August & September: Books, and Thoughts from HK
39 books down, 11 more to go!
Read some good books these past 2 months.
The Help - I was wonderfully surprised by this book. It is very well written. The characters are compelling, the story is tense, and you feel like you really are there in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi. I saw the movie afterwards and the book is definitely much richer. It made me laugh and made me cry- a sure sign that it's a captivating book.
The Jane Austen Book Club - Basically a book about characters reading books (like the title suggests). The author cleverly appropriates the joys and sorrows of Austen characters into a contemporary group of seemingly different and unlikely individuals who all share a passion for Austen. That said, I wasn't overly moved by the story or attached to the characters. At times I felt like the author's writing was a little uneven; not as smooth and effortless as I would prefer. Overall, a decent enough read.
Never Let Me Go - I was drawn to this book because of its disturbing plot- the idea that in an alternative historical universe, humans find a way to live beyond 100 by cloning people for the sole purpose of harvesting their organs. And it's called 'completing' when a donor finally dies, usually after their 3rd or 4th donation. Now, such an outrageous story should make for an amazingly tragic read, but I actually was a little disappointed. I think it's because I didn't like the author's writing style. He makes the protagonist narrate it in a very cool, casual tone, which to me, created too much distance for me to really relate to the characters; it should have been heartbreaking but I just felt vague pity for them. I saw the movie afterwards, and I like it slightly better than the book. Of course the book is richer in details, but the pain and tension felt more immediate when I saw it acted by people on screen.
The Gift - I didn't really enjoy this. This is the second book I've read by Cecilia Ahern, and I can now say that I don't really think she's that great of an author. I don't like her writing style, the main character in this book greatly annoyed me, and there seemed to be many contradictions about the whole moral of the story. Quickest summary I can give: man who neglects wife/family, workaholic, a cheater and all around jerk learns in the end that family really is the most important thing by way of taking a magic pill that enables him to be in two places at once. Really cheesy and preachy and I didn't enjoy it one bit.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - This has been recommended to me quite a bit, so I finally gave it a try. Initially I wasn't too keen because I usually don't read murder mystery type books, but this really was a good book. In the beginning I was a little slow to warm up to the story because there is a lot of business/finance type talk (which mostly just flew over me), but the suspense really does hook you. There is tons of tension, and you come to really care and root for the characters. There are also some very dark and disturbing moments, so it's quite an intense experience. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I don't know how it compares.
Angela's Ashes - This was a re-read. I first read it back in grade 10 (which sadly, was quite a while ago). From what I remember, I really liked it, and I remember crying a lot. This is the author's memoir- about his impoverished childhood in Ireland. His father was an alcoholic that spent practically all of his money on booze, leaving a mother with the burden of feeding her 7 children (of which 3 died young). This time I did not cry reading it, but it still certainly is sad. The books reads as the inner conversation in a child's head; the author perfectly narrates it as if a naive child actually wrote it. In addition to poverty, young Frank's struggles include discrimination because of his Father's nationality and guilt indoctrinated into him by the Catholic church. Though this is a child's story, the struggles are profound.
Thoughts from HK - In a nutshell: I've been in HK for 6 weeks now. At times it still feels surreal. I think to myself, "Am I really here?" Of all people it seemed unlikely that I would end up here. But really, it's been good so far. I have much to be thankful for.
Read some good books these past 2 months.
The Help - I was wonderfully surprised by this book. It is very well written. The characters are compelling, the story is tense, and you feel like you really are there in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi. I saw the movie afterwards and the book is definitely much richer. It made me laugh and made me cry- a sure sign that it's a captivating book.
The Jane Austen Book Club - Basically a book about characters reading books (like the title suggests). The author cleverly appropriates the joys and sorrows of Austen characters into a contemporary group of seemingly different and unlikely individuals who all share a passion for Austen. That said, I wasn't overly moved by the story or attached to the characters. At times I felt like the author's writing was a little uneven; not as smooth and effortless as I would prefer. Overall, a decent enough read.
Never Let Me Go - I was drawn to this book because of its disturbing plot- the idea that in an alternative historical universe, humans find a way to live beyond 100 by cloning people for the sole purpose of harvesting their organs. And it's called 'completing' when a donor finally dies, usually after their 3rd or 4th donation. Now, such an outrageous story should make for an amazingly tragic read, but I actually was a little disappointed. I think it's because I didn't like the author's writing style. He makes the protagonist narrate it in a very cool, casual tone, which to me, created too much distance for me to really relate to the characters; it should have been heartbreaking but I just felt vague pity for them. I saw the movie afterwards, and I like it slightly better than the book. Of course the book is richer in details, but the pain and tension felt more immediate when I saw it acted by people on screen.
The Gift - I didn't really enjoy this. This is the second book I've read by Cecilia Ahern, and I can now say that I don't really think she's that great of an author. I don't like her writing style, the main character in this book greatly annoyed me, and there seemed to be many contradictions about the whole moral of the story. Quickest summary I can give: man who neglects wife/family, workaholic, a cheater and all around jerk learns in the end that family really is the most important thing by way of taking a magic pill that enables him to be in two places at once. Really cheesy and preachy and I didn't enjoy it one bit.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - This has been recommended to me quite a bit, so I finally gave it a try. Initially I wasn't too keen because I usually don't read murder mystery type books, but this really was a good book. In the beginning I was a little slow to warm up to the story because there is a lot of business/finance type talk (which mostly just flew over me), but the suspense really does hook you. There is tons of tension, and you come to really care and root for the characters. There are also some very dark and disturbing moments, so it's quite an intense experience. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I don't know how it compares.
Angela's Ashes - This was a re-read. I first read it back in grade 10 (which sadly, was quite a while ago). From what I remember, I really liked it, and I remember crying a lot. This is the author's memoir- about his impoverished childhood in Ireland. His father was an alcoholic that spent practically all of his money on booze, leaving a mother with the burden of feeding her 7 children (of which 3 died young). This time I did not cry reading it, but it still certainly is sad. The books reads as the inner conversation in a child's head; the author perfectly narrates it as if a naive child actually wrote it. In addition to poverty, young Frank's struggles include discrimination because of his Father's nationality and guilt indoctrinated into him by the Catholic church. Though this is a child's story, the struggles are profound.
Thoughts from HK - In a nutshell: I've been in HK for 6 weeks now. At times it still feels surreal. I think to myself, "Am I really here?" Of all people it seemed unlikely that I would end up here. But really, it's been good so far. I have much to be thankful for.