawcy i księgarnie poświęcone literaturze angielskiej, azjatyckiej. Warto też poznawać opowieści naszych bliskich sąsiadów. Na pewno mają dużo do powiedzenia.
]]> Heart of Darkness 420031 Heart of Darkness (1899) explores the limits of human experience as well as the nighmarish realities of imperialism.]]> 136 Joseph Conrad 0141441674 Margot 4
But I love Lord Jim, love Amy Foster, Secret sharer and his sea essays. Love Marlow as a narrator and protagonist. When reading Conrad it's important to remember English was his third language, after his native Polish and second language French. He picked up English while sailing on ships. He put an effort into using words so they would render the right meaning. His prose is visual and often poetic.

for me, the strength of Heart of Darkness is exactly that, the atmosphere and how he paints it. The feeling of crossing into another world and how life-changing the experience is, the descriptions of the sea, the land, is for me Conrad at his best. It's very atmospheric. The themes are an altogether different matter. There are many, it is a very layered book. There is loneliness, sanity and insanity, moral corruption, duty and responsibility. Not to mention, it is fun to trace Marlow's story as Heart of Darkness is just one of several Marlow-centric stories.

I'd say this is one of those novels that warrants re-reading at various stages in life, after you experience, learn and read more. It's a tough read that may require some effort but one that may yield a lot of food for thought each time and thus be very satisfying.]]> 3.29 1899 Heart of Darkness
author: Joseph Conrad
name: Margot
average rating: 3.29
book published: 1899
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/04/16
shelves: read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, novels-under-300-pages, atmospheric, journey, nature-plants
review:
I read Heart of Darkness at school. Later, I read it as part of my English lit programme at Uni. Later I attempted academic research on Conrad but I felt that intellectually Conrad is still beyond my reach and found myself with little of worth to add to the extensive discussions on his work. I felt like an impostor even attempting it.

But I love Lord Jim, love Amy Foster, Secret sharer and his sea essays. Love Marlow as a narrator and protagonist. When reading Conrad it's important to remember English was his third language, after his native Polish and second language French. He picked up English while sailing on ships. He put an effort into using words so they would render the right meaning. His prose is visual and often poetic.

for me, the strength of Heart of Darkness is exactly that, the atmosphere and how he paints it. The feeling of crossing into another world and how life-changing the experience is, the descriptions of the sea, the land, is for me Conrad at his best. It's very atmospheric. The themes are an altogether different matter. There are many, it is a very layered book. There is loneliness, sanity and insanity, moral corruption, duty and responsibility. Not to mention, it is fun to trace Marlow's story as Heart of Darkness is just one of several Marlow-centric stories.

I'd say this is one of those novels that warrants re-reading at various stages in life, after you experience, learn and read more. It's a tough read that may require some effort but one that may yield a lot of food for thought each time and thus be very satisfying.
]]> <![CDATA[Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia]]> 21413849 A journey into the glittering, surreal heart of 21st century Russia, where even dictatorship is a reality show

Professional killers with the souls of artists, would-be theater directors turned Kremlin puppet-masters, suicidal supermodels, Hell’s Angels who hallucinate themselves as holy warriors, and oligarch revolutionaries: welcome to the wild and bizarre heart of twenty-first-century Russia. It is a world erupting with new money and new power, changing so fast it breaks all sense of reality, home to a form of dictatorship-far subtler than twentieth-century strains-that is rapidly rising to challenge the West.

When British producer Peter Pomerantsev plunges into the booming Russian TV industry, he gains access to every nook and corrupt cranny of the country. He is brought to smoky rooms for meetings with propaganda gurus running the nerve-center of the Russian media machine, and visits Siberian mafia-towns and the salons of the international super-rich in London and the US. As the Putin regime becomes more aggressive, Pomerantsev finds himself drawn further into the system.

Dazzling yet piercingly insightful, Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible is an unforgettable voyage into a country spinning from decadence into madness.]]> 256 Peter Pomerantsev 1610394550 Margot 0 to-read 3.96 2014 Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia
author: Peter Pomerantsev
name: Margot
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> House of Leaves 24800
Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story—of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.]]> 710 Mark Z. Danielewski Margot 5
Two simultaneous storylines, one told in footnotes and often taking over the other as the footnotes spill out of control. A man called Zampano wrote a manuscript about a strange house. A house that's way more than just a house. It's all described in great detail, and reads like a piece of found footage that's additionally described and analysed like a piece of academic research. Even reactions, every moment is subject to fictional academic scrutiny and I found it on point as far as academic research can sometimes go! A man called Johnny Truant comments on this narrative. He's pretty wild, engaged in all sorts of danger and lust but the story that unfolds is very dark and towards the end some things within the Zampano story start making perfect sense for Truant.

The whole thing seems to be a product of an unstable mind, a mind riddled with anxiety. But whose? There's so much unreliability, I ended up questioning everything, up to a point of asking - who's actually behind it all?

It's one book you cannot read on a Kindle as the experience would be lost. There is sideways text, upside down text, all reflects the chaos of the moments and I love it. Sometimes extra texts serves to make a noise.

It makes fantastic use of academic discourse, inserts extra material just like Moby Dick, includes poems and fictional references. It makes a great use of the concept of the uncanny and labyrinths and is in general a work covering an astounding breadth of angles. Furthermore, it really is a story that crawls under your skin, and you can't put the book down. The ending is not entirely hopeless though but still brutal. It's all fascinating. I especially love the breadth of styles used.

It's one for rereading, definitely, to see what I missed on the first read, and I'm very happy to put this book on my shelf.]]> 4.11 2000 House of Leaves
author: Mark Z. Danielewski
name: Margot
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/30
date added: 2022/03/04
shelves: 2021, atmospheric, houses, interesting-concepts, journey, letter-diary-notes, long-novels, memory, parents-and-children, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, story-within-a-story, favourites, meandering, books-stores-booksellers, halloween
review:
I'm still not sure what happened here other that it literally transforms the reading experience.

Two simultaneous storylines, one told in footnotes and often taking over the other as the footnotes spill out of control. A man called Zampano wrote a manuscript about a strange house. A house that's way more than just a house. It's all described in great detail, and reads like a piece of found footage that's additionally described and analysed like a piece of academic research. Even reactions, every moment is subject to fictional academic scrutiny and I found it on point as far as academic research can sometimes go! A man called Johnny Truant comments on this narrative. He's pretty wild, engaged in all sorts of danger and lust but the story that unfolds is very dark and towards the end some things within the Zampano story start making perfect sense for Truant.

The whole thing seems to be a product of an unstable mind, a mind riddled with anxiety. But whose? There's so much unreliability, I ended up questioning everything, up to a point of asking - who's actually behind it all?

It's one book you cannot read on a Kindle as the experience would be lost. There is sideways text, upside down text, all reflects the chaos of the moments and I love it. Sometimes extra texts serves to make a noise.

It makes fantastic use of academic discourse, inserts extra material just like Moby Dick, includes poems and fictional references. It makes a great use of the concept of the uncanny and labyrinths and is in general a work covering an astounding breadth of angles. Furthermore, it really is a story that crawls under your skin, and you can't put the book down. The ending is not entirely hopeless though but still brutal. It's all fascinating. I especially love the breadth of styles used.

It's one for rereading, definitely, to see what I missed on the first read, and I'm very happy to put this book on my shelf.
]]> The Girl in the Corn (1) 59090199 400 Jason Offutt 0744304997 Margot 0
TW: references to male rape, violence, murder of a child and dog.

]]> 3.56 The Girl in the Corn (1)
author: Jason Offutt
name: Margot
average rating: 3.56
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2022/02/18
date added: 2022/02/19
shelves: 2022, children-pov, journey, long-novels, mythology-religion
review:
I received a copy with a request for an honest review.

TW: references to male rape, violence, murder of a child and dog.


]]> <![CDATA[Tales of the City (Tales of the City, #1)]]> 413729 The first novel in the beloved Tales of the City series, Armistead Maupin’s best-selling San Francisco saga, and inspiration for the Netflix original series once again starring Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis.

Inspiration for the Netflix Limited Series, Tales of the City

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick

For almost four decades Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City has blazed its own trail through popular culture—from a groundbreaking newspaper serial to a classic novel, to a television event that entranced millions around the world. The first of nine novels about the denizens of the mythic apartment house at 28 Barbary Lane, Tales is both a sparkling comedy of manners and an indelible portrait of an era that changed forever the way we live.]]> 371 Armistead Maupin 0061358304 Margot 0 to-read 3.87 1978 Tales of the City (Tales of the City, #1)
author: Armistead Maupin
name: Margot
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1978
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Pied Piper 647957 282 Nevil Shute 1842322788 Margot 0 to-read 4.18 1942 Pied Piper
author: Nevil Shute
name: Margot
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1942
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Complete Maus 15195
The Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father’s story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), shocks us out of any lingering sense of familiarity and succeeds in “drawing us closer to the bleak heart of the Holocaust� (The New York Times).

Maus is a haunting tale within a tale. Vladek’s harrowing story of survival is woven into the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits. This astonishing retelling of our century’s grisliest news is a story of survival, not only of Vladek but of the children who survive even the survivors. Maus studies the bloody pawprints of history and tracks its meaning for all of us.]]> 296 Art Spiegelman 0141014083 Margot 5
This graphic novel is definitely a must read.

The story of Art Spiegelman's father is told in simple, dark panels, with characters drawn as animals. It traces Vladek's fate from before the war through the entire ordeal, through mamy near misses, near escapes and heart-rending losses. It's a very honest tale that does not shy away from presenting dark moment's in your own family. Neither does it idealise anyone. Nazi, Poles, or Jews. It tells it as it is. With all the behaviours Vladek came across, good and bad, and with all the strategies he had to develop to survive. I think this story really successfully drives the point how can a human do something like this to another?

It is also a story about one family, about a son who's trying to understand and feels guilty about having had an easy life and about ailing father who shares his gruelling story. The bond is warm and loving. They're not perfect, they're real. There's a very dark comic within the comic part, in a different style in the middle that deals with a tremendously tragic event within Art's lifetime. But there are touches of humour that break up the darkness a little, but never really leaving behind the underlying tragedy. I loved the two, Vladek and Art as they shared and dealt with their demons, loved the love radiating from the pages. Also Anja. It's a powerful and multi-layered narrative with many themes. It's painful to realise with even more power thanks to the simple storytelling of a graphic novel, how really utterly pointless, senseless losses happened not just because of one man with power to carry out his terrifying and ill-conceived, arrogant, hateful and ignorant vision of "homogeneity" but because people don't always act like humans. Plus the idea of using animals to represent races without nuancing each individual drives the message even further home.]]> 4.57 1980 The Complete Maus
author: Art Spiegelman
name: Margot
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1980
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/12
date added: 2022/02/11
shelves: 2022, escape, favourites, friendship, graphic-novels-and-comics, historical-fiction, jewish, memory, non-fiction, parents-and-children, war, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life
review:
"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms � to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."- V.Frankl

This graphic novel is definitely a must read.

The story of Art Spiegelman's father is told in simple, dark panels, with characters drawn as animals. It traces Vladek's fate from before the war through the entire ordeal, through mamy near misses, near escapes and heart-rending losses. It's a very honest tale that does not shy away from presenting dark moment's in your own family. Neither does it idealise anyone. Nazi, Poles, or Jews. It tells it as it is. With all the behaviours Vladek came across, good and bad, and with all the strategies he had to develop to survive. I think this story really successfully drives the point how can a human do something like this to another?

It is also a story about one family, about a son who's trying to understand and feels guilty about having had an easy life and about ailing father who shares his gruelling story. The bond is warm and loving. They're not perfect, they're real. There's a very dark comic within the comic part, in a different style in the middle that deals with a tremendously tragic event within Art's lifetime. But there are touches of humour that break up the darkness a little, but never really leaving behind the underlying tragedy. I loved the two, Vladek and Art as they shared and dealt with their demons, loved the love radiating from the pages. Also Anja. It's a powerful and multi-layered narrative with many themes. It's painful to realise with even more power thanks to the simple storytelling of a graphic novel, how really utterly pointless, senseless losses happened not just because of one man with power to carry out his terrifying and ill-conceived, arrogant, hateful and ignorant vision of "homogeneity" but because people don't always act like humans. Plus the idea of using animals to represent races without nuancing each individual drives the message even further home.
]]> Good Morning, Midnight 27405403
At the same time, Mission Specialist Sullivan is aboard the Aether on its return flight from Jupiter. The astronauts are the first human beings to delve this deep into space, and Sully has made peace with the sacrifices required of her: a daughter left behind, a marriage ended. So far the journey has been a success, but when Mission Control falls inexplicably silent, Sully and her crew mates are forced to wonder if they will ever get home.

As Augustine and Sully each face an uncertain future against forbidding yet beautiful landscapes, their stories gradually intertwine in a profound and unexpected conclusion. In crystalline prose, Good Morning, Midnight poses the most important questions: What endures at the end of the world? How do we make sense of our lives?]]> 259 Lily Brooks-Dalton 0812998898 Margot 5
When a group of astronauts on board the spacecraft Aether complete their several year-long mission to Jupiter, they are suddenly stumped that radio silence greets them from Earth. Full of unanswered questions, they plot their course home, while life still goes on aboard. In the meantime, an ailing man and a small girl try to survive in Antarctica.

The end of the world is quiet, creeps in on characters without them knowing. Augustine on earth is a man who used to walk with his head in the stars but was otherwise lost and broken in many ways, though able-bodied. Now, he finds something to ground him as he meets another survivor, a little girl. Love awakens in his heart and makes him see beyond the stars to important matters on earth. The little girl helps him find a purpose despite the catastrophic solitude.

Iris on board Aether is lost too. Disconnected from her family, she loses herself in her work. But finds an unexpected connection and warmth with her commander Harper through little shared moments of surviving the uncertainty. A thousand doors, wide open now.

Augustine and Iris are both broken individuals but unknown to them they share a bond that goes beyond that of the fascination with the stars.

The elegantly written, slow-paced novel relies a lot on descriptions and images to offer a quiet reflection. The sense that end comes quietly and the idea of being lost as explored here. The vast silence that accompanies changing seasons on earth in Antarctica and the ship that travels back to Earth without knowing what awaits. It takes a group of people in space and puts them in an impossible situation: what if Earth suddenly went silent while they were out there? What now, what's there to do? Down on Earth Augie has to deal with the same question and survive in the wild. I love it puts more questions than answers to the characters.

It's a subtle exploration of loss, of the vastness of the world and universe in which we feel alone, especially in the silence and also about finding connection in unexpected moments and how they connection gives grounding and something to hope for despite the odds. I really liked Harper.

The movie makes considerable changes: fuses Harper with Thebes into one character, diminishes the connection the commander has with Iris and spells out (a little clumsily in my opinion ) the connection between Iris and Augie, while also losing a lot of the emotional, pensive vastness and uncertainty the characters face. Perhaps it's a bit stronger with Clooney's Augie, but less so with the movie Iris. Other characters are also subtly changed. There are some changes to the plot to make it more hopeful I guess but I prefer the book's open ending.

I definitely prefer the book with it's subtly formed connections and that melancholy sense of being dwarfed in the vast, silent universe.

Very good read. Very reflective, with a focus on bonds and making connections, doing with grief, loss, finding oneself.

Nevil Shute's On the Beach might be a good read if you liked this.]]> 3.88 2016 Good Morning, Midnight
author: Lily Brooks-Dalton
name: Margot
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/05
date added: 2022/02/06
shelves: 2022, dystopia-and-post-apocalyptic, favourites, friendship, journey, love-including-sweet-clean-romance, novels-under-300-pages, parents-and-children, space, various-sci-fi
review:
A thousand doors, wide open now.

When a group of astronauts on board the spacecraft Aether complete their several year-long mission to Jupiter, they are suddenly stumped that radio silence greets them from Earth. Full of unanswered questions, they plot their course home, while life still goes on aboard. In the meantime, an ailing man and a small girl try to survive in Antarctica.

The end of the world is quiet, creeps in on characters without them knowing. Augustine on earth is a man who used to walk with his head in the stars but was otherwise lost and broken in many ways, though able-bodied. Now, he finds something to ground him as he meets another survivor, a little girl. Love awakens in his heart and makes him see beyond the stars to important matters on earth. The little girl helps him find a purpose despite the catastrophic solitude.

Iris on board Aether is lost too. Disconnected from her family, she loses herself in her work. But finds an unexpected connection and warmth with her commander Harper through little shared moments of surviving the uncertainty. A thousand doors, wide open now.

Augustine and Iris are both broken individuals but unknown to them they share a bond that goes beyond that of the fascination with the stars.

The elegantly written, slow-paced novel relies a lot on descriptions and images to offer a quiet reflection. The sense that end comes quietly and the idea of being lost as explored here. The vast silence that accompanies changing seasons on earth in Antarctica and the ship that travels back to Earth without knowing what awaits. It takes a group of people in space and puts them in an impossible situation: what if Earth suddenly went silent while they were out there? What now, what's there to do? Down on Earth Augie has to deal with the same question and survive in the wild. I love it puts more questions than answers to the characters.

It's a subtle exploration of loss, of the vastness of the world and universe in which we feel alone, especially in the silence and also about finding connection in unexpected moments and how they connection gives grounding and something to hope for despite the odds. I really liked Harper.

The movie makes considerable changes: fuses Harper with Thebes into one character, diminishes the connection the commander has with Iris and spells out (a little clumsily in my opinion ) the connection between Iris and Augie, while also losing a lot of the emotional, pensive vastness and uncertainty the characters face. Perhaps it's a bit stronger with Clooney's Augie, but less so with the movie Iris. Other characters are also subtly changed. There are some changes to the plot to make it more hopeful I guess but I prefer the book's open ending.

I definitely prefer the book with it's subtly formed connections and that melancholy sense of being dwarfed in the vast, silent universe.

Very good read. Very reflective, with a focus on bonds and making connections, doing with grief, loss, finding oneself.

Nevil Shute's On the Beach might be a good read if you liked this.
]]> Shutter Island 21686 369 Dennis Lehane 038073186X Margot 4 4.12 2003 Shutter Island
author: Dennis Lehane
name: Margot
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/01
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: 2020, favourites, interesting-concepts, long-novels, island, memory, atmospheric, friendship, best-protagonist, that-ending, journey
review:
Woah. The twist is everything in this story. I've thoroughly enjoyed the way the narrative carried me to that moment and what it turned out to be. It really changed perspective and impact of characters and plot events. That's all I'm gonna say. That and characters are likeable. It works as a buddy story of sorts too
]]> Enemy 56296518 THE ENEMY COULD BE ANYBODY…EVEN YOUR OWN BROTHER"Enemy is the type of story I wish I could see made into a movie. I picture all the scenes and situations in my head. I don't bother with the cast, only what I came here the adventure." - Jose Popoff"Enemy by Kimberly Amato is a chilling read in today’s controversial political climate." - A. Cannady**Book Excellence Award Finalist**In this cautionary tale of the decay of democratic systems, author Kimberly Amato delivers the chilling reminder that every generation discards the lessons of history at its own peril â€� and that of generations to come.On New Year’s Day 2045, a desperate remnant of the 20-year-old resistance prepares for its final stand against the ruthless tyranny of the new world order. As cells of resistance across the world crumble, this tattered underground â€� literally, housed in the subterranean tunnels of the New York subway â€� strikes on two the prison which conceals a sadistic experimental medical facility and the very seat of power, where the battle reaches its explosive conclusion.Their leader Ellie Goldman, a renegade agent of the former Multinational Security Council remembers democracy in its last throes. Yet as disillusioned, debased, and desperate â€� one could argue, insane â€� as Ellie is, she retains the cache of compassion.Amato has created a soul-grindingly brutal post-apocalyptic world where everybody is a potential enemy—anybody could turn you in to the authorities. Human life is worthless; women, useless except as receptacles. Skin color is a crime. The prisons are full of thought criminals, people of color, women, and rebels, overseen by guards whose fate has been determined by the state’s assignment testing.Mistrust and division are everywhere, even among the brothers of the resistance, even between the real brothers, Sam, a student dedicated to the resistance, and Tim, a prison guard ensnared in the government’s torturing, extremely violent and sadistic machine. As the novel accelerates to its shocking but inevitable conclusion, the brothers act out the timeless struggle between love and so-called “dutyâ€â€”actually the noose of authoritarianism--as the fate of humanity is decided by one idealistic woman determined to give the world a fresh start.]]> 246 Kimberly Amato 0999043331 Margot 4
"You can't have a clean slate if the roach remains".

In this dystopian plot-oriented topical action thriller, the year is 2045, the US is governed by a Russian-American alliance, women, gender and ethnic minorities have been subdued as the notion of pure race of perfect white men has once again resurfaced. There's a centre for experimenting on humans on Riker's Island, representatives of other races are persecuted. A resistance group led by one Ellie Goldman plans one last attack against the current world order. It's all or nothing for them.

There are several subplots running through the story, it combines political thriller with action and human intetest as we see fates of "subpar" humans in experimentation centre and backstories of the characters are competently woven into the plot. At the centre is Ellie Goldman, the leader of the resistance plot, a tough "I best act solo" agent but with softer sides, mourning the loss of her wife and family. She makes tough choices but for me, in the end, some of them are hardly better than the actions of the regime she's fighting. I strongly disagree with her final desperately apocalyptic call but the ending goes off with a literal bang. The open epilogue is very interesting if fatalistic. It is interesting to consider if, given a chance to evolve again, we would repeat the same cycle or follow a different course? It's an open question the book asked me in the end. And that was its strongest point for me.

Fighting alongside Ellie are several other characters with complicated situations, including a young genius whose brother is a ward at the experimentation centre and who's bought into loyalty by a promise of securing treatment for his mother. His resolve is ultimately tested, similarly to others. There are others: a soldier with a Japanese girlfriend, both too "genetically flawed" for the topsiders, and a hardened major set in his own ways. Ellie's wife makes an appearance and is presented as a sort of a riddle-spaking Eastern sage but I felt that part was overdone. I didn't really get particularly attached to characters, they served the plot and illustrated it's various points. I was, however, concerned with the overall fate of humanity and especially regular characters like Iris and Toby. It's they who pay the price of decisions on BOTH ends: those made by the authorities and those by the resistance.

It reads like an action-packed thriller and is grounded in fears and developments derived from current political climates, especially extremely warped right-wing ideologies that fear difference and hate not being obeyed and that have increasingly swept across not just the US but the world. It's very easy for an activist lawyer to become a terrorist in the eyes of the state, and for hatred and fear of difference to dominate politics.. The title is very apt and leaves the reader to ponder who or what ENEMY is.

Democracy fails in the hands of fools and demagogues and it's wasted on those who turn away from the injustices and problems they see. Personally I'm against the notion that it's patriarchy that is necessarily evil. Any dominance of any one individual or gender or religion over others, particularly when they are grounded in ignorance and fear, is catastrophic. I really think a Machiavellian influential female antagonist in power would have been a great addition to the cast in this book and added to it as well.

I'm against thinking that a world ordered just by women / other selected group would necessarily be all better. I'm a believer in balance and think it would require ALL of us to work together. Humanity in general however have led to the degradation of nature and much as I don't agree with it, a hard reset might be what it takes.

I'm strongly against the world weariness I find in this book. It's still a beautiful world with much good in it, much as current situation with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine is a ticking bomb and the story in this book rings true in several respects but most of all in relation to US - Russian relations and administration focused on hatred and ignorance.

It is an interesting dystopian political thriller that's world-aware but also world-weary. It's fast paced, direct and competently written. Makes for a very good read and could well be an action movie, and also leaves the reader with food for thought.]]> 4.19 Enemy
author: Kimberly Amato
name: Margot
average rating: 4.19
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/29
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: 2022, dystopia-and-post-apocalyptic, that-ending, escape, novels-under-300-pages
review:
I received a free copy with a request for an honest review.

"You can't have a clean slate if the roach remains".

In this dystopian plot-oriented topical action thriller, the year is 2045, the US is governed by a Russian-American alliance, women, gender and ethnic minorities have been subdued as the notion of pure race of perfect white men has once again resurfaced. There's a centre for experimenting on humans on Riker's Island, representatives of other races are persecuted. A resistance group led by one Ellie Goldman plans one last attack against the current world order. It's all or nothing for them.

There are several subplots running through the story, it combines political thriller with action and human intetest as we see fates of "subpar" humans in experimentation centre and backstories of the characters are competently woven into the plot. At the centre is Ellie Goldman, the leader of the resistance plot, a tough "I best act solo" agent but with softer sides, mourning the loss of her wife and family. She makes tough choices but for me, in the end, some of them are hardly better than the actions of the regime she's fighting. I strongly disagree with her final desperately apocalyptic call but the ending goes off with a literal bang. The open epilogue is very interesting if fatalistic. It is interesting to consider if, given a chance to evolve again, we would repeat the same cycle or follow a different course? It's an open question the book asked me in the end. And that was its strongest point for me.

Fighting alongside Ellie are several other characters with complicated situations, including a young genius whose brother is a ward at the experimentation centre and who's bought into loyalty by a promise of securing treatment for his mother. His resolve is ultimately tested, similarly to others. There are others: a soldier with a Japanese girlfriend, both too "genetically flawed" for the topsiders, and a hardened major set in his own ways. Ellie's wife makes an appearance and is presented as a sort of a riddle-spaking Eastern sage but I felt that part was overdone. I didn't really get particularly attached to characters, they served the plot and illustrated it's various points. I was, however, concerned with the overall fate of humanity and especially regular characters like Iris and Toby. It's they who pay the price of decisions on BOTH ends: those made by the authorities and those by the resistance.

It reads like an action-packed thriller and is grounded in fears and developments derived from current political climates, especially extremely warped right-wing ideologies that fear difference and hate not being obeyed and that have increasingly swept across not just the US but the world. It's very easy for an activist lawyer to become a terrorist in the eyes of the state, and for hatred and fear of difference to dominate politics.. The title is very apt and leaves the reader to ponder who or what ENEMY is.

Democracy fails in the hands of fools and demagogues and it's wasted on those who turn away from the injustices and problems they see. Personally I'm against the notion that it's patriarchy that is necessarily evil. Any dominance of any one individual or gender or religion over others, particularly when they are grounded in ignorance and fear, is catastrophic. I really think a Machiavellian influential female antagonist in power would have been a great addition to the cast in this book and added to it as well.

I'm against thinking that a world ordered just by women / other selected group would necessarily be all better. I'm a believer in balance and think it would require ALL of us to work together. Humanity in general however have led to the degradation of nature and much as I don't agree with it, a hard reset might be what it takes.

I'm strongly against the world weariness I find in this book. It's still a beautiful world with much good in it, much as current situation with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine is a ticking bomb and the story in this book rings true in several respects but most of all in relation to US - Russian relations and administration focused on hatred and ignorance.

It is an interesting dystopian political thriller that's world-aware but also world-weary. It's fast paced, direct and competently written. Makes for a very good read and could well be an action movie, and also leaves the reader with food for thought.
]]> At Night All Blood is Black 50403480 “C³ó´Ç³¦´Ç±ô²¹³Ùâ€� soldier with the French army during World War I. When his friend Mademba Diop, in the same regiment, is seriously injured in battle, Diop begs Alfa to kill him and spare him the pain of a long and agonizing death in No Man’s Land.

Unable to commit this mercy killing, madness creeps into Alfa’s mind as he comes to see this refusal as a cruel moment of cowardice. Anxious to avenge the death of his friend and find forgiveness for himself, he begins a macabre ritual: every night he sneaks across enemy lines to find and murder a blue-eyed German soldier, and every night he returns to base, unharmed, with the German’s severed hand. At first his comrades look at Alfa’s deeds with admiration, but soon rumors begin to circulate that this super soldier isn’t a hero, but a sorcerer, a soul-eater. Plans are hatched to get Alfa away from the front, and to separate him from his growing collection of hands, but how does one reason with a demon, and how far will Alfa go to make amends to his dead friend?

Peppered with bullets and black magic, this remarkable novel fills in a forgotten chapter in the history of World War I. Blending oral storytelling traditions with the gritty, day-to-day, journalistic horror of life in the trenches, David Diop's At Night All Blood is Black is a dazzling tale of a man’s descent into madness.

Selected by students across France to win the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, David Diop’s English-language, historical fiction debut At Night All Blood is Black is a “powerful, hypnotic, and dark novel� (Livres Hebdo) of terror and transformation in the trenches of the First World War.]]> 145 David Diop 0374266972 Margot 5
It’s really a visceral experience to be put into the shoes of this particular protagonist � a Senegalese recruit in the French army during World War I whose decision not to end the suffering of a dying “more-than-brother� friend leads him down a brutal, violent spiral of madness as, in an act of vengeance fuelled by overwhelming grief, he begins killing enemy soldiers in the same way they killed his friend. Alfa is presented as a savage beast with a machete- a racial stereotype- and used in the war as a subhuman tool. His killing spree earns him the reputation of a sorcerer. We learn his backstory in elegantly presented flashbacks. That personal story is rich and affecting.

The climax is just as brutal and unrelenting as the rest.

The narrative uses biblical allusions and sexual language to describe the battlefields. Nothing is ever gratuitous, however. The narrative is conducted in the introspective first person. It’s a visceral experience to be put into the shoes of this protagonist. Never before have I appreciated the first person quite so much!We experience how Alfa’s sanity breaks down, unravels. I really questioned my own sanity towards the end. The writing reflects oral traditions and follows a mesmerizing rhythm, marked by recurring phrases that highlight the madness and brutality of the experiences and remind me of litanies. The phrases stay with you and resonate with you. Alfa questions existing rules as well.

One of my favourites is

“I became a savage through thinking.�

DAVID DIOP

There are really many layers to the story, but it’s brutal, graphic, unrelenting, distressing. And the title? So powerful.

It’s a book to experience. It’s a book I won’t forget. But it’s a book that might not be for everyone. However, I think it deserves the accolades it has received and more. I will return to it as I don’t think one reading is enough to process everything fully. It warrants a second, or third time. It has all the makings of a classic in my view.]]> 3.82 2018 At Night All Blood is Black
author: David Diop
name: Margot
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/12
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: 2021, favourites, france, friendship, meandering, novels-under-300-pages, parents-and-children, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, war, madness, that-ending, best-1st-person, journey, best-protagonist, historical-fiction
review:
This is such a powerful novella, with powerful introspective writing. Brings to the fore the horrors of war and paints the protagonist’s gradual descent into madness with vivid strokes that leave you terrified and breathless. The theme of “being double� is strong here, and effectively used. It shows how war brutalises and destroys soldiers. In the end, I was questioning my own sanity as a reader, considering the way the narrative turns! Such depth of madness so powerfully described!

It’s really a visceral experience to be put into the shoes of this particular protagonist � a Senegalese recruit in the French army during World War I whose decision not to end the suffering of a dying “more-than-brother� friend leads him down a brutal, violent spiral of madness as, in an act of vengeance fuelled by overwhelming grief, he begins killing enemy soldiers in the same way they killed his friend. Alfa is presented as a savage beast with a machete- a racial stereotype- and used in the war as a subhuman tool. His killing spree earns him the reputation of a sorcerer. We learn his backstory in elegantly presented flashbacks. That personal story is rich and affecting.

The climax is just as brutal and unrelenting as the rest.

The narrative uses biblical allusions and sexual language to describe the battlefields. Nothing is ever gratuitous, however. The narrative is conducted in the introspective first person. It’s a visceral experience to be put into the shoes of this protagonist. Never before have I appreciated the first person quite so much!We experience how Alfa’s sanity breaks down, unravels. I really questioned my own sanity towards the end. The writing reflects oral traditions and follows a mesmerizing rhythm, marked by recurring phrases that highlight the madness and brutality of the experiences and remind me of litanies. The phrases stay with you and resonate with you. Alfa questions existing rules as well.

One of my favourites is

“I became a savage through thinking.�

DAVID DIOP

There are really many layers to the story, but it’s brutal, graphic, unrelenting, distressing. And the title? So powerful.

It’s a book to experience. It’s a book I won’t forget. But it’s a book that might not be for everyone. However, I think it deserves the accolades it has received and more. I will return to it as I don’t think one reading is enough to process everything fully. It warrants a second, or third time. It has all the makings of a classic in my view.
]]> <![CDATA[Something Wicked This Way Comes (Green Town, #2)]]> 18305608
A carnival rolls in sometime after the midnight hour on a chill Midwestern October eve, ushering in Halloween a week before its time. A calliope's shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two inquisitive boys standing precariously on the brink of adulthood will soon discover the secret of the satanic raree-show's smoke, mazes, and mirrors, as they learn all too well the heavy cost of wishes -- and the stuff of nightmare.]]> 294 Ray Bradbury 0062242172 Margot 5 4.00 1962 Something Wicked This Way Comes (Green Town, #2)
author: Ray Bradbury
name: Margot
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1962
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/14
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: 2020, circus, favourites, interesting-concepts, novels-under-300-pages, atmospheric, parents-and-children, that-ending, friendship, houses
review:
I love this book. It's atmospheric and has a positive outcome, with a good father and son story going in. The prose is elegant and rhythmic. Great read for Halloween
]]> Don Quixote 3835 Don Quixote chronicles the adventures of the self-created knight-errant Don Quixote of La Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through sixteenth-century Spain. You haven't experienced Don Quixote in English until you've read this masterful translation.]]> 940 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 0060934344 Margot 5
-It offers a great panorama of Spain of the time, along with problems, relations with Moors. It's rich in descriptions of some customs, traditions, like weddings. And more than that, an archive of chivalric romances that didn't last to our times.
-Cervantes deals with a lot of tropes common to chivalric romances and he gives them a possibility to be seen within the narratives. We explore various what-ifs, and various fantastic adventures common to chivalric romances are parodied. But it's fascinating how Don Quixote sees one thing, but what really happens is a lot different. There are many fantastic adventures in this novel as a result, things that would make great fantasy if they weren't treated with such lovely biting realism. You will meet giants posed as windmills, enchanted heads, enchanters, flying horses, visions in caves. They are all amusing and what's more, a lot of the adventures are devised by other characters for their own amusement and they cover an amazing range of scenarios: from fights with windmill thought to be giants to sea adventures and sieges of towns.

While they are parodies that laugh at Quixote and knights-errant, they are also a commentary on how fiction can make our lives more colourful. Quixote might be the subject of jokes, not all of them nice, but he is still a sympathetic and lovable character and his belief in the magical is lovely because instead of mundane reality he sees wonders. And I love that. We can also treat his story from the perspective of mental health. There are also stories upon stories of numerous characters, a lot of them love stories that end with various results: some happy (much to my delight), others not so. Cardenio and Luscinda and then the story of the captive captain and then the story of Ana Felix and don Gaspardo are among my favourites I also loved the enchanted talking head (very inventive), the encounter with Knight of Mirrors and White moon, the puppet theatre and the actors....and so many others, I can't even name them! The book is super amusing in its duality: putting down what Cervantes considered absurdities of chivalric romances, but at the same time giving life to them in the imagination of Don Quixote. Those adventures made it possible to explore various what-ifs. What if Sancho was a governor, for instance. Quixote and Sancho ended up being protagonists within the story but also within stories/plots created for them by others - this is magnificent! It's like Q and Sancho become protagonists of a reality show within the story.

-It's fascinating how the characters know they have been the protagonists of a published book and how the story deals with the process of writing. There also some unsettling scenes about censorship and book burning, probably indicative of Cervantes' dislike for chivalric romances.

-Back to characters: there are so many, including shrewd and strong-minded women, Moors, captives, lords, doctors, actors...Cervantes really covered a whole spectrum and for me, it's part of the reason why this book is so priceless!

Also, while I did feel a certain dislike for the bad intentions behind some of the adventures/pranks devised for Quixote (Duke and Duchess, I'm looking at you), I also thought them amusing and this book made me chuckle a lot. And as I say, for me this part was also about how stories we devise may make our lives more interesting, so in the end, I forgive them. I love Quixote and his imagination though, even if I think Cervantes could have been less harsh in places.

The book is incredible. Don Quixote is both sympathetic and lovable but can also be read as a pompous madman, it depends on you, the reader, what you choose to see. His imagination drives him to see reality in a more wonderful way and I think it's wonderful, the adventures are many and all are amusing and interesting! in short, for me, there is a lot of amazing content in this book.

It's been an amazing journey. I read this book over a period of two months. I will miss Quixote and Sancho. And I will definitely reread this gem of a story at some point. Perhaps in a different translation to compare. The Edith Grossman one has been very enjoyable.]]> 4.12 1615 Don Quixote
author: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
name: Margot
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1615
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/14
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: 2021, best-protagonist, favourites, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, spain, story-within-a-story, friendship, interesting-concepts, journey, long-novels, animals, meandering, books-stores-booksellers, escape, letter-diary-notes
review:
What a journey. I don't even know how to begin collecting all the updates that I shared as I kept reading. This is an absolutely fantastic, delightful read. What Cervantes accomplishes here is astonishing and there are several aspects that have absorbed and fascinated me. It's content-rich and a fabulous, amusing journey.

-It offers a great panorama of Spain of the time, along with problems, relations with Moors. It's rich in descriptions of some customs, traditions, like weddings. And more than that, an archive of chivalric romances that didn't last to our times.
-Cervantes deals with a lot of tropes common to chivalric romances and he gives them a possibility to be seen within the narratives. We explore various what-ifs, and various fantastic adventures common to chivalric romances are parodied. But it's fascinating how Don Quixote sees one thing, but what really happens is a lot different. There are many fantastic adventures in this novel as a result, things that would make great fantasy if they weren't treated with such lovely biting realism. You will meet giants posed as windmills, enchanted heads, enchanters, flying horses, visions in caves. They are all amusing and what's more, a lot of the adventures are devised by other characters for their own amusement and they cover an amazing range of scenarios: from fights with windmill thought to be giants to sea adventures and sieges of towns.

While they are parodies that laugh at Quixote and knights-errant, they are also a commentary on how fiction can make our lives more colourful. Quixote might be the subject of jokes, not all of them nice, but he is still a sympathetic and lovable character and his belief in the magical is lovely because instead of mundane reality he sees wonders. And I love that. We can also treat his story from the perspective of mental health. There are also stories upon stories of numerous characters, a lot of them love stories that end with various results: some happy (much to my delight), others not so. Cardenio and Luscinda and then the story of the captive captain and then the story of Ana Felix and don Gaspardo are among my favourites I also loved the enchanted talking head (very inventive), the encounter with Knight of Mirrors and White moon, the puppet theatre and the actors....and so many others, I can't even name them! The book is super amusing in its duality: putting down what Cervantes considered absurdities of chivalric romances, but at the same time giving life to them in the imagination of Don Quixote. Those adventures made it possible to explore various what-ifs. What if Sancho was a governor, for instance. Quixote and Sancho ended up being protagonists within the story but also within stories/plots created for them by others - this is magnificent! It's like Q and Sancho become protagonists of a reality show within the story.

-It's fascinating how the characters know they have been the protagonists of a published book and how the story deals with the process of writing. There also some unsettling scenes about censorship and book burning, probably indicative of Cervantes' dislike for chivalric romances.

-Back to characters: there are so many, including shrewd and strong-minded women, Moors, captives, lords, doctors, actors...Cervantes really covered a whole spectrum and for me, it's part of the reason why this book is so priceless!

Also, while I did feel a certain dislike for the bad intentions behind some of the adventures/pranks devised for Quixote (Duke and Duchess, I'm looking at you), I also thought them amusing and this book made me chuckle a lot. And as I say, for me this part was also about how stories we devise may make our lives more interesting, so in the end, I forgive them. I love Quixote and his imagination though, even if I think Cervantes could have been less harsh in places.

The book is incredible. Don Quixote is both sympathetic and lovable but can also be read as a pompous madman, it depends on you, the reader, what you choose to see. His imagination drives him to see reality in a more wonderful way and I think it's wonderful, the adventures are many and all are amusing and interesting! in short, for me, there is a lot of amazing content in this book.

It's been an amazing journey. I read this book over a period of two months. I will miss Quixote and Sancho. And I will definitely reread this gem of a story at some point. Perhaps in a different translation to compare. The Edith Grossman one has been very enjoyable.
]]> <![CDATA[We Have Always Lived in the Castle]]> 89724 Shirley Jackson’s beloved gothic tale of a peculiar girl named Merricat and her family’s dark secret

Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate. This edition features a new introduction by Jonathan Lethem.]]> 152 Shirley Jackson 0143039970 Margot 5 I love several things: <br /> 3.93 1962 We Have Always Lived in the Castle
author: Shirley Jackson
name: Margot
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1962
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/05
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: 2021, animals, atmospheric, best-1st-person, houses, madness, novels-under-300-pages, parents-and-children, that-ending, interesting-concepts, halloween, escape, best-protagonist
review:
I love several things:

]]> Lord Jim 12194
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), was a Polish author who wrote in English after settling in England. Conrad is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in English, though he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties. He wrote stories and novels, often with a nautical setting, that depict trials of the human spirit in the midst of an indifferent world. He was a master prose stylist who brought a distinctly non-English tragic sensibility into English literature.

Contents:

Lord Jim

Memoirs & Letters:

A Personal Record; or Some Reminiscences

The Mirror of the Sea

Notes on Life & Letters

Biography & Critical Essays:

Joseph Conrad (A Biography) by Hugh Walpole

Joseph Conrad by John Albert Macy

A Conrad Miscellany by John Albert Macy

Joseph Conrad by Virginia Woolf]]> 455 Joseph Conrad 1551111721 Margot 5
Nonetheless, Lord Jim is one of his more approachable texts as far as I'm concerned and definitely one that's very content-rich and my favourite, along with Amy Foster and Secret Sharer. Most of all, it's very character-centric and looks at one character in great detail, highlighting how difficult it is to know just one single character.

Jim is quixotic in that he is influenced by reading and dreams of being heroic, which is why I'm shelving this title into my "books-stores-booksellers" category. prompted by these fantasies, he enlists on a ship...but then not everything goes as he imagines it.

It's not just a story of one man's cowardice and the consequences it results in because of Jim's position, it is also a story about friendship, knowing someone and about storytelling. Marlow as the storyteller / protagonist gathers together third-hand accounts and his own knowledge about Jim. As the protagonist, Marlow is a fantastic friend, steadfast, an anchor, looks out for Jim. It's possible that his down to earth, pragmatic character was inspired by Conrad's uncle who took care of Conrad after the early death of his parents. Jim is relatable to me. He is a youngster who wants to be seen but let his fantasies carry him away and he treats his reality too lightly, avoids confronting it. I find this relatable because I understand the need, a fantasy, to be seen and/or valued and at the same time I relate to avoiding facing reality as it is. It's not about the trial that he did face, but it's about escaping the Fact. In so many ways, I do it too.

I really like the different forms that appear in the text. Third-hand accounts, letters, Conrad experimented with forms that are pretty commonly used in fiction nowadays. Using so many different techniques distances the narrator and us from the protagonist at the centre of the story. In the end, Jim remains under a cloud, not fully knowable, it's difficult to grasp him though Marlow tries to understand him as best as he can. Isn't it like this with everyone? We think we're starting to get to know someone, even get comfortable only to see there's a lot more to someone.

And for me Marlow is the best kind of friend. There are friendships in Conrad's works, a lot of them have tragic fatality to them, the best example in LJ, Jim's friendship with Doramin. Other works will have such themes as well, for instance, Karain. Circle of friendship comes to a close tragically and symbolically. I think Marlow has always moved me in the way he responded, rather attentively, to Jim.

Conrad's descriptions of the sea are always enchanting, the sea is very much alive in his prose and the sense that humans are dwarves against the overwhelming nature always accompanies his characters in some ways. There is lots of room for reflection with his work, plots give way to thoughts

Really, there is a lot of content in Lord Jim and it remains one of the novels I actually enjoy returning to, despite my mixed relationship with Conrad overall. I've read Lord Jim alone at least 5 times, at various times, first in high school and going from there. It's been some good 15 years since I first met Lord Jim and every time I return to it, something else draws my attention. Reading Conrad might be thus perhaps a good measure of my own's growth and progress.

Amy Foster is another story I love because it speaks to the heart and is sympathetic towards the plight of "aliens" on foreign shores, who are lost and their strangeness might awake negative feelings - it is how Conrad must have felt too, coming from a different culture and harsh political circumstances. Yet, he did his best and in many ways, I admire him.]]> 3.63 1900 Lord Jim
author: Joseph Conrad
name: Margot
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1900
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: long-novels, letter-diary-notes, story-within-a-story, at-sea, favourites, friendship, journey, books-stores-booksellers, multiple-perspectives, escape, best-protagonist, island
review:
If you're looking for content and substance but with easy to follow text, then Conrad is the opposite. Conrad is hard to read, Lord Jim uses a lot of delayed understanding and mixes up chronology, making it difficult to follow. More often than not reading his works along with his biography is necessary to understand, at least a little, the man he was and the author he became. I have been reading Conrad for over 15 years, I still can't quite grasp his overall philosophy, maybe I'll get there one day, or maybe I never will. He's very intellectual and might be too big for me. His life was always marked with heaviness and darkness, from the early years. But it is admirable how he picked up English while sailing. English was his third language. And then he became a celebrated author who can teach me one or two things about the global world. I may be wrong, as it has been a while since I read Conrad's letters (a fascinating read, to be sure) but from what I remember, Conrad seemed a little dismissive of Lord Jim; it's also a text that grew from a much shorter piece.

Nonetheless, Lord Jim is one of his more approachable texts as far as I'm concerned and definitely one that's very content-rich and my favourite, along with Amy Foster and Secret Sharer. Most of all, it's very character-centric and looks at one character in great detail, highlighting how difficult it is to know just one single character.

Jim is quixotic in that he is influenced by reading and dreams of being heroic, which is why I'm shelving this title into my "books-stores-booksellers" category. prompted by these fantasies, he enlists on a ship...but then not everything goes as he imagines it.

It's not just a story of one man's cowardice and the consequences it results in because of Jim's position, it is also a story about friendship, knowing someone and about storytelling. Marlow as the storyteller / protagonist gathers together third-hand accounts and his own knowledge about Jim. As the protagonist, Marlow is a fantastic friend, steadfast, an anchor, looks out for Jim. It's possible that his down to earth, pragmatic character was inspired by Conrad's uncle who took care of Conrad after the early death of his parents. Jim is relatable to me. He is a youngster who wants to be seen but let his fantasies carry him away and he treats his reality too lightly, avoids confronting it. I find this relatable because I understand the need, a fantasy, to be seen and/or valued and at the same time I relate to avoiding facing reality as it is. It's not about the trial that he did face, but it's about escaping the Fact. In so many ways, I do it too.

I really like the different forms that appear in the text. Third-hand accounts, letters, Conrad experimented with forms that are pretty commonly used in fiction nowadays. Using so many different techniques distances the narrator and us from the protagonist at the centre of the story. In the end, Jim remains under a cloud, not fully knowable, it's difficult to grasp him though Marlow tries to understand him as best as he can. Isn't it like this with everyone? We think we're starting to get to know someone, even get comfortable only to see there's a lot more to someone.

And for me Marlow is the best kind of friend. There are friendships in Conrad's works, a lot of them have tragic fatality to them, the best example in LJ, Jim's friendship with Doramin. Other works will have such themes as well, for instance, Karain. Circle of friendship comes to a close tragically and symbolically. I think Marlow has always moved me in the way he responded, rather attentively, to Jim.

Conrad's descriptions of the sea are always enchanting, the sea is very much alive in his prose and the sense that humans are dwarves against the overwhelming nature always accompanies his characters in some ways. There is lots of room for reflection with his work, plots give way to thoughts

Really, there is a lot of content in Lord Jim and it remains one of the novels I actually enjoy returning to, despite my mixed relationship with Conrad overall. I've read Lord Jim alone at least 5 times, at various times, first in high school and going from there. It's been some good 15 years since I first met Lord Jim and every time I return to it, something else draws my attention. Reading Conrad might be thus perhaps a good measure of my own's growth and progress.

Amy Foster is another story I love because it speaks to the heart and is sympathetic towards the plight of "aliens" on foreign shores, who are lost and their strangeness might awake negative feelings - it is how Conrad must have felt too, coming from a different culture and harsh political circumstances. Yet, he did his best and in many ways, I admire him.
]]> The Taming of the Shrew 47028
ebook (online read) can be found here

Renowned as Shakespeare's most boisterous comedy, The Taming of the Shrew is the tale of two young men, the hopeful Lucentio and the worldly Petruchio, and the two sisters they meet in Padua.

Lucentio falls in love with Bianca, the apparently ideal younger daughter of the wealthy Baptista Minola. But before they can marry, Bianca's formidable elder sister, Katherine, must be wed. Petruchio, interested only in the huge dowry, arranges to marry Katherine -against her will- and enters into a battle of the sexes that has endured as one of Shakespeare's most enjoyable works.]]> 252 William Shakespeare 141140100X Margot 4 play
I think this is a tragedy disguised as comedy and Shakespeare was criticising the way women are treated. I find Katherine's final speech very ironic as in with underlying opinion that men want to turn women into these obedient creatures and how dare you not listen ! That's ironic to me I think there's definitely a second bottom and the play for me is a provocation and there seems to be some proof that even on release, the play stirred controversy.

I think for this problematic nature alone, the play deserves recognition, it offers a point of debate that never seems to entirely stop. And if you keep talking about it , hundreds of years after its publication then I think the playwright achieved something great. This is what good literature does - hits us where it hurts, maybe even angers and disgusts, so we learn from it.]]> 3.58 1593 The Taming of the Shrew
author: William Shakespeare
name: Margot
average rating: 3.58
book published: 1593
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: play
review:
A comedy about a man training his wife to become obedient.

I think this is a tragedy disguised as comedy and Shakespeare was criticising the way women are treated. I find Katherine's final speech very ironic as in with underlying opinion that men want to turn women into these obedient creatures and how dare you not listen ! That's ironic to me I think there's definitely a second bottom and the play for me is a provocation and there seems to be some proof that even on release, the play stirred controversy.

I think for this problematic nature alone, the play deserves recognition, it offers a point of debate that never seems to entirely stop. And if you keep talking about it , hundreds of years after its publication then I think the playwright achieved something great. This is what good literature does - hits us where it hurts, maybe even angers and disgusts, so we learn from it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto]]> 32735857
This is the epic story of Frankie Presto—the greatest guitar player who ever lived—and the six lives he changed with his six magical blue strings

Frankie, born in a burning church, abandoned as an infant, and raised by a music teacher in a small Spanish town, until war rips his life apart. At nine years old, he is sent to America in the bottom of a boat. His only possession is an old guitar and six precious strings. His amazing journey weaves him through the musical landscape of the 1940s, �50s and �60s, with his stunning playing and singing talent affecting numerous stars (Duke Ellington, Hank Williams, Elvis Presley) until, as if predestined, he becomes a pop star himself.

He makes records. He is adored. But Frankie Presto’s gift is also his burden, as he realizes the power of the strings his teacher gave him, and how, through his music, he can actually affect people’s lives. At the height of his popularity, tortured by his biggest mistake, he vanishes. His legend grows. Only decades later, having finally healed his heart, does Frankie reappearjust before his spectacular death—to change one last life. With the Spirit of Music as our guide, we glimpse into the lives that were changed by one man whose strings could touch the music—and the magic—in each of us.]]> 489 Mitch Albom Margot 5
A beautiful love letter to music and the music each of us makes in our lives and how the music affects others, but also about connections and bonds and how our kindness affects others and also about coincidences or providences that guide our lives. It's a sweeping story spanning from the protagonist's childhood to his death, through mamy problems and storms he lived through. Does music play to make a career? Does music need anything more than one's passion ? Albom skilfully navigates the trappings of the music business, while offering a look into its history and presenting a soulful story about talent and the change it can bring.

I loved Frankie. I called him stupid at times. I kind of wanted to shake him MANY times. I wept for him and his mother and father.

It's told from the perspective of what music is. Insanely lyrical with mamy perspectives, it's like a song for many voices. I sincerely loved the way the novel was structured. It's completely magical with unique storytelling, rich characters and characterisation. An unforgettable journey. Mitch Albom has the knowledge to write this love letter to music, and I loved how he credited the artists for whom he created fictional lives to insert Frankie Presto. It's a story of pure emotions, lovely and compelling, it speaks to and captures my sentiments thoroughly. I love how he begins each chapter. There's so much reflection on what music is and how are lives are musical. It's touching. So beautifully written.

An instant favourite. This is my kind of book and my kind of story. Put it on my physical shelves.

Everyone joins a band in this life. And what you play always affects someone. Sometimes, it affects the world.]]> 4.42 2012 The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
author: Mitch Albom
name: Margot
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/07
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: 2022, best-protagonist, favourites, friendship, island, journey, long-novels, memory, music, parents-and-children, feel-good-smile, love-including-sweet-clean-romance
review:
Everyone in this life joins a band.

A beautiful love letter to music and the music each of us makes in our lives and how the music affects others, but also about connections and bonds and how our kindness affects others and also about coincidences or providences that guide our lives. It's a sweeping story spanning from the protagonist's childhood to his death, through mamy problems and storms he lived through. Does music play to make a career? Does music need anything more than one's passion ? Albom skilfully navigates the trappings of the music business, while offering a look into its history and presenting a soulful story about talent and the change it can bring.

I loved Frankie. I called him stupid at times. I kind of wanted to shake him MANY times. I wept for him and his mother and father.

It's told from the perspective of what music is. Insanely lyrical with mamy perspectives, it's like a song for many voices. I sincerely loved the way the novel was structured. It's completely magical with unique storytelling, rich characters and characterisation. An unforgettable journey. Mitch Albom has the knowledge to write this love letter to music, and I loved how he credited the artists for whom he created fictional lives to insert Frankie Presto. It's a story of pure emotions, lovely and compelling, it speaks to and captures my sentiments thoroughly. I love how he begins each chapter. There's so much reflection on what music is and how are lives are musical. It's touching. So beautifully written.

An instant favourite. This is my kind of book and my kind of story. Put it on my physical shelves.

Everyone joins a band in this life. And what you play always affects someone. Sometimes, it affects the world.
]]> Blindness 40495148 From Nobel Prize–winning author José Saramago, a magnificent, mesmerizing parable of loss

A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" that spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations, and assaulting women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides her charges—among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears—through the barren streets, and their procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing. As Blindness reclaims the age-old story of a plague, it evokes the vivid and trembling horrors of the twentieth century, leaving readers with a powerful vision of the human spirit that's bound both by weakness and exhilarating strength.]]> 349 José Saramago Margot 5
The character lines are not distinguished from the main text, which gives it a bit of a challenge but fits because they indicate just voices as the world of the blind may be and they don't even have names, because names are not relevant.

The story is rich, thoughtful and riveting like a horror. It explores various meanings of blind and its associations.

The doctor's wife, the guiding light, is the ultimate compassion and for what it's worth her bond with her husband is strong through all this and every atrocity that happens. It's hard not to like her. Same with other characters.

It's a look at what blindness means. Perhaps we are all blind as we are now. Blind when we turn away from others. Blind when we fight. Blind when we wish to persevere. But is full humanity only achieved through suffering?

Great read. Very compelling.

I like it because of the concept, exploration of blindness in its various senses, the riveting part is how they find their way, what happens to them. I think it's an important book.

Edit: I'm reminded of Joseph Conrad's quote. I think I'm getting this from Sarmago's novel.

My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel � it is, before all, to make you see. That � and no more, and it is everything. If I succeed, you shall find there according to your deserts: encouragement, consolation, fear, charm � all you demand; and, perhaps, also that glimpse of truth for which you have forgotten to ask.]]> 4.17 1995 Blindness
author: José Saramago
name: Margot
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/05
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves: 2021, dystopia-and-post-apocalyptic, favourites, interesting-concepts, long-novels, meandering, best-protagonist, love-including-sweet-clean-romance, animals, portugal, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, escape, journey
review:
Imagine everyone in the world goes blind. It doesn't take a nuclear war for the society to degenerate. In all this, one woman retains her eyesight and guides a group of companions. The horrors they experience though... Are chilling and stark. Therevare descriptions of abuse so be warned- but such things are not off radar, circumstances bring what they are and with people panicking.

The character lines are not distinguished from the main text, which gives it a bit of a challenge but fits because they indicate just voices as the world of the blind may be and they don't even have names, because names are not relevant.

The story is rich, thoughtful and riveting like a horror. It explores various meanings of blind and its associations.

The doctor's wife, the guiding light, is the ultimate compassion and for what it's worth her bond with her husband is strong through all this and every atrocity that happens. It's hard not to like her. Same with other characters.

It's a look at what blindness means. Perhaps we are all blind as we are now. Blind when we turn away from others. Blind when we fight. Blind when we wish to persevere. But is full humanity only achieved through suffering?

Great read. Very compelling.

I like it because of the concept, exploration of blindness in its various senses, the riveting part is how they find their way, what happens to them. I think it's an important book.

Edit: I'm reminded of Joseph Conrad's quote. I think I'm getting this from Sarmago's novel.

My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel � it is, before all, to make you see. That � and no more, and it is everything. If I succeed, you shall find there according to your deserts: encouragement, consolation, fear, charm � all you demand; and, perhaps, also that glimpse of truth for which you have forgotten to ask.
]]> Player Piano 2017562 320 Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Margot 0 to-read 3.73 1952 Player Piano
author: Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
name: Margot
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1952
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Single Man 7599372
Celebrated as a masterpiece from its first publication, A Single Man is the story of George, an English professor in suburban California left heartbroken after the death of his lover, Jim. With devastating clarity and humour, Isherwood shows George's determination to carry on, evoking the unexpected pleasures of life as well as the soul's ability to triumph over loneliness and alienation.]]> 152 Christopher Isherwood 0099541289 Margot 0 to-read 4.11 1964 A Single Man
author: Christopher Isherwood
name: Margot
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1964
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Visitation 8638226 Visitation offers the life stories of twelve individuals who seek to make their home in this one magical little house. The novel breaks into the everyday life of the house and shimmers through it, while relating the passions and fates of its inhabitants. Elegant and poetic, Visitation forms a literary mosaic of the last century, tearing open wounds and offering moments of reconciliation, with its drama and its exquisite evocation of a landscape no political upheaval can truly change.]]> 160 Jenny Erpenbeck 081121835X Margot 5
A village and nearby forested property on a lake outside Berlin is the protagonist. The story encompasses over one hundred years of German history, from the nineteenth century to the Weimar Republic, from World War II to the Socialist German Democratic Republic, and finally reunification and its aftermath.We see how the land and the house witness the turbulences of history and how the characters, its tenants who seek home here are swept into its tides.

The daughters whose father and prejudices led to tragedies. Jews who had to flee during WWII. The woman and her husband who decided not to have children during the Hitler era, and a woman who never left her possessions to anyone else but other women. The childhood friend who stayed behind, the Russian soldier who caused damage. the communists. The characters who got caught in the division of Germany into east and west. The chapter that hit me the most was the one called the girl.

The novel shows the everyday life of the house, while presenting the fates of its inhabitants. It tears open wounds, dealing with topics such as time, estrangement, death, displacement.

When you’ve arrived, can you still be said to be fleeing? And when you’re fleeing, can you ever arrive?

The language and structure of the novel reflect the confusions and turbulences of each era. She describes customs, surroundings and then all of a sudden brings out the essence and meaning in one single sweep of a sentence.

And in all this is a landscape that never really changes, despite humans and their constant fights, just like the gardener who tends to it.

It's a contemplation on the whirlwind of history, people's fates in it and since characters are mostly nameless, it feels so much more timeless.

Perhaps eternal life already exists during a human lifetime, but since it looks different from what we’re hoping for—something that transcends everything that’s ever happened—since it looks instead like the old life we already knew, no one recognizes it. The house too is still standing there, and he doesn’t know what it is that is still standing. And he himself. And no doubt she as well, somewhere in the world.

You need to pay attention, it's not an easy read, it's descriptive, slow and thoughtful, meditative, but it is a beautiful and affecting read. And one to return to, to read a second time and notice what you missed the first time.

The new world is to devour the old one, the old one puts up a fight, and now new and old are living side by side in a single body. Where much is asked, more is left out.]]> 3.76 2008 Visitation
author: Jenny Erpenbeck
name: Margot
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/25
date added: 2022/01/25
shelves: 2022, favourites, houses, novels-under-300-pages, parents-and-children, time, war, interesting-concepts, journey, meandering, memory, nature-plants
review:
It's hard for me to describe how much I admire this. It's a beautiful, elegiac meditation on time and the whirlwinds of difficult history and the fates of humans caught in it. It's about time, timelessness, and being stripped of time.

A village and nearby forested property on a lake outside Berlin is the protagonist. The story encompasses over one hundred years of German history, from the nineteenth century to the Weimar Republic, from World War II to the Socialist German Democratic Republic, and finally reunification and its aftermath.We see how the land and the house witness the turbulences of history and how the characters, its tenants who seek home here are swept into its tides.

The daughters whose father and prejudices led to tragedies. Jews who had to flee during WWII. The woman and her husband who decided not to have children during the Hitler era, and a woman who never left her possessions to anyone else but other women. The childhood friend who stayed behind, the Russian soldier who caused damage. the communists. The characters who got caught in the division of Germany into east and west. The chapter that hit me the most was the one called the girl.

The novel shows the everyday life of the house, while presenting the fates of its inhabitants. It tears open wounds, dealing with topics such as time, estrangement, death, displacement.

When you’ve arrived, can you still be said to be fleeing? And when you’re fleeing, can you ever arrive?

The language and structure of the novel reflect the confusions and turbulences of each era. She describes customs, surroundings and then all of a sudden brings out the essence and meaning in one single sweep of a sentence.

And in all this is a landscape that never really changes, despite humans and their constant fights, just like the gardener who tends to it.

It's a contemplation on the whirlwind of history, people's fates in it and since characters are mostly nameless, it feels so much more timeless.

Perhaps eternal life already exists during a human lifetime, but since it looks different from what we’re hoping for—something that transcends everything that’s ever happened—since it looks instead like the old life we already knew, no one recognizes it. The house too is still standing there, and he doesn’t know what it is that is still standing. And he himself. And no doubt she as well, somewhere in the world.

You need to pay attention, it's not an easy read, it's descriptive, slow and thoughtful, meditative, but it is a beautiful and affecting read. And one to return to, to read a second time and notice what you missed the first time.

The new world is to devour the old one, the old one puts up a fight, and now new and old are living side by side in a single body. Where much is asked, more is left out.
]]> Giovanni’s Room 38462 here.

Baldwin's haunting and controversial second novel is his most sustained treatment of sexuality, and a classic of gay literature. In a 1950s Paris swarming with expatriates and characterized by dangerous liaisons and hidden violence, an American finds himself unable to repress his impulses, despite his determination to live the conventional life he envisions for himself. After meeting and proposing to a young woman, he falls into a lengthy affair with an Italian bartender and is confounded and tortured by his sexual identity as he oscillates between the two.

Examining the mystery of love and passion in an intensely imagined narrative, Baldwin creates a moving and complex story of death and desire that is revelatory in its insight.]]> 159 James Baldwin Margot 0 to-read 4.31 1956 Giovanni’s Room
author: James Baldwin
name: Margot
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1956
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Strange Weather in Tokyo 18283207 176 Hiromi Kawakami 1846275083 Margot 5
‘That’s how love is,� she used to say. ‘If the love is true, then treat it the same way you would a plant � feed it, protect it from the elements � you must do absolutely everything you can. But if it isn’t true, then it’s best to just let it wither on the vine.�

An absolutely lovely book. It's charming in the way I like charming to be, I absolutely love the professor.

It's a series of vignettes about a woman in her forties who meets her old Japanese lit teacher and they reconnect. The vignettes show them in various situations, on trips ,on dates, during arguments. Everyday life. Two lonely souls, who feel stranded outside normal flow of time, caught up in their own introspective lives and fears, find a connection, understanding and ultimately intimacy. It's full of poetry and lyricism, though I felt the translation was a little iffy in places. Still, the overall feel was exactly the sort of thing that speaks to me.

Old-fashioned character and a younger career woman, seemingly so different, but sharing implicit understanding where it matters. They do things their own way, there are moments I chuckled at how awkward they could be and I loved that.

The story has that "mono no aware" feel to me that I enjoy. It's sweet and sad, heartwarming and wistful. It gives me a sense of peace and ultimately brings a smile to my face, even if partings are inevitable. The people we meet in our lives always give us something previous, I think. And this book is in this vein for me.

There's a lovely companion story, Parade, that imagines a day in their life because "The world that exists behind a story is never fully known, not even to the author".

Definitely not my last by the author.]]> 3.63 2001 Strange Weather in Tokyo
author: Hiromi Kawakami
name: Margot
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/23
date added: 2022/01/23
shelves: 2022, favourites, feel-good-smile, friendship, island, japanese, journey, love-including-sweet-clean-romance, meandering, memory, novels-under-300-pages
review:
‘Would you consider a relationship with me, based on a premise of love?�

‘That’s how love is,� she used to say. ‘If the love is true, then treat it the same way you would a plant � feed it, protect it from the elements � you must do absolutely everything you can. But if it isn’t true, then it’s best to just let it wither on the vine.�

An absolutely lovely book. It's charming in the way I like charming to be, I absolutely love the professor.

It's a series of vignettes about a woman in her forties who meets her old Japanese lit teacher and they reconnect. The vignettes show them in various situations, on trips ,on dates, during arguments. Everyday life. Two lonely souls, who feel stranded outside normal flow of time, caught up in their own introspective lives and fears, find a connection, understanding and ultimately intimacy. It's full of poetry and lyricism, though I felt the translation was a little iffy in places. Still, the overall feel was exactly the sort of thing that speaks to me.

Old-fashioned character and a younger career woman, seemingly so different, but sharing implicit understanding where it matters. They do things their own way, there are moments I chuckled at how awkward they could be and I loved that.

The story has that "mono no aware" feel to me that I enjoy. It's sweet and sad, heartwarming and wistful. It gives me a sense of peace and ultimately brings a smile to my face, even if partings are inevitable. The people we meet in our lives always give us something previous, I think. And this book is in this vein for me.

There's a lovely companion story, Parade, that imagines a day in their life because "The world that exists behind a story is never fully known, not even to the author".

Definitely not my last by the author.
]]> An Outcast of the Islands 822461
When Willems stepped off the straight and narrow path of his own peculiar honesty he thought it would be a short episode - a sentence in brackets, so to speak - in the flowing tale of his life. But Willems was wrong, for he was about to embark on a voyage of discovery and self-discovery that would change, if not destroy, the reset of his life. Marooned by his own people on the shore of a Malayan island, Willems is caught in the grip of his own vulnerability and corruption.

An Outcast of the Islands was only Conrad's second novel, but in its theme, in its impressionistic use of scenery, and, and over all, in the enormous richness and power of the writing, it predicts Conrad's position as a literary figure of the highest rank.

The cover shows a detail from Old Boathouse and Riverside Vegetation, Sarawak by Marianne North.]]> 295 Joseph Conrad 014018032X Margot 4
What makes a man good or bad? The environment? His desires? The story focuses on Peter Willems, an ambitious trader who, at 17, escaped from a Dutch ship and came under the care of Tom Lingard. He secured him a position with Hudig and Co, a trading company. Willems marries Hudig's daughter but then embezzles money to be one of his partners. He is found out and his wife chases him out of the house. To escape humiliation he looks for Lingard again. Lingard brings him to Sambir but work with Almayer doesn't work out ...but he meets Alissa, the daughter of the blind ex-pirate Omar, friend to the scheming Babalatchi. Together with Lakamba they develop a plan to fight against the current Rajah Patalolo and use Willems against his old friend, Lingard, all for Aissa. There's a lot of scheming in this novel.

Willrms is arrogant, scheming, ambitious and weak. He considers himself an outsider and I feel all roads lead him there through all he does. Lingard, while seems good, aldo has w certain arrogance about him. Lakamba, Babalatchi are scheming. There's nothing purely black or white in Conrad's world He shows human weaknesses as he knew them, doesn't idealise, his characters are flawed. He shows the complexity of human and racial relations. everyone loves and schemes to protect themselves. Almayer, although scheming and full of jealousy, does care for his daughter. We also learn more about Lakamba and Babalatchi. Willems escapes twice, he cannot do it for the third time.

'He was cowed. He was cowed by the immense cataclysm of his disaster. Like most men, he had carried solemnly within his breast the whole universe, and the approaching end of all things in the destruction of his own personality filled him with paralyzing awe. Everything was toppling over. He blinked his eyes quickly, and it seemed to him that the very sunshine of the morning disclosed in its brightness a suggestion of some hidden and sinister meaning. In his unreasoning fear he tried to hide within himself. He drew his feet up, his head sank between his shoulders, his arms hugged his sides. Under the high and enormous tree soaring superbly out of the mist in a vigorous spread of lofty boughs, with a restless and eager flutter of its innumerable leaves in the clear sunshine, he remained motionless, huddled up on his seat: terrified and still.



"When he stepped off the straight and narrow path of his peculiar honesty, it was with an inward assertion of unflinching resolve to fall back again into the monotonous but safe stride of virtue as soon as his little excursion into the wayside quagmires had produced the desired effect.".

Can you choose to fall back to safe stride of virtue? Can you choose to only stop at a "little excursion"? I admit, i find the opening to Outcast downright intriguing and it definitely sets the tone of Willems' struggle.

Conrad's characters definitely feel human. Almayer has moments of tenderness towards his daughter and that's genuine. Willems does not have the same instincts towards his son. He's too focused on himself and his ego. Lingard has a rather big ego too but at least he does try to help people. I still find him unlikeable.]]> 3.69 1896 An Outcast of the Islands
author: Joseph Conrad
name: Margot
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1896
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/13
date added: 2022/01/21
shelves: 2022, animals, best-protagonist, forest, houses, island, journey, madness, multiple-perspectives, nature-plants, novels-under-300-pages, escape
review:
An Outcast of the island was Conrad's second novel and continued some threads from Almayer's Folly. It's the second novel but in the story we go back to the past, the events are unfolding when Nina is still a baby. This is one of Conrad's book I paid little attention to, but I was wrong. Willems is a very interesting character.

What makes a man good or bad? The environment? His desires? The story focuses on Peter Willems, an ambitious trader who, at 17, escaped from a Dutch ship and came under the care of Tom Lingard. He secured him a position with Hudig and Co, a trading company. Willems marries Hudig's daughter but then embezzles money to be one of his partners. He is found out and his wife chases him out of the house. To escape humiliation he looks for Lingard again. Lingard brings him to Sambir but work with Almayer doesn't work out ...but he meets Alissa, the daughter of the blind ex-pirate Omar, friend to the scheming Babalatchi. Together with Lakamba they develop a plan to fight against the current Rajah Patalolo and use Willems against his old friend, Lingard, all for Aissa. There's a lot of scheming in this novel.

Willrms is arrogant, scheming, ambitious and weak. He considers himself an outsider and I feel all roads lead him there through all he does. Lingard, while seems good, aldo has w certain arrogance about him. Lakamba, Babalatchi are scheming. There's nothing purely black or white in Conrad's world He shows human weaknesses as he knew them, doesn't idealise, his characters are flawed. He shows the complexity of human and racial relations. everyone loves and schemes to protect themselves. Almayer, although scheming and full of jealousy, does care for his daughter. We also learn more about Lakamba and Babalatchi. Willems escapes twice, he cannot do it for the third time.

'He was cowed. He was cowed by the immense cataclysm of his disaster. Like most men, he had carried solemnly within his breast the whole universe, and the approaching end of all things in the destruction of his own personality filled him with paralyzing awe. Everything was toppling over. He blinked his eyes quickly, and it seemed to him that the very sunshine of the morning disclosed in its brightness a suggestion of some hidden and sinister meaning. In his unreasoning fear he tried to hide within himself. He drew his feet up, his head sank between his shoulders, his arms hugged his sides. Under the high and enormous tree soaring superbly out of the mist in a vigorous spread of lofty boughs, with a restless and eager flutter of its innumerable leaves in the clear sunshine, he remained motionless, huddled up on his seat: terrified and still.



"When he stepped off the straight and narrow path of his peculiar honesty, it was with an inward assertion of unflinching resolve to fall back again into the monotonous but safe stride of virtue as soon as his little excursion into the wayside quagmires had produced the desired effect.".

Can you choose to fall back to safe stride of virtue? Can you choose to only stop at a "little excursion"? I admit, i find the opening to Outcast downright intriguing and it definitely sets the tone of Willems' struggle.

Conrad's characters definitely feel human. Almayer has moments of tenderness towards his daughter and that's genuine. Willems does not have the same instincts towards his son. He's too focused on himself and his ego. Lingard has a rather big ego too but at least he does try to help people. I still find him unlikeable.
]]> The Turn of the Screw 12948
A very young woman's first job: governess for two weirdly beautiful, strangely distant, oddly silent children, Miles and Flora, at a forlorn estate... An estate haunted by a beckoning evil. Half-seen figures who glare from dark towers and dusty windows- silent, foul phantoms who, day by day, night by night, come closer, ever closer. With growing horror, the helpless governess realizes the fiendish creatures want the children, seeking to corrupt their bodies, possess their minds, own their souls. But worse-much worse- the governess discovers that Miles and Flora have no terror of the lurking evil. For they want the walking dead as badly as the dead want them.

Excerpt:
I remember the whole beginning as a succession of flights and drops, a little seesaw of the right throbs and the wrong. After rising, in town, to meet his appeal, I had at all events a couple of very bad days - found myself doubtful again, felt indeed sure I had made a mistake. In this state of mind I spent the long hours of bumping, swinging coach that carried me to the stopping place at which I was to be met by a vehicle from the house.]]> 121 Henry James 0140620613 Margot 4
I say it's an interesting story in the way it's unsettling. A very good read!]]> 3.42 1898 The Turn of the Screw
author: Henry James
name: Margot
average rating: 3.42
book published: 1898
rating: 4
read at: 2021/03/18
date added: 2022/01/16
shelves: 2021, houses, novels-under-300-pages, that-ending, halloween
review:
Well wow. I was in a funk after finishing Don Quixote - a thoroughly amazing book and though I have a contemporary book to ARC review, I couldn't seem to move on.. and I picked up The Turn of the Screw and this di the trick. I was rather riveted to the story, though the writing is difficult, uncomfortable even, syntax feels convoluted at times. The story concerns a governess who comes to take care of two children. She has absolute freedom as the guardian doesn't like to be bothered It felt like James was mocking things like Jane Eyre a bit. anyway, the children are sweet and angelic, but are they? There are many questions about the governess' behaviour too...many many questions that raise an eyebrow. In fact, I'd say there are two concurrent interpretations of the narrator's state of mind... and the narrator is extremely unreliable. It's in many ways an unsettling story. It has a pretty wow / what the heck kind of ending too - for me it's a good thing because it leaves me with a lot more questions and highlights even more how unsettling the story is. The story is short and leaves a lot for the reader to think about if you can get past James' style here/ Maybe his style was the point, too...it enhances the meaning highlights, perhaps, the narrator's state of mind.

I say it's an interesting story in the way it's unsettling. A very good read!
]]> The Leopard 2193815 An alternate cover edition can be found here.

Set in the 1860s, The Leopard tells the spellbinding story of a decadent, dying Sicilian aristocracy threatened by the approaching forces of democracy and revolution. The dramatic sweep and richness of observation, the seamless intertwining of public and private worlds, and the grasp of human frailty imbue The Leopard with its particular melancholy beauty and power, and place it among the greatest historical novels of our time.

Although Giuseppe di Lampedusa had long had the book in mind, he began writing it only in his late fifties; he died at age sixty, soon after the manuscript was rejected as unpublishable. In his introduction, Gioacchino Lanza Tomasi, Lampedusa's nephew, gives us a detailed history of the initial publication and the various editions that followed. And he includes passages Lampedusa wrote for the book that were omitted by the original Italian editors.]]> 294 Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa 0375714790 Margot 0 to-read 4.01 1958 The Leopard
author: Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
name: Margot
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Almayer's Folly 398197 208 Joseph Conrad 0375760148 Margot 4
Starting with Almayer's Folly, a story about a Dutch trader and his failed ambitions but also so much more.

Kaspar Almayer is a trader in the jungle of Borneo who has never seen his native Europe but idealises it as a a paradise almost. Tom Lingard, known as the King of the seas, uses him for his purposes: marries Almayer off to a Malay girl he rescued, and promises a gold mine of riches, for the finding of which he uses Almayer's money. Except he eventually disappears never to be heard from again. Almayer is left to his own schemes- sends his daughter Nina to Singapore, dreams of the British, gets driven out of business by an Arab, finds himself in conflict with the local chief Rajah Lakamba but most of all he wants to take Nina and go live in his perfect Europe. The Dutch don't really care about him. All his ventures fail, and it's symbolised by his unfinished house- his "folly". Then he finds an ally in Dain Maroola, a noble from Bali but Dain and Nina fall in love, which puts an end to Almayer's plans. All he's got left is his unfinished house- Folly.

The novel is adventurous. Conrad wanted to carve out a new region in fiction in the style of Kipling and Stevenson. It signals his later themes and is in itself a story with complex human relations and Conrad's understanding of human nature. Almayer has strong prejudices against marrying Lingard's adopted daughter, he also considers Dain not good enough for his daughter. He doesn't understand his wife and he hates her. On her part, Mrs Almayer has her own perspective on being "saved" by Lingard. She has a voice and agency to show what it actually meant for her and it's not as simple as bring rescued. Almayer's makes the mistake of not asking why Nina, his daughter of mixed roots, ends up escaping Singapore and he seems unable to imagine what life must have been for her there, even when he gets hints about it. Nina is a strong character, she carves a path for herself. Arabs, Malays, Europeans share similar vices, desires and ambitions in this story. It's possible to sympathise with Almayer too and it's always striking to me how Conrad's characters are strangers to their own cultures, in this case Nina and Almayer and Almayer's wife, although both Nina and her mother quickly adapt, whereas Almayer cannot. Thetrs a multitude of perspectives and each character is driven by their one desires. Almayer cannot escape , for Nina there's still a chance.

It's not a novel to be overlooked in my opinion. Nina has always been a favourite of mine.]]> 3.56 1892 Almayer's Folly
author: Joseph Conrad
name: Margot
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1892
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/02
date added: 2022/01/15
shelves: friendship, houses, island, novels-under-300-pages, parents-and-children, 2022, madness, forest, journey, multiple-perspectives, escape
review:
I am rereading all Conrad's works this year, because it HAS been a while. Rereading is a good measure of how we progressed in terms of personal growth, whether what we see and notice is different

Starting with Almayer's Folly, a story about a Dutch trader and his failed ambitions but also so much more.

Kaspar Almayer is a trader in the jungle of Borneo who has never seen his native Europe but idealises it as a a paradise almost. Tom Lingard, known as the King of the seas, uses him for his purposes: marries Almayer off to a Malay girl he rescued, and promises a gold mine of riches, for the finding of which he uses Almayer's money. Except he eventually disappears never to be heard from again. Almayer is left to his own schemes- sends his daughter Nina to Singapore, dreams of the British, gets driven out of business by an Arab, finds himself in conflict with the local chief Rajah Lakamba but most of all he wants to take Nina and go live in his perfect Europe. The Dutch don't really care about him. All his ventures fail, and it's symbolised by his unfinished house- his "folly". Then he finds an ally in Dain Maroola, a noble from Bali but Dain and Nina fall in love, which puts an end to Almayer's plans. All he's got left is his unfinished house- Folly.

The novel is adventurous. Conrad wanted to carve out a new region in fiction in the style of Kipling and Stevenson. It signals his later themes and is in itself a story with complex human relations and Conrad's understanding of human nature. Almayer has strong prejudices against marrying Lingard's adopted daughter, he also considers Dain not good enough for his daughter. He doesn't understand his wife and he hates her. On her part, Mrs Almayer has her own perspective on being "saved" by Lingard. She has a voice and agency to show what it actually meant for her and it's not as simple as bring rescued. Almayer's makes the mistake of not asking why Nina, his daughter of mixed roots, ends up escaping Singapore and he seems unable to imagine what life must have been for her there, even when he gets hints about it. Nina is a strong character, she carves a path for herself. Arabs, Malays, Europeans share similar vices, desires and ambitions in this story. It's possible to sympathise with Almayer too and it's always striking to me how Conrad's characters are strangers to their own cultures, in this case Nina and Almayer and Almayer's wife, although both Nina and her mother quickly adapt, whereas Almayer cannot. Thetrs a multitude of perspectives and each character is driven by their one desires. Almayer cannot escape , for Nina there's still a chance.

It's not a novel to be overlooked in my opinion. Nina has always been a favourite of mine.
]]> The Warden 58259262
The year is 2024, and the residents of the Tower, a virus-proof apartment building, live in a state of permanent lockdown. The building is controlled by James, who keeps the residents safe but incarcerated. Behind bricked-up front doors, their every need is serviced; they are pampered but remain prisoners. This suits Eugene just fine. Ravaged by the traumas of his past, the agoraphobic ex-detective has no intention of ever setting foot outside again. But when he finds the Tower’s building manager brutally dismembered, his investigator’s instincts won’t allow him to ignore the vicious crime. What Eugene finds beyond the comfort of his apartment’s walls will turn his sheltered existence upside down. To unravel the Tower’s mysteries, he must confront James... and James takes his role as the Warden very, very seriously.

Jon Richter is also the critically-acclaimed author of the psychological thrillers Rabbit Hole and Never Rest. The Warden is a mind-blowing crime thriller perfect for our times and a book that will appeal to fans of Black Mirror.]]> 0 Jon Richter Margot 5
Unlike many people around me, I have no problem staying under lockdown during the rampant pandemic. I can stay at home for days at a time and not feel affected� To me, those days are like any other. I get up, sit down to work and write a report on my daily remote activities. I do not need to make excuses when I don’t want to attend a social gathering � as an introvert, I do not always feel comfortable going. I chat on messenger with people I know and I’m certain they are on the other side. I do not use video chats and find it easier to trust a person’s style when we are typing.

“The Warden� questions whether we can really live our lives under lock and key in completely virtual reality. Is it even a life, and if not, what is it? And what impact is technology having on us and this kind of life? Jon Richter has crafted a page-turning thought-provoking piece of a fast-paced techno-thriller that takes on the pandemic and explores its potential development and impact but goes much further by including our dependence on technology and the connection we have to the world through technology. He uses parallel narratives conveyed in short alternating chapters to build suspense and interest that is maintained until the last page. I couldn’t put it down. The story has completely clicked with me.

There’s a block of flats called the tower whose residents cannot go outside due to strict restrictions related to the increasingly aggressive spread of Covid. There is a warden, James, who takes his job very seriously, but that suits the protagonist, Eugene, just fine. He gets food, online access, chats with other people online, and takes classes. Even funerals are held online. Human labour is not just cut to avoid danger; it becomes redundant. Everything humans could possibly want is provided by smart homes and other technological innovations. Life’s a dream now, unlike the nearly forgotten life he had. Who needs all the burdens it carried before, anyway? In this utopia, he needs nothing more from the outside world, or does he? But one day, the utopian routine of robotic deliveries is interrupted when one of the building managers, an employee of the tower’s developer, is literally slaughtered. Eugene then begins a race against time as he must not only investigate but also get to the top of the tower and rescue a woman he met in an online class. But is everything what it seems? We will find out with him. The story is set in 2024 and we follow his quest as he discovers what it means to be a prisoner in his own home, how easily an isolated community falls apart and how lockdown affects individuals when leaving home feels like danger but at the same time staying feels like imprisonment. I really like how this part becomes an escape the tower story showing how buildings can be traps while also showing what it means to stay at home during lockdown and what’s the price.

The narrative also moves back in time to another protagonist who contributes to the situation we find in 2024. We meet Felicity, an ambitious woman who will do anything to work her way up the corporate ladder. She and her surrounding in general are not likeable; her story, rather, shows a corporate race for control and power that capitalises on the chaos of the pandemic. Felicity develops a life-like AI. This parallel narrative explores the aggressive race for control of corporations vying to dominate technological markets, but also the increasing demand for and impact of technology on lives confined to four walls, and how invasive it is � we see the effects with Eugene. The two narratives are brought together by the AI character James, who shows the great learning potential of programmed intelligence to do many things humans do and becomes a ubiquitous presence in the lives of people, the country, and the world at large. Richter takes AI’s role far; at one point, James even seems like a kind of a god, sometimes observing without interfering but sometimes dispensing poetic justice to its creators and everyone around � I really liked one bit when it does, however, it raises many questions and issues, including how far it can really go. James represents many sides of technology, the good- but also one that may go too far in its “benevolence�- and the aspects that can be used to mislead and threaten us, such as deep fakes and manipulations of identity. Do we really know who we are talking to online? Can we trust the people on screen to be who they are?

Very interesting and timely ideas are put together in a well-crafted and engaging way. The mystery was so compelling that at one point I wondered what, rather than who, the characters actually are.

The book ends with a bang that sums up the invasiveness of technology. In the end, like Eugene, we want nothing more than to get out. To find out the truth first, but ultimately to get out. This book is frighteningly plausible and will make you want to be out more and especially talk to people face-to-face and not take the risks of technology for granted. Live life with its emotional experiences outside instead of completely locking yourself in the ivory tower pretending it’s a utopia. Get rid of defences and move on even if it means leaving yourself open to whatever comes (to me this is literally represented in the book by brick walls and breaking them). Technology has many benefits, but relying on it too much and letting corporations spoon feed it can lead to more problems than good. I really like how the author used the Covid pandemic experience and turned it into a creative exploration of the situation with a sci-fi twist. It’s a combination that works really well for me. It’s relatable because we have been there and because the technological part is actually a possibility in this day and age. It makes the story and ideas that much stronger. Stepping outside in this book really feels like freedom, with a renewed sense of appreciation of it.

As for me, I have noticed that I am far less reluctant to go to social events after sitting at home for almost three months � I just excuse myself when I get tired instead of not going out at all. There’s something to be said about balance in life.]]> 4.00 2021 The Warden
author: Jon Richter
name: Margot
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/23
date added: 2022/01/15
shelves: 2021, houses, interesting-concepts, favourites, dystopia-and-post-apocalyptic, escape
review:
I’d like to thank Blackthorn tours and the author for providing the book for free with a request for an honest review. The latest read for Blackthorn explores very timely matters of being under lockdown and of over-relying on technology.

Unlike many people around me, I have no problem staying under lockdown during the rampant pandemic. I can stay at home for days at a time and not feel affected� To me, those days are like any other. I get up, sit down to work and write a report on my daily remote activities. I do not need to make excuses when I don’t want to attend a social gathering � as an introvert, I do not always feel comfortable going. I chat on messenger with people I know and I’m certain they are on the other side. I do not use video chats and find it easier to trust a person’s style when we are typing.

“The Warden� questions whether we can really live our lives under lock and key in completely virtual reality. Is it even a life, and if not, what is it? And what impact is technology having on us and this kind of life? Jon Richter has crafted a page-turning thought-provoking piece of a fast-paced techno-thriller that takes on the pandemic and explores its potential development and impact but goes much further by including our dependence on technology and the connection we have to the world through technology. He uses parallel narratives conveyed in short alternating chapters to build suspense and interest that is maintained until the last page. I couldn’t put it down. The story has completely clicked with me.

There’s a block of flats called the tower whose residents cannot go outside due to strict restrictions related to the increasingly aggressive spread of Covid. There is a warden, James, who takes his job very seriously, but that suits the protagonist, Eugene, just fine. He gets food, online access, chats with other people online, and takes classes. Even funerals are held online. Human labour is not just cut to avoid danger; it becomes redundant. Everything humans could possibly want is provided by smart homes and other technological innovations. Life’s a dream now, unlike the nearly forgotten life he had. Who needs all the burdens it carried before, anyway? In this utopia, he needs nothing more from the outside world, or does he? But one day, the utopian routine of robotic deliveries is interrupted when one of the building managers, an employee of the tower’s developer, is literally slaughtered. Eugene then begins a race against time as he must not only investigate but also get to the top of the tower and rescue a woman he met in an online class. But is everything what it seems? We will find out with him. The story is set in 2024 and we follow his quest as he discovers what it means to be a prisoner in his own home, how easily an isolated community falls apart and how lockdown affects individuals when leaving home feels like danger but at the same time staying feels like imprisonment. I really like how this part becomes an escape the tower story showing how buildings can be traps while also showing what it means to stay at home during lockdown and what’s the price.

The narrative also moves back in time to another protagonist who contributes to the situation we find in 2024. We meet Felicity, an ambitious woman who will do anything to work her way up the corporate ladder. She and her surrounding in general are not likeable; her story, rather, shows a corporate race for control and power that capitalises on the chaos of the pandemic. Felicity develops a life-like AI. This parallel narrative explores the aggressive race for control of corporations vying to dominate technological markets, but also the increasing demand for and impact of technology on lives confined to four walls, and how invasive it is � we see the effects with Eugene. The two narratives are brought together by the AI character James, who shows the great learning potential of programmed intelligence to do many things humans do and becomes a ubiquitous presence in the lives of people, the country, and the world at large. Richter takes AI’s role far; at one point, James even seems like a kind of a god, sometimes observing without interfering but sometimes dispensing poetic justice to its creators and everyone around � I really liked one bit when it does, however, it raises many questions and issues, including how far it can really go. James represents many sides of technology, the good- but also one that may go too far in its “benevolence�- and the aspects that can be used to mislead and threaten us, such as deep fakes and manipulations of identity. Do we really know who we are talking to online? Can we trust the people on screen to be who they are?

Very interesting and timely ideas are put together in a well-crafted and engaging way. The mystery was so compelling that at one point I wondered what, rather than who, the characters actually are.

The book ends with a bang that sums up the invasiveness of technology. In the end, like Eugene, we want nothing more than to get out. To find out the truth first, but ultimately to get out. This book is frighteningly plausible and will make you want to be out more and especially talk to people face-to-face and not take the risks of technology for granted. Live life with its emotional experiences outside instead of completely locking yourself in the ivory tower pretending it’s a utopia. Get rid of defences and move on even if it means leaving yourself open to whatever comes (to me this is literally represented in the book by brick walls and breaking them). Technology has many benefits, but relying on it too much and letting corporations spoon feed it can lead to more problems than good. I really like how the author used the Covid pandemic experience and turned it into a creative exploration of the situation with a sci-fi twist. It’s a combination that works really well for me. It’s relatable because we have been there and because the technological part is actually a possibility in this day and age. It makes the story and ideas that much stronger. Stepping outside in this book really feels like freedom, with a renewed sense of appreciation of it.

As for me, I have noticed that I am far less reluctant to go to social events after sitting at home for almost three months � I just excuse myself when I get tired instead of not going out at all. There’s something to be said about balance in life.
]]> The Haunting of Hill House 89717 182 Shirley Jackson 0143039989 Margot 4
Eleanor , the central character, is invited to take part in a live-in experiment at a mansion rumored to be haunted. She's sensitive and has an active imagination and seems to attract supernatural occurrences. She longs for acceptance and in due course attaches herself to other characters. Along her we meet the doctor behind the plan, a free spirit Theo who rejects Eleanor's attachment and Luke who's meant to inherit the house . Ensemble characters include Mrs Dudley, the housekeeper not unlike Mrs Danvers. She feels even more sinister because her only lines pertain to order of things in the house.

Occurrences and manifestations begin as soon as they step into the house. Eleanor is most affected. Shes almost maniacal. The slow unravelling of her psychology as she is driven to wildness is affecting. The house itself is built at weird angles, it's disorienting, nothing is ever where it's meant to be and has a long and interesting story behind it. There's a touch of magic snout it as it feels it can come alive at any moment ,with its statues and there's a sense something lurks behind every corner.

The tension, uncertainty put this book up there with The Turn of the Screw for me.. I both hate and pity Eleanor and, like with Merrikat from We have always lived in the castle I felt she's a bit like a pixie, especially with her active, beguiling imagination seeking fantastical worlds places and stories to call home and be herself, she just wants to be happy.

"once they have trapped you into being like everyone else you will never see your cup of stars again".

But the way she goes about it is part of what's unsettling.

Jackson's psychological terror and unravelling of characters really get under your skin. It's a gripping story to read in one day, my favourite parts are about the house, its story, abut how the characters respond to the fright. Good read. Interesting house.
.
.
.]]> 3.85 1959 The Haunting of Hill House
author: Shirley Jackson
name: Margot
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1959
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/15
date added: 2022/01/15
shelves: 2022, atmospheric, favourites, houses, journey, madness, novels-under-300-pages, halloween, parents-and-children, escape
review:
Jackson really had a knack for writing about the psychological unravelling of vulnerable characters in a manner that gets under your skin.

Eleanor , the central character, is invited to take part in a live-in experiment at a mansion rumored to be haunted. She's sensitive and has an active imagination and seems to attract supernatural occurrences. She longs for acceptance and in due course attaches herself to other characters. Along her we meet the doctor behind the plan, a free spirit Theo who rejects Eleanor's attachment and Luke who's meant to inherit the house . Ensemble characters include Mrs Dudley, the housekeeper not unlike Mrs Danvers. She feels even more sinister because her only lines pertain to order of things in the house.

Occurrences and manifestations begin as soon as they step into the house. Eleanor is most affected. Shes almost maniacal. The slow unravelling of her psychology as she is driven to wildness is affecting. The house itself is built at weird angles, it's disorienting, nothing is ever where it's meant to be and has a long and interesting story behind it. There's a touch of magic snout it as it feels it can come alive at any moment ,with its statues and there's a sense something lurks behind every corner.

The tension, uncertainty put this book up there with The Turn of the Screw for me.. I both hate and pity Eleanor and, like with Merrikat from We have always lived in the castle I felt she's a bit like a pixie, especially with her active, beguiling imagination seeking fantastical worlds places and stories to call home and be herself, she just wants to be happy.

"once they have trapped you into being like everyone else you will never see your cup of stars again".

But the way she goes about it is part of what's unsettling.

Jackson's psychological terror and unravelling of characters really get under your skin. It's a gripping story to read in one day, my favourite parts are about the house, its story, abut how the characters respond to the fright. Good read. Interesting house.
.
.
.
]]> The Remains of the Day 28921 Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ISBN 0571225381 here.

In the summer of 1956, Stevens, a long-serving butler at Darlington Hall, decides to take a motoring trip through the West Country. The six-day excursion becomes a journey into the past of Stevens and England, a past that takes in fascism, two world wars, and an unrealised love between the butler and his housekeeper.]]> 258 Kazuo Ishiguro Margot 5 4.14 1989 The Remains of the Day
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Margot
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1989
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/15
shelves: long-novels, houses, favourites, story-within-a-story, memory, best-protagonist, historical-fiction, journey
review:

]]> The Song of Achilles 13623848 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780062060624.

Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.]]> 408 Madeline Miller Margot 1 blacklisted 4.30 2011 The Song of Achilles
author: Madeline Miller
name: Margot
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2011
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2022/01/15
shelves: blacklisted
review:

]]> Lovely War 44107480
Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who's played Carnegie Hall, he's a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that's before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who's already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.

Thirty years after these four lovers' fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.

A sweeping, multi-layered romance with a divine twist, by the Printz Honor-winning author of The Passion of Dolssa, set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II.]]> 471 Julie Berry Margot 4 - overarching storyline involving Greek gods.
- World War I romance with two intersecting stories, where one story involves a coloured musician soldier and focuses on the treatment of coloured service people. He meets a Belgian singer. The second story involves an English couple, a piano player and a boy who would build things instead of destroying them.

Aphrodite: Of course, almost no one notices me, yet all but the hard-hearted do sense a new mood. Perhaps it’s my perfume. Perhaps it’s something more.

I really liked this half fantasy half historical war romance story which is framed as a trial of Ares and Aphrodite by jealous Haephastus, also featuring Apollo and Hades. As scorned Haephastus puts on trial his wife Aphrodite and her lover Ares, Aphrodite begins telling a story about two WW1 couples. In the process, she calls as her witnesses Ares, Apollo and Hades. They take turns narrating the story, each narrating bits corresponding to their "domain" e.g Hades narrates bits related to death, Ares is most often with the fighting. I really liked this multiple pov used this way. The characters are likeable, The couples meet and fall in love and the bonds are strong but they are all too soon separated by war and prejudices. What trials await? And what of Aphrodite's own trial?

A good war set romance with a bit more relevance to it, I could see this as a movie, if it hasn't yet been made into one. I really think the concept and the narrative were lovely and thought-out. Favourited.]]> 4.23 2019 Lovely War
author: Julie Berry
name: Margot
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2022/01/04
shelves: 2021, favourites, friendship, historical-fiction, interesting-concepts, long-novels, love-including-sweet-clean-romance, mythology-religion, story-within-a-story, war, letter-diary-notes, multiple-perspectives
review:
- multiple POVs used with deliberation
- overarching storyline involving Greek gods.
- World War I romance with two intersecting stories, where one story involves a coloured musician soldier and focuses on the treatment of coloured service people. He meets a Belgian singer. The second story involves an English couple, a piano player and a boy who would build things instead of destroying them.

Aphrodite: Of course, almost no one notices me, yet all but the hard-hearted do sense a new mood. Perhaps it’s my perfume. Perhaps it’s something more.

I really liked this half fantasy half historical war romance story which is framed as a trial of Ares and Aphrodite by jealous Haephastus, also featuring Apollo and Hades. As scorned Haephastus puts on trial his wife Aphrodite and her lover Ares, Aphrodite begins telling a story about two WW1 couples. In the process, she calls as her witnesses Ares, Apollo and Hades. They take turns narrating the story, each narrating bits corresponding to their "domain" e.g Hades narrates bits related to death, Ares is most often with the fighting. I really liked this multiple pov used this way. The characters are likeable, The couples meet and fall in love and the bonds are strong but they are all too soon separated by war and prejudices. What trials await? And what of Aphrodite's own trial?

A good war set romance with a bit more relevance to it, I could see this as a movie, if it hasn't yet been made into one. I really think the concept and the narrative were lovely and thought-out. Favourited.
]]> Time's Arrow 23031 Time's Arrow the doctor Tod T. Friendly dies and then feels markedly better, breaks up with his lovers as a prelude to seducing them, and mangles his patients before he sends them home. And all the while Tod's life races backward in time toward the one appalling moment in modern history when such reversals make sense.

]]> 165 Martin Amis 0679735720 Margot 4
The story begins with the death of doctor Tod Friendly, then traces his life backwards through years under assumed names and the horrors of his service in the SS, down to his childhood in post World War I Germany. Everything happens in reverse, dialogues, life, eating so as a physician he admits healthy patients and sends them out with illnesses or injuries. And his work at Auschwitz, under his real name Odilo Unverdorben ("innocent") involves bringing Jews to life.


It's going from the topmost, superficial layers to the core, in a way, peeling them away one by one.

Tod is a souless man with a vocal conscience, a study of an act so heinous that cannot be buried under any layer of identity. And even with so mamy layers, his real voice speaks through about helplessness, about powerlessness, about death of the soul and empty life. It digs to the core of the soul and finds confusion, chaos, a constant need to hide and escape and engage in relationships without committing.

The book is a confusing medley of journeys, people, events Tod's inner voice observes and comments, a split personality. Who is Tod Friendly? No one. Everyone. I really do love how we go backwards though, and have to piece together how things break apart, though,even if does to an extent get in the way of the actual study becoming a bit of form over content. Plus,I found it difficult to follow and get into the flow of the reverse mechanics as absolutely erything here is done in reverse.

The book is difficult to read, this is my first attempt at Amis and I find it dense and difficult. It will take more than one read to fully appreciate this, I feel. I don't feel like I fully understood it on first read and certainly feel like I missed a lot of nuances but the idea and topic are big, and the conceit clever.

I'd read it when you can commit to a difficult topic executed in a difficult, but interesting, way. One to reread and study more carefully.]]> 3.78 1991 Time's Arrow
author: Martin Amis
name: Margot
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1991
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/25
date added: 2022/01/04
shelves: 2021, best-1st-person, novels-under-300-pages, war, interesting-concepts, time, journey
review:
This book is based on a powerful concept, clever idea, an exploration of a souless man from his death to his beginning. I have not read Vonnegut so the technique of going backwards in time is only familiar to me from The curious case of Benjamin Button. Here, however, it is used to investigate the Nazi and the atrocities they carried out.

The story begins with the death of doctor Tod Friendly, then traces his life backwards through years under assumed names and the horrors of his service in the SS, down to his childhood in post World War I Germany. Everything happens in reverse, dialogues, life, eating so as a physician he admits healthy patients and sends them out with illnesses or injuries. And his work at Auschwitz, under his real name Odilo Unverdorben ("innocent") involves bringing Jews to life.


It's going from the topmost, superficial layers to the core, in a way, peeling them away one by one.

Tod is a souless man with a vocal conscience, a study of an act so heinous that cannot be buried under any layer of identity. And even with so mamy layers, his real voice speaks through about helplessness, about powerlessness, about death of the soul and empty life. It digs to the core of the soul and finds confusion, chaos, a constant need to hide and escape and engage in relationships without committing.

The book is a confusing medley of journeys, people, events Tod's inner voice observes and comments, a split personality. Who is Tod Friendly? No one. Everyone. I really do love how we go backwards though, and have to piece together how things break apart, though,even if does to an extent get in the way of the actual study becoming a bit of form over content. Plus,I found it difficult to follow and get into the flow of the reverse mechanics as absolutely erything here is done in reverse.

The book is difficult to read, this is my first attempt at Amis and I find it dense and difficult. It will take more than one read to fully appreciate this, I feel. I don't feel like I fully understood it on first read and certainly feel like I missed a lot of nuances but the idea and topic are big, and the conceit clever.

I'd read it when you can commit to a difficult topic executed in a difficult, but interesting, way. One to reread and study more carefully.
]]> The Kite Runner 77203 371 Khaled Hosseini 159463193X Margot 5
There's a reviewer here, Lyn, who says everything I have to say about this book and does so beautifully. Please check out that review.

It's a tale about redemption and love, loyalty, honour and betrayal, about fathers and sons and brothers, Afghanistan but it's also a tale about your roots and how deep they go, about your identity. Can going to another land really erase your past, mistakes? Is it that easy? Not, if you're a decent person and Amir is decent (not good, not virtuous, he's just humane) though it takes a while for him to find his way.

Amir will be hard to like for some but I appreciate that he has to work for redemption, that it's not waiting for him with open arms. there's been too much hurt. Plus, he who is without sin, is only allowed to cast the stone. I'm not without sin. Amir reminds me of that. My sin was wanting to fit in with people, be friends - except I didn't understand you don't get friends with money furtively taken from your brother. You don't sacrifice family for someone who may well not deserve it. I was a child then, I was punished then but only because I did admit it, but I'm glad I did. Amir never faces reality, he runs away from it. It's difficult to forgive him, but he doesn't forgive himself and the narrative doesn't really forgive him either. Instead, he learns. He grows. He matures and becomes more of father hinself.

I loved Hassan, the humility he portrayed, his strength and affection,

I appreciated Baba - he tried hard but perhaps it would have been nice to see more of his internal turmoil. Perhaps a story from his point of view? I think he's a character with a lot of hidden depth, but it was not his story, it was Amir's and perhaps through Amir we know a bit of Baba's story too. I do like the story of loyalty and love and betrayal. I love the stories of fathers and sons. In the end, the lessons Amir learns are also those of fatherhood. I cheer him on in efforts beyond the book, the harder, the better. And Sohrab is a smart boy.

I think Amir follows classic Aristotelian principles. The tragic hero must be neither a villain nor a virtuous man but a “character between these two extremes,…a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty". We pity those who are our and of noble intent but feelings of fear are awoken by those who are similar to us.

"For you, thousand times over " is a great refrain that returns in all the right moments It makes me think of Hassan's smile and of Amir's spoiled and cowardly attitude - but also of the reversal of his fortunes. It definitely holds the most power when it's used in the ending. It's one line that will definitely stay with me.

The novel is good, the ending is worthwhile, very balanced towards the whole story and hopeful - I love that. I hope for the best. I cheer Amir on. Those who were takers can become givers if they have something to fight for. And Amir does. I think he really grows by the end. I the way ending is hopeful is just right- it's hope for Sohrab to have a family and hope for Amir to have that too. Bound by a destiny that cannot be unravelled.

I think in the end the only villain is war, greed, mistaken beliefs of people like Assef - he's the real entitled, privileged swine. Not Amir, who struggles with being decent and has so much remorse that in the end, it makes him a very memorable character, thrust in whirls of impossible historical conflicts, of things he couldn't change, either. And while I could blame him for escaping, could blame him for betraying his friend, the characters in the book are nobler than I am - they forgive, they understand and it's thanks to them that Amir can grow and be their hope. Because he also cares, once he understands what he's lost but also what he has. And that what he has is worth fighting for. So very much. So I'm glad he doesn't give up and tries to reach out.

Coincidences in the novel may be too convenient at times, but they don't come as a surprise since they are foreshadowed and it's easy for me to forgive when the novel offers a story that appeals so strongly to my sentiments. I think the use of the first person narration is very effective in this novel too- it's the third one in a row I've read that uses it well. But it does it differently than the others . It makes me dislike the protagonist but then makes me think, if I have the right to judge him.

Amir, Hassan,Baba and Sohrab and the thread of destiny that binds them will stay with me


A more edited review:

"For you, a thousand times over" is an example of how phrases gain a different power and meaning when contexts changes . I loved it about this story. The phrase gained a lot of power in the ending. I loved the ending.

The book should have a TW for me for mention and slight description of male rape.

We follow the story of Amir from his well-provided childhood through historical turbulences,escape, life abroad and return. The first-person narration is very effective here too in that it makes me initially loathe Amir...but he's a very classic character in the sense that as a hero he makes me think of Aristotelian principle that the tragic hero must be neither a villain nor a virtuous man but a “character between these two extremes,…a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty". Plus, he's humane. They who ate without sins are welcome to throw stones but I know I'm not so instead I've tried to understand him and accept him.

He is surrounded by people who are loyal to him and who love him. I loved Hassan with his humility and strength and appreciated Baba. Amir makes mistakes and is hard on himself, he's very torn, perhaps just like Baba, his father. But in the end karma returns and Amir ultimately finds out he has things worth fighting for. I cheer him on in efforts beyond the book because the ending is wonderful. And he has grown considerably, slowly becoming a father himself. His is a journey of deliverance.

The coincidences in the novel may be too convenient but it's a novel that appeals to my sentiment, love the story of loyalty and bonds that go deep. Of fathers and sons (and it comes s full circle in a way) It's also a depiction of a culture with it's troubled conflicts, a modern day caste system that talks about bigotry and racism. I will buy this book for my shelves.
.]]> 4.34 2003 The Kite Runner
author: Khaled Hosseini
name: Margot
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/14
date added: 2022/01/04
shelves: 2021, best-protagonist, children-pov, friendship, parents-and-children, long-novels, that-ending, favourites, journey
review:
TW for mention and slight description of male rape.

There's a reviewer here, Lyn, who says everything I have to say about this book and does so beautifully. Please check out that review.

It's a tale about redemption and love, loyalty, honour and betrayal, about fathers and sons and brothers, Afghanistan but it's also a tale about your roots and how deep they go, about your identity. Can going to another land really erase your past, mistakes? Is it that easy? Not, if you're a decent person and Amir is decent (not good, not virtuous, he's just humane) though it takes a while for him to find his way.

Amir will be hard to like for some but I appreciate that he has to work for redemption, that it's not waiting for him with open arms. there's been too much hurt. Plus, he who is without sin, is only allowed to cast the stone. I'm not without sin. Amir reminds me of that. My sin was wanting to fit in with people, be friends - except I didn't understand you don't get friends with money furtively taken from your brother. You don't sacrifice family for someone who may well not deserve it. I was a child then, I was punished then but only because I did admit it, but I'm glad I did. Amir never faces reality, he runs away from it. It's difficult to forgive him, but he doesn't forgive himself and the narrative doesn't really forgive him either. Instead, he learns. He grows. He matures and becomes more of father hinself.

I loved Hassan, the humility he portrayed, his strength and affection,

I appreciated Baba - he tried hard but perhaps it would have been nice to see more of his internal turmoil. Perhaps a story from his point of view? I think he's a character with a lot of hidden depth, but it was not his story, it was Amir's and perhaps through Amir we know a bit of Baba's story too. I do like the story of loyalty and love and betrayal. I love the stories of fathers and sons. In the end, the lessons Amir learns are also those of fatherhood. I cheer him on in efforts beyond the book, the harder, the better. And Sohrab is a smart boy.

I think Amir follows classic Aristotelian principles. The tragic hero must be neither a villain nor a virtuous man but a “character between these two extremes,…a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty". We pity those who are our and of noble intent but feelings of fear are awoken by those who are similar to us.

"For you, thousand times over " is a great refrain that returns in all the right moments It makes me think of Hassan's smile and of Amir's spoiled and cowardly attitude - but also of the reversal of his fortunes. It definitely holds the most power when it's used in the ending. It's one line that will definitely stay with me.

The novel is good, the ending is worthwhile, very balanced towards the whole story and hopeful - I love that. I hope for the best. I cheer Amir on. Those who were takers can become givers if they have something to fight for. And Amir does. I think he really grows by the end. I the way ending is hopeful is just right- it's hope for Sohrab to have a family and hope for Amir to have that too. Bound by a destiny that cannot be unravelled.

I think in the end the only villain is war, greed, mistaken beliefs of people like Assef - he's the real entitled, privileged swine. Not Amir, who struggles with being decent and has so much remorse that in the end, it makes him a very memorable character, thrust in whirls of impossible historical conflicts, of things he couldn't change, either. And while I could blame him for escaping, could blame him for betraying his friend, the characters in the book are nobler than I am - they forgive, they understand and it's thanks to them that Amir can grow and be their hope. Because he also cares, once he understands what he's lost but also what he has. And that what he has is worth fighting for. So very much. So I'm glad he doesn't give up and tries to reach out.

Coincidences in the novel may be too convenient at times, but they don't come as a surprise since they are foreshadowed and it's easy for me to forgive when the novel offers a story that appeals so strongly to my sentiments. I think the use of the first person narration is very effective in this novel too- it's the third one in a row I've read that uses it well. But it does it differently than the others . It makes me dislike the protagonist but then makes me think, if I have the right to judge him.

Amir, Hassan,Baba and Sohrab and the thread of destiny that binds them will stay with me


A more edited review:

"For you, a thousand times over" is an example of how phrases gain a different power and meaning when contexts changes . I loved it about this story. The phrase gained a lot of power in the ending. I loved the ending.

The book should have a TW for me for mention and slight description of male rape.

We follow the story of Amir from his well-provided childhood through historical turbulences,escape, life abroad and return. The first-person narration is very effective here too in that it makes me initially loathe Amir...but he's a very classic character in the sense that as a hero he makes me think of Aristotelian principle that the tragic hero must be neither a villain nor a virtuous man but a “character between these two extremes,…a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty". Plus, he's humane. They who ate without sins are welcome to throw stones but I know I'm not so instead I've tried to understand him and accept him.

He is surrounded by people who are loyal to him and who love him. I loved Hassan with his humility and strength and appreciated Baba. Amir makes mistakes and is hard on himself, he's very torn, perhaps just like Baba, his father. But in the end karma returns and Amir ultimately finds out he has things worth fighting for. I cheer him on in efforts beyond the book because the ending is wonderful. And he has grown considerably, slowly becoming a father himself. His is a journey of deliverance.

The coincidences in the novel may be too convenient but it's a novel that appeals to my sentiment, love the story of loyalty and bonds that go deep. Of fathers and sons (and it comes s full circle in a way) It's also a depiction of a culture with it's troubled conflicts, a modern day caste system that talks about bigotry and racism. I will buy this book for my shelves.
.
]]> The Amber Crane 58318901
Little does he know that this amber has hidden powers, transporting him into a future far beyond anything he could imagine. In dreamlike encounters, Peter witnesses the ravages of the final months of World War II in and around his home. He becomes embroiled in the troubles faced by Lioba, a girl he meets who seeks to escape from the oncoming Russian army.

Peter struggles with the consequences of his actions, endangering his family, his amber master’s reputation, and his own future. How much is Peter prepared to sacrifice to right his wrongs?]]> 264 Malve von Hassell 1922311227 Margot 5
"The Amber Crane" is an elegant, melancholy, thoughtful and reflective YA historical fiction that makes me think about how our actions and emotions echo through centuries and may impact those who come after us. When we leave behind a piece of kindness, that kindness may bring light in the dark. I love this message and I love how elegant the prose is, the author also chose a very interesting topic to focus on - amber work and her writing reflects the magic of the craft and of the amber figurines themselves.

Peter Glienke is a young amber craftsman living his life during the Thirty Years' War. He works with amber, a rare and precious substance whose possession is banned unless you work for the guild. But he comes across two pieces with special properties and is transported to the final years of World War II, where he meets a young girl, Liboa, escaping from the Russian army. The story flips back and forth between the two time frames, as Peter fades in and out of existence in both through dreams.

Life in the 17th-century township is very vivid as Peter experiences first-hand how people, broken by the long war, may act with suspicion and hysteria. He witnesses how damaging rumours may be, how jealousy might drive people to lie about others. In his other life, he becomes committed to helping Liboa survive, witnessing the struggles, the tragedies, and the hopelessness but also the will to carry on and act with compassion. His decisions and actions affect the lives of those around him. Peter strives to do what is right and he is very likeable in his sense of honour and integrity.

The piece that connects both is amber, a timeless substance or a substance through time. I loved how the writer chose two war-ravaged eras to show universal struggles and echo and mirror human actions in both and showed that kindness can return, even reverberate through the ages and that honesty and integrity have a way of paving through difficult moments.

And to give people beauty and hope is ultimately Peter's decision, to do what only he can do.

Aside from historical details, there is rich and lovely lore. It's enchanting, elegant and thoughtful.

I rushed a bit in order to finish this review so sadly, I feel I did not properly connect with everything this book has to offer but I could feel a warmth from it that I find very genuine.

YA is not really my genre but this one is really elegantly crafted with a lovely prose, original idea and setting and lovely execution. Thank you for the opportunity.]]> 4.39 The Amber Crane
author: Malve von Hassell
name: Margot
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/20
date added: 2022/01/04
shelves: 2021, historical-fiction, time
review:
I've received a free copy with a request for an honest review. Thank you, Blackthorn tours and the writer!

"The Amber Crane" is an elegant, melancholy, thoughtful and reflective YA historical fiction that makes me think about how our actions and emotions echo through centuries and may impact those who come after us. When we leave behind a piece of kindness, that kindness may bring light in the dark. I love this message and I love how elegant the prose is, the author also chose a very interesting topic to focus on - amber work and her writing reflects the magic of the craft and of the amber figurines themselves.

Peter Glienke is a young amber craftsman living his life during the Thirty Years' War. He works with amber, a rare and precious substance whose possession is banned unless you work for the guild. But he comes across two pieces with special properties and is transported to the final years of World War II, where he meets a young girl, Liboa, escaping from the Russian army. The story flips back and forth between the two time frames, as Peter fades in and out of existence in both through dreams.

Life in the 17th-century township is very vivid as Peter experiences first-hand how people, broken by the long war, may act with suspicion and hysteria. He witnesses how damaging rumours may be, how jealousy might drive people to lie about others. In his other life, he becomes committed to helping Liboa survive, witnessing the struggles, the tragedies, and the hopelessness but also the will to carry on and act with compassion. His decisions and actions affect the lives of those around him. Peter strives to do what is right and he is very likeable in his sense of honour and integrity.

The piece that connects both is amber, a timeless substance or a substance through time. I loved how the writer chose two war-ravaged eras to show universal struggles and echo and mirror human actions in both and showed that kindness can return, even reverberate through the ages and that honesty and integrity have a way of paving through difficult moments.

And to give people beauty and hope is ultimately Peter's decision, to do what only he can do.

Aside from historical details, there is rich and lovely lore. It's enchanting, elegant and thoughtful.

I rushed a bit in order to finish this review so sadly, I feel I did not properly connect with everything this book has to offer but I could feel a warmth from it that I find very genuine.

YA is not really my genre but this one is really elegantly crafted with a lovely prose, original idea and setting and lovely execution. Thank you for the opportunity.
]]> Two Turtle Doves 59429924 What happens next changes his life.]]> 26 Richard Wall Margot 5
This is a really good short story with a simple and very effective delivery like a yarn of an old musician, but with brutal content, the story asks about how far obsession can go. And what's the price to pay for both fame and revenge, for getting what you want.

The story follows a young bullied kid from a difficult environment as he gets his hands on a very special guitar teaches himself to play. It begins as a sort of memoir that does remind me of the stories of so many rock stars recalling their youth and road to stardom. However,along the way things happen, convenient coincidences...and the story takes on a very, very brutal turn. And all we hear is the ominous "everyone pays their bills on Fridays". It is, in fact, like a Faustus of the music world- this idea attracted me to the story to begin with and it delivered! Between simple and brutal, realistic and fantastic, it's a read with a great concept and central question.]]> 4.50 Two Turtle Doves
author: Richard Wall
name: Margot
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/28
date added: 2022/01/03
shelves: 2021, single-short-stories, that-ending, retellings, music
review:
You can read it here:

This is a really good short story with a simple and very effective delivery like a yarn of an old musician, but with brutal content, the story asks about how far obsession can go. And what's the price to pay for both fame and revenge, for getting what you want.

The story follows a young bullied kid from a difficult environment as he gets his hands on a very special guitar teaches himself to play. It begins as a sort of memoir that does remind me of the stories of so many rock stars recalling their youth and road to stardom. However,along the way things happen, convenient coincidences...and the story takes on a very, very brutal turn. And all we hear is the ominous "everyone pays their bills on Fridays". It is, in fact, like a Faustus of the music world- this idea attracted me to the story to begin with and it delivered! Between simple and brutal, realistic and fantastic, it's a read with a great concept and central question.
]]> Run 10595576 A rash of bizarre murders swept the country�
Senseless. Brutal. Seemingly unconnected.
A cop walked into a nursing home and unloaded his weapons on elderly and staff alike.
A mass of school shootings.
Prison riots of unprecedented brutality.
Mind-boggling acts of violence in every state.

4 D A Y S A G O
The murders increased ten-fold�

3 D A Y S A G O
The President addressed the nation and begged for calm and peace�

2 D A Y S A G O
The killers began to mobilize�

Y E S T E R D A Y
All the power went out�

T O N I G H T
They’re reading the names of those to be killed on the Emergency Broadcast System. You are listening over the battery-powered radio on your kitchen table, and they’ve just read yours.

Your name is Jack Colclough. You have a wife, a daughter, and a young son. You live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. People are coming to your house to kill you and your family. You don’t know why, but you don’t have time to think about that any more.

You only have time to�.

R U N

This 80,000-word novel also contains a bonus interview with Blake, and excerpts from his other work.]]> 331 Blake Crouch Margot 0 to-read 3.79 2011 Run
author: Blake Crouch
name: Margot
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Daemon (Daemon, #1) 4699575
Matthew Sobol was a legendary computer game designer—the architect behind half-a-dozen popular online games. His premature death depressed both gamers and his company's stock price. But Sobol's fans aren't the only ones to note his passing. When his obituary is posted online, a previously dormant daemon activates, initiating a chain of events intended to unravel the fabric of our hyper-efficient, interconnected world. With Sobol's secrets buried along with him, and as new layers of his daemon are unleashed at every turn, it's up to an unlikely alliance to decipher his intricate plans and wrest the world from the grasp of a nameless, faceless enemy—or learn to live in a society in which we are no longer in control. . . .

Computer technology expert Daniel Suarez blends haunting high-tech realism with gripping suspense in an authentic, complex thriller in the tradition of Michael Crichton, Neal Stephenson, and William Gibson.]]> 432 Daniel Suarez 0525951113 Margot 0 to-read 4.17 2006 Daemon (Daemon, #1)
author: Daniel Suarez
name: Margot
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/12/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Waste Land 34080 The Waste Land, first published in 1922, is often regarded as T.S. Eliot's masterpiece, as well as one of the most important poems of the 20th century and a central work of modernist poetry.

The work, divided in 5 sections, juxtaposes the legend of the Holy Grail and the Fisher King, with a snapshot of early twentieth-century British society. In contemporary times, it is often read published within The Waste Land and Other Poems and has come to be Eliot's most popular poem.

T.S. Elliot was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor. Born in 1888 in St. Louis (MO, USA), he is considered one of the 20th century's major poets, and a central figure in English-language Modernist poetry."In ten years' time," wrote Edmund Wilson in Axel's Castle (1931), "Elliot has left upon English poetry a mark more unmistakable than that of any other poet writing in English." In 1948, Eliot was awarded the Nobel Price "for his work as a trail-blazing pioneer of modern poetry."]]> 288 T.S. Eliot 0393974995 Margot 5 4.11 1922 The Waste Land
author: T.S. Eliot
name: Margot
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1922
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/12/13
shelves: 2021, atmospheric, favourites, single-poems, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life
review:

]]> Kolkata Noir 58598647
On the way, they take on deluded would-be messiahs in search of Mother Teresa’s stolen millions, encounter fanatics, circus freaks and cannibals, fall in and out of love and pay homage to one of the world’s most beautiful and toughest cities.

Amidst passion, murder and mayhem, is there room for two lovers driven by justice and compassion?

Tom Vater's 'Kolkata Noir' is a riveting crime fiction cycle of three novellas set in the past, the present and the future.]]> 208 Tom Vater Margot 0 to-read 3.96 Kolkata Noir
author: Tom Vater
name: Margot
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cosmogony: A Romantic Drama with Feminist Overtones]]> 56523478
Isaac works for the mad scientist Doctor Novak. Ruth joins the psychedelically inspired “Ladies� Society of Dreamers.� And while the women of Cosmogony may seem coy by day, by cover of night their Ladies� Society of Dreamers (or L.S.D, for those not in the know,) meets to chart the direction of the town’s future. To add to Ruth and Isaac’s troubles, there is a bank robbery, and a shootout, and chaos in their fledgling western town! And so both Isaac and Ruth find themselves tested like never before.

Isaac and Ruth’s story is a timeless love story fit for the bold, it is a story fit for the faint of heart, and it a story fit for all those in between. It is a triumph of love over hate. “Cosmogony: A Romantic Drama with Feminist Overtones� is a story born of seasoned fighters of the good fight, and it is a story birthed to inspire champions of a new era, young men and women pledged to new, and familiar, battles. It is a peek behind “The Curtain.� And much like our star-crossed lovers dear reader, after such a peek behind “The Curtain,� you may find that you will never be the same.]]> 139 Chris Wheat Margot 3 2021
I liked the concept and the title. On the plus side, it is clean, Isaac is charming, and I felt the story was coming from a genuine place.


It's a straightforward story but there are parts in which it's not really clear what the writer wanted to say.

It's a story about how a couple, a white woman Ruth engaged to a very pleasant black young man Isaac, are run out of one town and find themselves in another and they settle down there .

There's a western vibe to it with shootouts, secret societies of ladies and there's also a wedding.

Honestly however, it didn't click with me nor held my interest. Ruth is way too pushy for me (she's meant to be super strong etc but I just find her too much), she's not really my type of heroine. There's too much fluff. They keep saying I love you on nearly every page. It becomes maudlin, though I like she lets her man know in no uncertain terms that any sign of cheating , even looking, will earn him. I have a friend like that and she has a great marriage. But only because her partner's love is genuine and I can say the same thing about Isaac's feelings for Ruth, it's coming from a genuine place snd the relationship is harmonious.

The characters from the town, while seemingly diverse, could have used more development, something more to them. Out of them all, I rather liked Alice.

Lacks descriptive passages, more developed background for the main characters and good buildup, tension, anticipation what comes next. While I could feel honesty in the storytelling, a desire to tell this story, the narrative feels a bit over the place. It's set up to be told from a perspective 60 years in the future but that part too feels too chaotically interwoven into the writing for me. I also think the introduction put me off phrases like "primordial soup of emotions" don't speak to me, much less the warning tone "let it be a lesson to you".

While it tried to deal with important topics like racism, kindness, and feminism they were not strong enough for me.

I was neither riveted nor interested very much, I'm afraid. It just didn't have elements that make it immersive or compelling for me. I also think it might work better for me as some sort of visual novel rather than a traditional print format.

Thank you for the opportunity to read it, however. And good luck with future projects.]]> 4.25 Cosmogony: A Romantic Drama with Feminist Overtones
author: Chris Wheat
name: Margot
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2021/12/05
date added: 2021/12/05
shelves: 2021
review:
I received the book for free with a request for an honest review.

I liked the concept and the title. On the plus side, it is clean, Isaac is charming, and I felt the story was coming from a genuine place.


It's a straightforward story but there are parts in which it's not really clear what the writer wanted to say.

It's a story about how a couple, a white woman Ruth engaged to a very pleasant black young man Isaac, are run out of one town and find themselves in another and they settle down there .

There's a western vibe to it with shootouts, secret societies of ladies and there's also a wedding.

Honestly however, it didn't click with me nor held my interest. Ruth is way too pushy for me (she's meant to be super strong etc but I just find her too much), she's not really my type of heroine. There's too much fluff. They keep saying I love you on nearly every page. It becomes maudlin, though I like she lets her man know in no uncertain terms that any sign of cheating , even looking, will earn him. I have a friend like that and she has a great marriage. But only because her partner's love is genuine and I can say the same thing about Isaac's feelings for Ruth, it's coming from a genuine place snd the relationship is harmonious.

The characters from the town, while seemingly diverse, could have used more development, something more to them. Out of them all, I rather liked Alice.

Lacks descriptive passages, more developed background for the main characters and good buildup, tension, anticipation what comes next. While I could feel honesty in the storytelling, a desire to tell this story, the narrative feels a bit over the place. It's set up to be told from a perspective 60 years in the future but that part too feels too chaotically interwoven into the writing for me. I also think the introduction put me off phrases like "primordial soup of emotions" don't speak to me, much less the warning tone "let it be a lesson to you".

While it tried to deal with important topics like racism, kindness, and feminism they were not strong enough for me.

I was neither riveted nor interested very much, I'm afraid. It just didn't have elements that make it immersive or compelling for me. I also think it might work better for me as some sort of visual novel rather than a traditional print format.

Thank you for the opportunity to read it, however. And good luck with future projects.
]]> The Arrival 920607
Shaun Tan evokes universal aspects of an immigrant's experience through a singular work of the imagination. He does so using brilliantly clear and mesmerizing images. Because the main character can't communicate in words, the book forgoes them too. But while the reader experiences the main character's isolation, he also shares his ultimate joy.]]> 132 Shaun Tan Margot 0 to-read 4.33 2007 The Arrival
author: Shaun Tan
name: Margot
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Rats (Rats, #1) 11545870 Alternate cover edition of ASIN: B0050AM65C

For millions of years man and rats had been natural enemies. But now for the first time - suddenly, shockingly, horribly - the balance of power had shifted and the rats began to prey on the human population.]]> 212 James Herbert Margot 0 to-read 4.14 1974 The Rats (Rats, #1)
author: James Herbert
name: Margot
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1974
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Snow Child 11250053
This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place, things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.]]> 386 Eowyn Ivey 0316175676 Margot 0 to-read 3.94 2012 The Snow Child
author: Eowyn Ivey
name: Margot
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Country of the Blind: With Envelope]]> 906488 22 H.G. Wells 1860920020 Margot 0 to-read 3.92 1904 The Country of the Blind: With Envelope
author: H.G. Wells
name: Margot
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1904
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Circus Folk 48702936 215 Michael Chin 1733585907 Margot 5
I've always enjoyed circus stories. The circus always seems to be accepting of difference, and it's also its own little microcosm. . Nowadays as circus focuses on theatre arts and performances without animals it seems even more true with their original ideas and shows that make us laugh but also provoke thoughts.

Circus is a form of refuge in these stories that focus on it but are about a lot more, they are about life and specifically its dark aspects. Failures, dark feelings, dark passions and carnality, emptiness.

We begin by meeting Vern, the Ringmaster and how he comes to the circus, following his carnal infatuation with Penelope, the daughter of the previous ringmaster. Although he promises to be hers forever, he learns that it's a difficult promise to make. The ending story, in which we meet him and Penelope again, feels like a sort of a full circle with karmic retribution.

The stories that follow the introduction all focus on different characters - members of this dark circus or those who have just joined it. The stories are interlinked and chronological, it's best to read them in order as at one point there's a surprising death and it's best to know the character's background.

Each character introduces a different problem. We have a juggler who juggles relationships, the clown who becomes a very dark character, we have a tall man who dreams of finding his sweetheart though to do so he breaks away from his parents who are perhaps disappointed that he's not an athlete they thought he could be, we have a bearded lady who finds her own bearded family, we have stories of twin and conjoined twin brothers (the story of the conjoined twins ends on a rather tragicomic note. The image of conjoined twins fighting is a bit hilarious, even if sad) - "No one separated them, realizing just how complicated it may be to separate conjoined brothers), we have a story about a failed magician who couldn't counter a witch's curse and becomes doomed to follow the circus as he witnesses a trapeze artist fall but be perfectly fine the next day.
There's a contortionist who agonises over an ailing family member.

The stories present the dark side of life and circus as a sort of refuge, but one that by giving the refuge, takes something else from them. They feel incomplete. There are also intermissions - vignettes focusing on how the ringmaster tries to tame a lion without knowing what he's doing, leading to various dangerous situations and one tender moment.

There are some instances of violence, including attempted rape, but the tales are more affecting than violent or gratuitously carnal - I really don't like so much carnality but I accept it in these stories because it serves to drive points about characters, their personalities, sometimes heighten a sense of irony. The lack of strong bonds in these stories is striking as well, the characters seem to live in certain emptiness and don't really form strong binds, except maybe one or two. The two clowns in "Clown Faces" seemed to have a fairly solid bond. And the bearded ladies form more of a bond and that's why I rather liked the ending of that story. I also rather liked the story of the Fat Lady, because it was very ironic and a little hilarious, though again rather carnal. The most likeable characters were probably two other clowns from "Clown Faces".

Ultimately, in these stories, we find slices of life with familiar problems and it's compelling how the stories are told one by one about each character. The writing is reflective and it draws you in, even with all the grimness and dirtiness, it compels you to reflect and think about not just the characters, but greater things in life, the what-ifs, the problems, lack of bonds, or purpose, emptiness, the people we meet in our lives and how they affect us, whether we forgive or go for the kill, what do we want, how do we find it,what's beauty? What's family? The endings vary but the overall result is very compelling, the stories are varied and lively and surprising, grim but engrossing, making the collection a very interesting read. I was engaged from start to finish.

Definitely worth a read if you like well-structured and organised reflective, down-to-earth, grim, reflective stories. Very nicely written, congruent, a bit dreamlike and creative!

I think this quote sums it up to an extent:

Some people think if you want to find the beauty you need to look closer. But sometimes, it's not about looking at all. It's about touch. Or taste. Or smell. And for me, it's about taking the time to listen.

Listen to the stories, they have things to show and make you think about.

***
Some other quotes I find thought-provoking (will add more later as I will reread some parts)

Sometimes people don't look like they're supposed to, and the family you're born into isn't the one you belong with. Some people are born with birthmarks, a beard is a choice you make every day.

Out of any two people, there's always one who pulls the other up, one who drags the other down]]> 4.67 Circus Folk
author: Michael Chin
name: Margot
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2021/10/15
shelves: 2021, circus, short-story-collections
review:
I want to thank Booktasters and the author for sending me a copy with a request for an honest review.

I've always enjoyed circus stories. The circus always seems to be accepting of difference, and it's also its own little microcosm. . Nowadays as circus focuses on theatre arts and performances without animals it seems even more true with their original ideas and shows that make us laugh but also provoke thoughts.

Circus is a form of refuge in these stories that focus on it but are about a lot more, they are about life and specifically its dark aspects. Failures, dark feelings, dark passions and carnality, emptiness.

We begin by meeting Vern, the Ringmaster and how he comes to the circus, following his carnal infatuation with Penelope, the daughter of the previous ringmaster. Although he promises to be hers forever, he learns that it's a difficult promise to make. The ending story, in which we meet him and Penelope again, feels like a sort of a full circle with karmic retribution.

The stories that follow the introduction all focus on different characters - members of this dark circus or those who have just joined it. The stories are interlinked and chronological, it's best to read them in order as at one point there's a surprising death and it's best to know the character's background.

Each character introduces a different problem. We have a juggler who juggles relationships, the clown who becomes a very dark character, we have a tall man who dreams of finding his sweetheart though to do so he breaks away from his parents who are perhaps disappointed that he's not an athlete they thought he could be, we have a bearded lady who finds her own bearded family, we have stories of twin and conjoined twin brothers (the story of the conjoined twins ends on a rather tragicomic note. The image of conjoined twins fighting is a bit hilarious, even if sad) - "No one separated them, realizing just how complicated it may be to separate conjoined brothers), we have a story about a failed magician who couldn't counter a witch's curse and becomes doomed to follow the circus as he witnesses a trapeze artist fall but be perfectly fine the next day.
There's a contortionist who agonises over an ailing family member.

The stories present the dark side of life and circus as a sort of refuge, but one that by giving the refuge, takes something else from them. They feel incomplete. There are also intermissions - vignettes focusing on how the ringmaster tries to tame a lion without knowing what he's doing, leading to various dangerous situations and one tender moment.

There are some instances of violence, including attempted rape, but the tales are more affecting than violent or gratuitously carnal - I really don't like so much carnality but I accept it in these stories because it serves to drive points about characters, their personalities, sometimes heighten a sense of irony. The lack of strong bonds in these stories is striking as well, the characters seem to live in certain emptiness and don't really form strong binds, except maybe one or two. The two clowns in "Clown Faces" seemed to have a fairly solid bond. And the bearded ladies form more of a bond and that's why I rather liked the ending of that story. I also rather liked the story of the Fat Lady, because it was very ironic and a little hilarious, though again rather carnal. The most likeable characters were probably two other clowns from "Clown Faces".

Ultimately, in these stories, we find slices of life with familiar problems and it's compelling how the stories are told one by one about each character. The writing is reflective and it draws you in, even with all the grimness and dirtiness, it compels you to reflect and think about not just the characters, but greater things in life, the what-ifs, the problems, lack of bonds, or purpose, emptiness, the people we meet in our lives and how they affect us, whether we forgive or go for the kill, what do we want, how do we find it,what's beauty? What's family? The endings vary but the overall result is very compelling, the stories are varied and lively and surprising, grim but engrossing, making the collection a very interesting read. I was engaged from start to finish.

Definitely worth a read if you like well-structured and organised reflective, down-to-earth, grim, reflective stories. Very nicely written, congruent, a bit dreamlike and creative!

I think this quote sums it up to an extent:

Some people think if you want to find the beauty you need to look closer. But sometimes, it's not about looking at all. It's about touch. Or taste. Or smell. And for me, it's about taking the time to listen.

Listen to the stories, they have things to show and make you think about.

***
Some other quotes I find thought-provoking (will add more later as I will reread some parts)

Sometimes people don't look like they're supposed to, and the family you're born into isn't the one you belong with. Some people are born with birthmarks, a beard is a choice you make every day.

Out of any two people, there's always one who pulls the other up, one who drags the other down
]]> <![CDATA[Ark of the Apocalypse (The Magellan II Chronicles, #1)]]> 56496136
The polar ice caps melted long ago, and it's been decades since the last raindrop fell. Ocean levels rise a dozen meters, and forest fires rage on a global scale. Eleven billion people dying of thirst wage water wars against each other as extinction looms.

Humanity needs a new planet. As Earth deteriorates, the nation states desperately work together to build a mechanism for recolonization. And so the Magellan II is born, the first starship capable of interstellar travel.

The future of the human race is tasked to ten thousand colonists-now homeless but for the vastness of space and the decks of Magellan II. A distant planet offers hope of survival, but it's a strange, watery world inhabited by giant reptiles.

Humanity is starting over, but survival isn't guaranteed.]]> 428 Tobin Marks Margot 4
I’ve received a free copy courtesy of Blackthorn Book Tours with a request for an honest review.

For me, this is like Ray Bradbury meets The Stand with a touch of Tolkien. There are witches, dragons and apocalypse of the world and it might seem like a weird mix (it did for me!) but it's compelling. It combines ecological alertness, political intrigue, exploration and space travel, apocalypse and dealing with its repercussions, Jurassic park, colonizing new world and developing new civilisation from scratch in a primitive fantasy world of reptilian races and dragons, all embraced by a grand scheme that gives food for thought about fate and blindly following it, on top of other things, like hypocrisy and political climate that may lead to a war to end all wars. I really like how the author has packed so much and made it all congruent.

Because that’s what this is: a riveting, page-turning action-packed prequel with a detailed origin story and there’s a lot to look forward to after reading this one.

The origin story reaches far to pre-World War II. We follow the fates of several generations of families, including one clan of powerful witches that manipulate world events, believing in their own “mission�, or destiny. The transitions between generations are seamless. The descriptions of the apocalypse, preparations for it and preparations for space travel, the journey itself, and even the post-apocalyptic world and the political turmoil (and behaviour of world leaders) that accompany it all feel like they could happen. It’s all prophesied…but to be honest, much as I usually like prophecies and chosen ones this one doesn’t feel good, this one makes me wonder why no one protests or takes action to change things instead of blindly following the vision, nor fights the rules dictating how everyone should do things. I’m questioning it. Why blindly follow a vision, instead of using it to try to take a different course? I do not like schemers, so I would contest figures like Mother Olga.

It’s very plot-driven, does not really stop to enter into descriptions or doesn’t take the time to examine the characters� emotions in great detail, I tend to prefer more introspection.
It moves fast, characters don’t really stay for a long time. There are many characters, some rather endearing, they seem to be used to set the stage for core events in the future and due to the scope, the story doesn’t really focus on one or two central characters, but rather on �.how that mass of people from various lineages contributes to the events and how they make it happen, how they help shape the state of the world, the narrative situation. A group of people is the central character and it’s great to read but in the future, I hope to get attached and cheer for central characters who are stronger individuals who might be willing to stand against prophecies or have a more lasting presence in general. I’m thinking Rodinya might be one. I’m still sad about Sasha and Nadya’s parents though.

But why do they all blindly follow the “vision� instead of trying to change things? This obedience to vision bothered me, for me, nothing is quite set in stone, no matter what machinations there are. As humans, we have the capacity not only to adapt but to change things every day. Instead, characters in the story seem to blindly follow. Nadya is more likeable than Olga but why still obey the vision? Though some lines in the story made me think this obedience is cracking.

I don’t believe in inevitability, so I do not appreciate the stances of characters because I believe we can go against an authority with “visionsâ€â€� but because it made me think, I applaud the story- I feel like it’s telling me not to be idle and not just accept things as they are but seek other ways, regardless of what the “truthâ€� may be â€� no matter how inevitable the global apocalypse seems to be â€� it is realistic in that sense and it was part of what made me so riveted to it.

Same with Dr Burt, who tells blunt truth about climate change and humanity’s chances � He may be blunt � and correct � but should that stop us from making even the tiniest changes? I think not. Instead, his listeners boo him offended. Why? They seem to take the stance personally and miss the bigger picture. Was this part of the plan? But a small ripple can lead to bigger waves. There’s always something to do. Not everything about the future is set in stone, there are things that can change if we take action. The way things are, the family members are not even free.

There are some typos (lack of apostrophes, spaces in wrong places). They do not really hinder the reading but still, I did notice them so I hope for stricter proofreading with the next book.

The writer’s vision is broad in terms of ideas and definitely, in terms of worldbuilding. And I’m hooked. It’s a riveting sci-fi fantasy mix and I hope to read more! I want the next stories to surprise me, to show me more and go deeper.

I really do look forward to the next parts, that’s why I said I reserve the right to re-rate and reevaluate this book when I see the story in full, I just don’t think I’ve had enough, however it reads well as a stand-alone and is intriguing as such. I’m eager to find out where Tobin Marks will take us. I’d like to get attached and spend more time with a few central characters in the future.

I appreciate the breadth and degree of planning that must go into a book of these proportions. I appreciate the imagination and the way the author combines things. I look forward to reading more! I really want to know what you have in store for the characters, their bloodlines and for the epically engineered fate of the world. I really hope the next books will be even better. I liked what I read of the preview to Book II. I love how it circles back to a certain point in book one and I really wonder where you’ll take it!

It’s definitely my most favourite book to review for Blackthorn Book Tours thus far, it has spoken to my imagination. And I’ll read more. It’s greatly discounted on Amazon at the moment. � I actually bought it on top of the free copy I had for review. The ending is not a cliffhanger but it leaves you wanting more. This book is a foretaste of things to come, a tasty morsel to whet appetites.]]> 4.65 2021 Ark of the Apocalypse (The Magellan II Chronicles, #1)
author: Tobin Marks
name: Margot
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/09
date added: 2021/10/14
shelves: 2021, dystopia-and-post-apocalyptic, space, various-sci-fi, journey, favourites
review:
This has intrigued me. I reserve the right to rerate after I read sequels because I don’t think I’ve seen enough of the story, as this is clearly just a start.

I’ve received a free copy courtesy of Blackthorn Book Tours with a request for an honest review.

For me, this is like Ray Bradbury meets The Stand with a touch of Tolkien. There are witches, dragons and apocalypse of the world and it might seem like a weird mix (it did for me!) but it's compelling. It combines ecological alertness, political intrigue, exploration and space travel, apocalypse and dealing with its repercussions, Jurassic park, colonizing new world and developing new civilisation from scratch in a primitive fantasy world of reptilian races and dragons, all embraced by a grand scheme that gives food for thought about fate and blindly following it, on top of other things, like hypocrisy and political climate that may lead to a war to end all wars. I really like how the author has packed so much and made it all congruent.

Because that’s what this is: a riveting, page-turning action-packed prequel with a detailed origin story and there’s a lot to look forward to after reading this one.

The origin story reaches far to pre-World War II. We follow the fates of several generations of families, including one clan of powerful witches that manipulate world events, believing in their own “mission�, or destiny. The transitions between generations are seamless. The descriptions of the apocalypse, preparations for it and preparations for space travel, the journey itself, and even the post-apocalyptic world and the political turmoil (and behaviour of world leaders) that accompany it all feel like they could happen. It’s all prophesied…but to be honest, much as I usually like prophecies and chosen ones this one doesn’t feel good, this one makes me wonder why no one protests or takes action to change things instead of blindly following the vision, nor fights the rules dictating how everyone should do things. I’m questioning it. Why blindly follow a vision, instead of using it to try to take a different course? I do not like schemers, so I would contest figures like Mother Olga.

It’s very plot-driven, does not really stop to enter into descriptions or doesn’t take the time to examine the characters� emotions in great detail, I tend to prefer more introspection.
It moves fast, characters don’t really stay for a long time. There are many characters, some rather endearing, they seem to be used to set the stage for core events in the future and due to the scope, the story doesn’t really focus on one or two central characters, but rather on �.how that mass of people from various lineages contributes to the events and how they make it happen, how they help shape the state of the world, the narrative situation. A group of people is the central character and it’s great to read but in the future, I hope to get attached and cheer for central characters who are stronger individuals who might be willing to stand against prophecies or have a more lasting presence in general. I’m thinking Rodinya might be one. I’m still sad about Sasha and Nadya’s parents though.

But why do they all blindly follow the “vision� instead of trying to change things? This obedience to vision bothered me, for me, nothing is quite set in stone, no matter what machinations there are. As humans, we have the capacity not only to adapt but to change things every day. Instead, characters in the story seem to blindly follow. Nadya is more likeable than Olga but why still obey the vision? Though some lines in the story made me think this obedience is cracking.

I don’t believe in inevitability, so I do not appreciate the stances of characters because I believe we can go against an authority with “visionsâ€â€� but because it made me think, I applaud the story- I feel like it’s telling me not to be idle and not just accept things as they are but seek other ways, regardless of what the “truthâ€� may be â€� no matter how inevitable the global apocalypse seems to be â€� it is realistic in that sense and it was part of what made me so riveted to it.

Same with Dr Burt, who tells blunt truth about climate change and humanity’s chances � He may be blunt � and correct � but should that stop us from making even the tiniest changes? I think not. Instead, his listeners boo him offended. Why? They seem to take the stance personally and miss the bigger picture. Was this part of the plan? But a small ripple can lead to bigger waves. There’s always something to do. Not everything about the future is set in stone, there are things that can change if we take action. The way things are, the family members are not even free.

There are some typos (lack of apostrophes, spaces in wrong places). They do not really hinder the reading but still, I did notice them so I hope for stricter proofreading with the next book.

The writer’s vision is broad in terms of ideas and definitely, in terms of worldbuilding. And I’m hooked. It’s a riveting sci-fi fantasy mix and I hope to read more! I want the next stories to surprise me, to show me more and go deeper.

I really do look forward to the next parts, that’s why I said I reserve the right to re-rate and reevaluate this book when I see the story in full, I just don’t think I’ve had enough, however it reads well as a stand-alone and is intriguing as such. I’m eager to find out where Tobin Marks will take us. I’d like to get attached and spend more time with a few central characters in the future.

I appreciate the breadth and degree of planning that must go into a book of these proportions. I appreciate the imagination and the way the author combines things. I look forward to reading more! I really want to know what you have in store for the characters, their bloodlines and for the epically engineered fate of the world. I really hope the next books will be even better. I liked what I read of the preview to Book II. I love how it circles back to a certain point in book one and I really wonder where you’ll take it!

It’s definitely my most favourite book to review for Blackthorn Book Tours thus far, it has spoken to my imagination. And I’ll read more. It’s greatly discounted on Amazon at the moment. � I actually bought it on top of the free copy I had for review. The ending is not a cliffhanger but it leaves you wanting more. This book is a foretaste of things to come, a tasty morsel to whet appetites.
]]> Flowers for Algernon 18373 Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the powerful, classic story about a man who receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and introduces him to heartache.
Ìý
Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence � a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon.

As the treatment takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?]]> 311 Daniel Keyes 015603008X Margot 5 4.19 1966 Flowers for Algernon
author: Daniel Keyes
name: Margot
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1966
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/01
date added: 2021/10/14
shelves: 2020, long-novels, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, favourites, interesting-concepts, memory, love-including-sweet-clean-romance, best-protagonist, letter-diary-notes
review:

]]> The Lottery 6219656
“The Lottery� stands out as one of the most famous short stories in American literary history. Originally published in The New Yorker, the author immediately began receiving letters from readers who demanded an explanation of the story’s meaning. “The Lottery� has been adapted for stage, television, radio and film.
]]> 30 Shirley Jackson 1563127873 Margot 5 4.08 1948 The Lottery
author: Shirley Jackson
name: Margot
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1948
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/13
shelves: single-short-stories, that-ending
review:

]]> Maybe in Another Life 23492661
From the acclaimed author of Forever, Interrupted and After I Do comes a breathtaking new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results.

At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.

Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?

In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?

Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.]]> 342 Taylor Jenkins Reid Margot 4 3.77 2015 Maybe in Another Life
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Margot
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2019/12/06
date added: 2021/10/13
shelves: 2019, love-including-sweet-clean-romance, interesting-concepts, that-ending
review:

]]> And Then There Were None 16299
"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."

When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.]]> 264 Agatha Christie 0312330871 Margot 5 4.28 1939 And Then There Were None
author: Agatha Christie
name: Margot
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1939
rating: 5
read at: 2019/12/13
date added: 2021/10/13
shelves: 2019, letter-diary-notes, loved-covers, novels-under-300-pages, favourites, island, that-ending
review:
Absolutely Riveting. I read it in one sitting-stayed up until 3am because it was unputdownable. It has psychological depth -characters are confronted with their guilt and I was really immersed in how they were consumed by it and grappled with it The concept is great. Great ending.
]]> Fahrenheit 451 13079982 Sixty years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today its message has grown more relevant than ever before.

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.� But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.]]> 194 Ray Bradbury Margot 5 This is as valid today as it ever was, a book for the times of social media. Not an easy classic but an important one and very thought provoking, about how it's possible to gradually "burn" books by turning away from them. It's not so much about government censorship- that's the easy way out of this book, blame it all on the government. No. Censorship starts with us. I think we start censoring what we read, shy away from what makes us uncomfortable or what offends or what's difficult- it's not the government. We first censor and shun books because of this or that. It might be the hype or a feeling of being pressured into something or some other thing.

"There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches". And it's happening all the time.

well, this book has reignited my passion for reading.

Ultimately though for me its ending is hopeful and paradoxically we can achieve that sort of exchange hinted by the ending thanks to social media, by sharing what we read , committing it to a post. Social media cen help popularise the books, help them reach other people who will love and understand them. I run a bookstagram with this hope. As long as we are genuine, presenting what we actually do love and care to delve deeper into the books and think about them. Only genuine passion can ignite passion, I think.]]> 3.97 1953 Fahrenheit 451
author: Ray Bradbury
name: Margot
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1953
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/13
shelves: favourites, interesting-concepts, dystopia-and-post-apocalyptic, various-sci-fi, novels-under-300-pages, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, that-ending
review:
Favourites: Fahrenheit 451
This is as valid today as it ever was, a book for the times of social media. Not an easy classic but an important one and very thought provoking, about how it's possible to gradually "burn" books by turning away from them. It's not so much about government censorship- that's the easy way out of this book, blame it all on the government. No. Censorship starts with us. I think we start censoring what we read, shy away from what makes us uncomfortable or what offends or what's difficult- it's not the government. We first censor and shun books because of this or that. It might be the hype or a feeling of being pressured into something or some other thing.

"There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches". And it's happening all the time.

well, this book has reignited my passion for reading.

Ultimately though for me its ending is hopeful and paradoxically we can achieve that sort of exchange hinted by the ending thanks to social media, by sharing what we read , committing it to a post. Social media cen help popularise the books, help them reach other people who will love and understand them. I run a bookstagram with this hope. As long as we are genuine, presenting what we actually do love and care to delve deeper into the books and think about them. Only genuine passion can ignite passion, I think.
]]> A Judgement in Stone 83412
On Valentine's Day, four members of the Coverdale family--George, Jacqueline, Melinda and Giles--were murdered in the space of 15 minutes. Their housekeeper, Eunice Parchman, shot them, one by one, in the blue light of a televised performance of Don Giovanni. When Detective Chief Superintendent William Vetch arrests Miss Parchman two weeks later, he discovers a second tragedy: the key to the Valentine's Day massacre hidden within a private humiliation Eunice Parchman has guarded all her life.ÌýÌýA brilliant rendering of character, motive, and the heady discovery of truth, A Judgement in Stone is among Ruth Rendell's finest psychological thrillers.]]> 188 Ruth Rendell 0375704965 Margot 5
I've finished Ruth Rendell's a judgment in stone. It's great and very well written. There's food for thought here: illiteracy, education, religion, background, social divide, inferiority vs elitism, a sense of inadequacy vs complacency. The opening sentence reveals the complex social crime committed and its I've if the most interesting opening lines I've read in fiction. We know from the start who did what, Rendell takes us in a journey to understand how and why.

Unnervingly afecting, tense and very scary because that sort of crime Ruth describes is around us. The conditions, the social divides, the lack of understanding that may provide riping ground for these sort of crimes are fostered in our reality.
We are introduced to characters from vastly different worlds- one comfortable and fairly well-off luxurious, cultured (Coverdales) , the other struggling, illiterate or naive easily susceptible to religious indoctrination and fanaticism.
Eunice Parchment comes to work for the Coverdales. She's illiterate, prone to lying, seeking out the comfort of a TV set and junk food. She hides her shame, and seeing printed word is like accurate to her, illiteracy is almost a protagonist in its own right, a demon that haunts her. Joan, with whom she partners, is more scary because she's like all the religious fanatics around. On the other hand, Coverdales seem like good people but Rendell does show their foibles, complacency and vanity among them. The characters are well drawn, full , I actually wanted them to try and avoid their fate but they couldn't.

It's tense, gripping and leads to an explosive climax, where two sides of the tragedy come together paralleled by acts of an opera. And after it things remain interesting. Will the criminal get found out?


I loved how Ruth wrote it, coldly , examining choices at each step, meaningful what ifs that characters could have done (but didn't)to avert tragedy and complacency and vanity that may have been avoided. It's really gripping.
It has one of the best opening in books I've read. Kept me in its throes from start to finish.]]> 3.90 1977 A Judgement in Stone
author: Ruth Rendell
name: Margot
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1977
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/01
date added: 2021/10/13
shelves: 2020, favourites, interesting-concepts, novels-under-300-pages, best-antagonist, that-ending
review:
"Dust, Ashes, Waste, Want, Ruin, Despair, Madness, Death, Cunning, Folly, Words, Wigs, Rags, Sheepskin, Plunder, Precedent, Jargon, Gammon and Spinach".

I've finished Ruth Rendell's a judgment in stone. It's great and very well written. There's food for thought here: illiteracy, education, religion, background, social divide, inferiority vs elitism, a sense of inadequacy vs complacency. The opening sentence reveals the complex social crime committed and its I've if the most interesting opening lines I've read in fiction. We know from the start who did what, Rendell takes us in a journey to understand how and why.

Unnervingly afecting, tense and very scary because that sort of crime Ruth describes is around us. The conditions, the social divides, the lack of understanding that may provide riping ground for these sort of crimes are fostered in our reality.
We are introduced to characters from vastly different worlds- one comfortable and fairly well-off luxurious, cultured (Coverdales) , the other struggling, illiterate or naive easily susceptible to religious indoctrination and fanaticism.
Eunice Parchment comes to work for the Coverdales. She's illiterate, prone to lying, seeking out the comfort of a TV set and junk food. She hides her shame, and seeing printed word is like accurate to her, illiteracy is almost a protagonist in its own right, a demon that haunts her. Joan, with whom she partners, is more scary because she's like all the religious fanatics around. On the other hand, Coverdales seem like good people but Rendell does show their foibles, complacency and vanity among them. The characters are well drawn, full , I actually wanted them to try and avoid their fate but they couldn't.

It's tense, gripping and leads to an explosive climax, where two sides of the tragedy come together paralleled by acts of an opera. And after it things remain interesting. Will the criminal get found out?


I loved how Ruth wrote it, coldly , examining choices at each step, meaningful what ifs that characters could have done (but didn't)to avert tragedy and complacency and vanity that may have been avoided. It's really gripping.
It has one of the best opening in books I've read. Kept me in its throes from start to finish.
]]> The Last 40381927 For fans of high-concept thrillers such as Annihilation and The Girl with All the Gifts, this breathtaking dystopian psychological thriller follows an American academic stranded at a Swiss hotel as the world descends into nuclear war—along with twenty other survivors—who becomes obsessed with identifying a murderer in their midst after the body of a young girl is discovered in one of the hotel’s water tanks.

Jon thought he had all the time in the world to respond to his wife’s text message: I miss you so much. I feel bad about how we left it. Love you. But as he’s waiting in the lobby of the L’Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland after an academic conference, still mulling over how to respond to his wife, he receives a string of horrifying push notifications. Washington, DC has been hit with a nuclear bomb, then New York, then London, and finally Berlin. That’s all he knows before news outlets and social media goes black—and before the clouds on the horizon turn orange.

Now, two months later, there are twenty survivors holed up at the hotel, a place already tainted by its strange history of suicides and murders. Those who can’t bear to stay commit suicide or wander off into the woods. Jon and the others try to maintain some semblance of civilization. But when the water pressure disappears, and Jon and a crew of survivors investigate the hotel’s water tanks, they are shocked to discover the body of a young girl.

As supplies dwindle and tensions rise, Jon becomes obsessed with investigating the death of the little girl as a way to cling to his own humanity. Yet the real question remains: can he afford to lose his mind in this hotel, or should he take his chances in the outside world?]]> 340 Hanna Jameson 1501198823 Margot 1 3.49 2019 The Last
author: Hanna Jameson
name: Margot
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2019
rating: 1
read at: 2021/06/03
date added: 2021/10/13
shelves: 2021, blacklisted, dystopia-and-post-apocalyptic, houses, long-novels, letter-diary-notes
review:

]]> Before I Go to Sleep 9736930
So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?

Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight.

And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.

Welcome to Christine's life.]]> 359 S.J. Watson 0062060554 Margot 3
But I think Shutter Island is a lot more subtle in the way it uses a very fine twist and has become a fave, while this book leaves me with a lot to wish for. The protagonist here isn't very likeable all in all. Based around suspicious stalker/ affair premise - The way the character lives were....This part makes things too soapy for me and made it lose the atmosphere that was established by the memory/ diary part.

I liked the ending which was on the hopeful side (my kind of ending but I felt the plot wasn't strong enough to really make this ending shine) and I liked the truth about Ben and some other family members but the denouement and overall execution were too predictable.

At some point in the middle of reading it, I regretted picking it up because of the things that made me roll my eyes but at the same time I couldn't put it down because the diary plus memory premise is engaging. Overall, a page-turner that works 50 /50 for me, but has left me with nothing after reading it. I feel it could have been a lot more.
.]]> 3.90 2011 Before I Go to Sleep
author: S.J. Watson
name: Margot
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/01
date added: 2021/10/13
shelves: 2020, interesting-concepts, memory, parents-and-children, letter-diary-notes
review:
It is a page-turner about a woman who wakes up every day without the memory of the previous day and her husband has to tell her about her life. She keeps a journal to keep track and as she does, she begins to question the truth of her life. I chose this book, looking for something similar to Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island. In a sense, I got it because dealing with memory loss and constructing every day like a puzzle is a very absorbing premise that promises a twist. And there was a twist but not a particularly strong one. But I enjoyed the diary format and towards the end, discovering its hidden PS that was hinted at early enough.

But I think Shutter Island is a lot more subtle in the way it uses a very fine twist and has become a fave, while this book leaves me with a lot to wish for. The protagonist here isn't very likeable all in all. Based around suspicious stalker/ affair premise - The way the character lives were....This part makes things too soapy for me and made it lose the atmosphere that was established by the memory/ diary part.

I liked the ending which was on the hopeful side (my kind of ending but I felt the plot wasn't strong enough to really make this ending shine) and I liked the truth about Ben and some other family members but the denouement and overall execution were too predictable.

At some point in the middle of reading it, I regretted picking it up because of the things that made me roll my eyes but at the same time I couldn't put it down because the diary plus memory premise is engaging. Overall, a page-turner that works 50 /50 for me, but has left me with nothing after reading it. I feel it could have been a lot more.
.
]]> The Photographer 5967064 288 Emmanuel Guibert 1596433752 Margot 0 to-read 4.26 2003 The Photographer
author: Emmanuel Guibert
name: Margot
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Winterset Hollow 58934632
Winterset Hollow follows a group of friends to the place that inspired their favorite book-a timeless tale about a tribe of animals preparing for their yearly end-of-summer festival. But after a series of shocking discoveries, they find that much of what the world believes to be fiction is actually fact, and that the truth behind their beloved story is darker and more dangerous than they ever imagined. It's Barley Day . . . and you're invited to the hunt.

Winterset Hollow is as thrilling as it is terrifying and as smart as it is surprising. A uniquely original story filled with properly unexpected twists and turns, Winterset Hollow delivers complex, indelible characters and pulse- pounding action as it storms toward an unforgettable climax that will leave you reeling. How do you celebrate Barley Day? You run, friend. You run.]]> 274 Jonathan Edward Durham 1625862083 Margot 0 to-read 3.89 2021 Winterset Hollow
author: Jonathan Edward Durham
name: Margot
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Bewilderment 56567239 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781785152634.

Theo Byrne is a promising young scientist who has found a way to search for life on other planets dozens of light years away. He is also the widowed father of a most unusual nine-year-old. His son Robin is funny, loving and filled with plans. He thinks and feels deeply, adores animals and can spend hours painting elaborate pictures. He is also on the verge of being expelled from school for smashing his friend's face with a thermos.

What can a father do, when the only solution offered to his rare and troubled boy is to put him on psychoactive drugs? What can he say when his boy comes to him wanting an explanation for a world that is clearly in love with its own destruction? The only thing for it is to take the boy to other planets, all while fostering his son's desperate attempt to save this one.

At the heart of Bewilderment lies the question: How can we tell our children the truth about this beautiful, imperiled planet?]]> 278 Richard Powers Margot 0 to-read 3.94 2021 Bewilderment
author: Richard Powers
name: Margot
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Plague of Doves 2227528 The unsolved murder of a farm family still haunts the white small town of Pluto, North Dakota, generations after the vengeance exacted and the distortions of fact transformed the lives of Ojibwe living on the nearby reservation.

Part Ojibwe, part white, Evelina Harp is an ambitious young girl prone to falling hopelessly in love. Mooshum, Evelina's grandfather, is a repository of family and tribal history with an all-too-intimate knowledge of the violent past. And Judge Antone Bazil Coutts, who bears witness, understands the weight of historical injustice better than anyone. Through the distinct and winning voices of three unforgettable narrators, the collective stories of two interwoven communities ultimately come together to reveal a final wrenching truth.

]]> 314 Louise Erdrich 0060515120 Margot 0 to-read 3.78 2008 The Plague of Doves
author: Louise Erdrich
name: Margot
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #2)]]> 83346 228 Lewis Carroll 0688120490 Margot 4 4.05 1871 Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #2)
author: Lewis Carroll
name: Margot
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1871
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/26
date added: 2021/08/27
shelves: 2021, animals, children-pov, favourites, journey, meandering, novels-under-300-pages
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #1)]]> 6324090 96 Lewis Carroll Margot 5
Fun read.I never actually read Alice until now, for whatever reason but there's joy and pleasure to be had in reading this. I enjoy the linguistic and logical playfulness. Fun characters, fun world. This is the book to translate for an aspiring creative translator.

It's a fun realm of whimsy and there are other things to be read from this. This one's going to be fun to reread and I'm definitely going to want this on my physical shelves along with some fun translations.]]> 4.05 1865 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #1)
author: Lewis Carroll
name: Margot
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1865
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/13
date added: 2021/08/26
shelves: 2021, children-pov, favourites, meandering, novels-under-300-pages, read-it-at-least-once-in-your-life, animals, journey
review:
‘� so long as I get somewhere,� Alice added as an explanation. ‘Oh, you’re sure to do that,� said the Cat, ‘if you only walk long enough.�

Fun read.I never actually read Alice until now, for whatever reason but there's joy and pleasure to be had in reading this. I enjoy the linguistic and logical playfulness. Fun characters, fun world. This is the book to translate for an aspiring creative translator.

It's a fun realm of whimsy and there are other things to be read from this. This one's going to be fun to reread and I'm definitely going to want this on my physical shelves along with some fun translations.
]]> Dear Theo 198511 480 Vincent van Gogh 0452275040 Margot 0 to-read 4.16 1914 Dear Theo
author: Vincent van Gogh
name: Margot
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1914
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/06/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Geography of the Imagination: Forty Essays]]> 300570 384 Guy Davenport 1567920802 Margot 0 to-read 4.42 1981 The Geography of the Imagination: Forty Essays
author: Guy Davenport
name: Margot
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1981
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/06/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seeking Persephone (The Lancaster Family, #1)]]> 5640523 288 Sarah M. Eden 1440454299 Margot 5
Clean regency romance with a bit of a Beauty and the Beast and Hades /Persephone theme. Adam arranges for himself a marriage of convenience wife as a last-ditch resort not to have his title inherited by someone he doesn't approve. Of course, his new bride proves to be a lot more than he expected and that proves...problematic, especially for someone who doesn't want to need anyone in his life.

I really like Sarah Eden's style. Her romances are clean, have characters I find appealing or exactly what I need, and are easy to get into and fun to read. This is book one in a series spanning two families. No need to read them all, but later books do refer back to characters from earlier books.]]> 4.17 2008 Seeking Persephone (The Lancaster Family, #1)
author: Sarah M. Eden
name: Margot
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/06
date added: 2021/06/07
shelves: 2021, historical-fiction, love-including-sweet-clean-romance, novels-under-300-pages
review:
I really do like sweet, clean romances. Not all of them but there are a few out there that just have what it takes for me to enjoy them. This is one of them.

Clean regency romance with a bit of a Beauty and the Beast and Hades /Persephone theme. Adam arranges for himself a marriage of convenience wife as a last-ditch resort not to have his title inherited by someone he doesn't approve. Of course, his new bride proves to be a lot more than he expected and that proves...problematic, especially for someone who doesn't want to need anyone in his life.

I really like Sarah Eden's style. Her romances are clean, have characters I find appealing or exactly what I need, and are easy to get into and fun to read. This is book one in a series spanning two families. No need to read them all, but later books do refer back to characters from earlier books.
]]>