The Black Dahlia was my first introduction to the classic style of hard-boiled detective fiction. This wasn't my first attempt as I tried to read Raym The Black Dahlia was my first introduction to the classic style of hard-boiled detective fiction. This wasn't my first attempt as I tried to read Raymond Chandler but I couldn't get through it. The Black Dahlia was more successful, although I did have some difficulty getting used to the language however it grew on me and to date it is one of my favourite detective stories.
The main reason why I like this book is because Ellory, very cleverly takes a famous crime and then gives it a sort of contemporary edge. What I mean is The Black Dahlia is both part of the plot and still plays a small part at the same time.
Detective Bucky Bleichart is notices that a young woman is murdered in the same style as Elizabeth Short aka The Black Dahlia. That is chopped in two with a smile carved into her face. (I've always wondered if Bob Kane's Joker was inspired by this) and while Bucky tries to solve the mystery he descends into a seedy world of drugs and psychos while obsessing over The Black Dahlia. Ellory delicately adds more subplots which complicate the mystery but then solves it deftly.
The Black Dahlia is a clever book stuffed with tons of unexpected plot twists. Personally I've never read anything like it and hopefully, I'll get to check out more of Ellory's books if they are of the same standard....more
My first foray into hard-boiled fiction was through Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon and despite the flaws (mainly sexism) I though the book was My first foray into hard-boiled fiction was through Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon and despite the flaws (mainly sexism) I though the book was great. I know Chandler is the master of the genre and one day I would have to read him. As always, thanks to the Backlisted challenge, I was able to read him.
Chandler’s creation, Philip Marlowe is called to investigate a missing coin. The problem is that each person connected with the coin is murdered. As Marlowe digs deeper into the lives of the coin’s owners he discovers some family secrets which will place a lot of people in trouble.
I thought Hammett was good but Chandler just takes the genre to new levels: the dialogue is top notch – witty, snappy, snarky and quick and the thing is, it never dips in quality. The mystery has a ton of twists and turns and unfolds cleverly and Marlowe is a great character. I was hooked from page one till the end. Things go deeper. It is clear that Chandler wanted to break away from the genre he started so at times I was reminded of a Shakespearean tragedy at times, more in the writing than the plot.
As for criticisms, it is sexist in places: women are either money grabbing demons or airheads who need rescuing, although not inexcusable, I will admit I was caught up in the whole thing as I loved the writing and the red herrings. Whatever people say, this is indeed a classic....more
I sort of wish I read this when I was 12 years old. If so this would have been my fave book ever.
Howl's Moving Castle is perfect, amazing characters, I sort of wish I read this when I was 12 years old. If so this would have been my fave book ever.
Howl's Moving Castle is perfect, amazing characters, an unpredictable plot with tons of surprises, some funny bits and bits that a purely horror. Not to mention the action packed conclusion.
Like the film, the story is about a woman, Sophie, who is cursed and has to visit wizard Howl in order to restore herself.
But that's where the similarities end.
As Sophie lives more with Howl she discovers new secrets about Howl's life, which involves her own. This novel transcends children's literature ...more
The second volume and the most essential of the whole series as it introduces certain plot arcs which Dream tackles in future issues. It's a complica The second volume and the most essential of the whole series as it introduces certain plot arcs which Dream tackles in future issues. It's a complicated plot which includes African fairy tales, new dimensions of the dream world and Unity Kinkaid - one of the most important figures in the series.
Definitely the strongest of the series and the best one - the disjointed storyline actually helps develop the comic's complexity. ...more
As followers of this blog know, I am attempting to read all the books featured in the Backlisted podcast and dividing them into phases (every 10 booksAs followers of this blog know, I am attempting to read all the books featured in the Backlisted podcast and dividing them into phases (every 10 books consist of a phase). I’m now starting the third one and it’s a strong one.
The Animal Family can be described as delightful: A hunter finds a mermaid and she lives with him. After a bear and a lynx join the crew with a boy entering the fold.
That’s it really.
No adventures, no conflict, no villain. It’s just a bunch of unconventional individuals trying to live a conventional lifestyle as a family. We all know a family can comprise of any group and one can’t get a better example than this.
The book itself is a charming piece of work. The writing is clear and a little bit humor dotted in places. For it’s brevity (125 pages), The Animal Family packs a lot of emotion and one can’t help liking all the characters. My only gripe is that it’s out of print and I really do think this should achieve classic status.
Pastoralia was an eye opener of a book. Although I have read satirical novels, I never read something quite like Saunders view of America: One of the Pastoralia was an eye opener of a book. Although I have read satirical novels, I never read something quite like Saunders view of America: One of theme parks, Ghosts, and missing body parts. Plus Saudner's deadpan writing style also adds drives the point home: That America consists of consumer -led morals and doesn't give a toss about the human condition. Don't let my description put you off. These stories are bizarre and funny in an off-beat way. ...more
If you want to sum up Mother's Milk in a few lines, then the first stanza of Philip Larkin's This Be the Verse does a great job:
They fuck you up, you If you want to sum up Mother's Milk in a few lines, then the first stanza of Philip Larkin's This Be the Verse does a great job:
They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you.
Mother's Milk is ultimately about parenthood but things go much deeper than that.
Patrick Melrose is now forty and entering a mid life crisis. He has the responsibility of being a father and considering that he was the product of a bad upbringing he is worried that he'll transfer his psychological problems to his elder son. Not only that his wife is way too preoccupied with his newborn son so pay any attention to him. More problems arise as his over philanthropic mother (another result of awful parentage) is giving her fortune to a crook so that he can transfer their vacation house into a new age foundation. More problems?Patrick has to deal with an overly selfish mother inlaw.
St. Aubyn is the master of inner thoughts and feelings, us readers can feel for patrick's confusions and strife and yet St. Aubyn is also great at comic timing, the first half of the book had me giggling. This is a complex novel about feelings, parenthood.Enmeshed in the plot is a commentary on the moneyed class of Britain, American culture as seen through the eyes of a European and the ethics of assisted suicide.
Stuffed with memorable characters and scenes, Mother's Milk is a perfect novel about how our parents shape our psychological milieu and whether we can free ourselves from it.
Great stuff - A crocodile is on a mission to eat a child but every time he manages to be in the vicinity of one, his plans are spoiled, finally the e Great stuff - A crocodile is on a mission to eat a child but every time he manages to be in the vicinity of one, his plans are spoiled, finally the enormous crocodile is stopped.
Out of all the Roald Dahl books, this one is quite cartoonish, almost like Looney Tunes at times - instead of a coyote replace him with a crocodile. Plus there's usual poems and dark moments. Every year I read this book to my students and they love it. ...more
I find this gem of a novel to be underrated. The book follows the lives of three Cuban men and how their destinies cross and tangle with each other. I find this gem of a novel to be underrated. The book follows the lives of three Cuban men and how their destinies cross and tangle with each other. It is also a book that focuses on solidarity - think of Garcia Marquez, except with parties in mind. ...more
I have been wanting to read something by Jhumpa Lahiri for ages but for some strange reason whenever I got the urge to read The Namesake another book I have been wanting to read something by Jhumpa Lahiri for ages but for some strange reason whenever I got the urge to read The Namesake another book would grab my attention and I’d put it off until the next time. Finally I’ve got an excuse to read it.
Gogol is born and bred in U.S. of first generation Indian emigrants. This already establishes the fact that Gogol (and eventually his sister Sonia) will experience a culture clash and eventually decide on whether to go along with U.S. culture or not abandon their Indian heritage.
Lahiri puts the main focus on Gogol and throughout the book he meets certain obstacles which challenge his predicament. Be it on changing his name (one important running theme of the whole book) or the three main relationships he embarks, the third one, with an indian girl in his same situation is the most crucial one here.
Beware the plot is not as simple as I make it. As with Anita Desai’s Village by the Sea, Lahiri also believes that despite the events that crop up in life, one has to accept them as they form part of own well being. Gogol throughout the 30 odd year span in the book learns a lot through his decisions.
I loved this book. Lahiri is an excellent writer and particularly excels when she is describing people falling in love. There are many passages of sheer beauty which I would stop and re-read every so often just to soak in the words.
Another factor was that I related to the book almost too much as I have lived in Canada and my parents were first generation emigrants. So the funny accents, Maltese food, strict traditions were part of my life. Then fourteen years later we returned to Malta and although I do know the mentality and fit in better, I can’t help feeling out of place now and then. I also had to go through some of the same rites of brimstone and fire Gogol goes through in the book....more
One of the stronger volumes in the series. Colin Meloy talks about his love for this album. As such you will learn nothing new about Let it Be but as One of the stronger volumes in the series. Colin Meloy talks about his love for this album. As such you will learn nothing new about Let it Be but as a memoir about growing up and getting into alt rock, you've got something special....more
A Clockwork Orange is one of those books which have been analysed and discussed. The novel is a counter culture classic which has been adapted to filmA Clockwork Orange is one of those books which have been analysed and discussed. The novel is a counter culture classic which has been adapted to film by Kubrick, turned into a west end production and words from the dialect which the characters speak crops up now and then. Pretty good considering that Burgess considered it to be a throwaway novel and wrote it just to shock people. Beneath all the violence and language, which usually documented in the media, A Clockwork Orange is, ultimately a political fairy-tale in the vein of Animal Farm or Nineteen Eighty-Four.
We all know the story: Alex is a teenager who's idea of fun is to rob, rape , fight, listen to classical music and take drugs. One night he takes this too far and is eventually caught. Whilst in prison he becomes a guinea pig for a pilot project the state is trying out in order to create order in society. The cure: to expose Alex to countless atrocities on film until he associates evil thoughts with the horrors that he watches. This form of conditioning works until Alex's past comes back to him and the state then desensitizes him, rendering him back to his usual self.
The big change happens in the last chapter (which is omitted in the American version of the book and also is the reason why Kubrick's adaptation is flawed) when Alex falls in love and realises that in order to please this girl he has to act mature, thus giving up on his past.
So what is Burgess trying to state in A Clockwork Orange? That a person has to decide when to be 'good'? Love conquers all? People have to have their soul drained in order to be a model citizen of society? that The State is equally as destructive as Alex was in the beginning of the book? that the state can manipulate people? Media as we know it today conditions the general population? Personally I saw all these themes when reading A Clockwork Orange.
Aside from the themes, ACO has a lot of surprises structurally and linguistically. Note that the book has got 21 chapters - the age when people start to shed their youth. The way each section starts the same way and (what's it going to be then) and yet it's meaning changes each time. How about the poetic use of Alex's dialect?: A mixture of Russian, Cockney and bits and pieces from other languages. If one scrutinizes the novel more treats emerge.
I'd like to talk about Kubrick's notorious adaptation which led to public outcries, copycat violence and a ban that was lifted after nearly 30 years. To be honest, although there is violence, it's mostly theatrical and Kubrick does manage to keep the book's internal message about conditioning intact. The problem is that the film is an adaptation of the American version so a lot about Alex maturing and showing the true change is gone and the end message is mixed. Saying that the film does complement the book for 95% of the time.
Although I have probably not contributed anything new to this review, think of it as my reflections and views and if there are more opinions out there?...more
The second I picked up Schlink’s The Reader I was instantly addicted, I started it on a Friday morning, just before I went to work and finished it nowThe second I picked up Schlink’s The Reader I was instantly addicted, I started it on a Friday morning, just before I went to work and finished it now (Saturday morning). Had I started this on a Sunday I would have been ready with it by the evening. It that’s good. Call it a post war novel or a romance, it has everything and it’s translation is superb.
One afternoon 15-year-old Michael Berg starts to vomit and is saved by the much older Hanna Schmitz, they embark on a physical relationship until Hanna mysteriously leaves and Michael continues with his academic life, eventually graduating in law. Throughout this time Hanna is still on his mind.
After some time Hanna is back into Micheal’s life, only this time it is in court as she is convicted of her war crimes. It is at this point that Michael discovers that Hanna is harboring a secret and it’s worse (in her opinion) than her position during as a SS guard during the Second World War. Berg then wonders if he should reveal this secret so that she’ll get a light sentence.
Unfortunately Hanna is given a hefty sentence and commits suicide by on the day she is about to be let out due to good behaviour. She leaves her legacy with Michael with instructions that he has to give it to one of the survivors who was under her ‘care’ (and is one of the witnesses in her trial). This leads to another ethical question which Berg is in the middle of.
The Reader brings out a lot of queries about the war and post war generations and whether one group of young adults should forgive the last generation for their atrocities. It also brings forth questions between love and professionalism. Berg constantly finds himself trapped in these situations and his own decisions lead to certain consequences.
The Reader is a very powerful book, one that moves you with every sentence and plot advancement and it’s ending had me reflecting on the morality that is presented in the novel. It would be interesting if anyone who has read the book agrees with Micheal’s (or the Jewish survivor’s) actions....more
Richard Powers is one of those authors who never ceases to amaze me. I would love to see what goes on in his brain when he plans a novel. To date I haRichard Powers is one of those authors who never ceases to amaze me. I would love to see what goes on in his brain when he plans a novel. To date I have read 5 and to say that they were stunning is an understatement. I admire the way Powers mixes science with art with science coupled with prose that can knock you senseless with it’s beauty.
The Gold Bug Variations is , essentially, a love story but do not forget this is Richard powers so it’s not going to be conventional. In fact this mighty tome incorporates Genetics, climate crisis (this was published in 1991 when global awareness was just starting to become a major issue), music and literature. Oh and library science dominates as well.
The main protagonist is Jo, a librarian. One day to people enter the library. One corrects her on a fact she has displayed. The other is searching for a person he used to work with. Both people change Jo’s life. The former is a geneticist, Stuart Ressler, who has hidden from society and the other is a man, Franklin Todd, looking for said geneticist. Jo falls in love with him and she leaves her past partner.
In a second narrative we see the geneticist try to uncover the DNA code and he falls in love with a fellow scientist. Both narratives twist around each other , not unlike the double helix, and like gene structure, these relationships develop with mutations occurring, namely past partners.
This is just a surface summary. For example Dr. Ressler discovers that Bach’s Goldberg Variations is structured like a strand of DNA – there is a base melody and then the music evolves but still has elements of the base. Coincidentally the notes also form a helix when put together. The Gold Bug of the title refers to Edgar Allen Poe’s The gold Bug, which is about two people uncovering a code on the back of a beetle, something the characters in this novel are attempting to do, obviously the code being a genetic one.
There’s more, in between there are passages about Dutch painters, the ethics of science, Mahler, Stockhausen and tons more – all in relation to genetics. Powers is an expert at connecting the most seemingly tenuous subjects, which makes the reader scratch their head at Powers cleverness.
Needless to say that there is A LOT of scientific detail here – as I’m not a scientist some did go over my head a bit, but ,like Pynchon there are topics that one can relate to. In my case the sections about library science were ones I could grasp fully.
Speaking of Pynchon, Powers style in his early phase could be described as Pynchonian – albeit, not as dense but there are puns, jokes and the Pynchonian technique of taking a simple action and stretching it out using polysyllabic language. This dos not mean that The Gold Bug Variations is a difficult read but it does demand your time.
The Gold Bug Variations is a work of genius. I am fully conscious that it is a term that’s thrown around with regularity but it’s apt. Aside from Solenoid, I have yet to read a brainer novel this year. Rewarding in every way.
Amazing. Erbert's selection of films just get's my inner film buff drooling.Amazing. Erbert's selection of films just get's my inner film buff drooling....more