bookgeek

book review: the improbability of love

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The Improbability of LoveThe Improbability of Love by Hannah Mary Rothschild

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I didnt think i would fall in love with this book. lol. the irony of it. it is one book i wished i had bought it instead of borrowing it from the local library. but i am definitely glad that i picked it up after a quick glance through the ‘R’ shelves. Usually i would rush through a book on loan because i have to catch up with the return date, but with this one, i chose to slow down to devour it page by page and wished it had not ended.

So many things i love about the book, so rich and flows so beautifully from one chapter to another, even the change from one character to another feels flawless. from Annie, to Jesse, to Barty, Winkleman, to Moi the most important painting ever and even to out of nowhere russian Vlad. each character seems to be given their fair share of voice although Annie is the main person because, really, this whole ‘mess’ starts from her purchasing an apparently valuable art piece from a junk shop.

effortlessly sifting through relationships, mother-daughter love hate relationship, father-daughter vs employer employee, deep loyalty and trust, heritage and culture, that titles does not equate to fortune and wealth, honesty and deceit, art and food interlaced beautifully. it is mainly about just being human no matter who you are, i go through past and present like a dream of storytellings, humour and pain felt so normal and original there is no pretense in the characters.

i am not a foodie nor do i know anything about the art world, but reading this book, i could appreciate these two worlds. finished the book feeling satisfied after a sumptuous delectable dinner, leaving me with such fine tastes, i am full but i dont mind a bit more.

it is a beautiful world, after all.

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book review: the vegetarian

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The VegetarianThe Vegetarian by Han Kang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me a while to write a review of this Man Booker winner. It is my first time reading a book written by a Korean author, translated. i have mostly read Haruki Murakami before, so it was a nice change to read from another asian author. but i cant help thinking how very haruki-ish the Vegetarian is. not that i’m complaining.

The protagonist was in a way, not a protagonist. her only ‘voice’ was of her retelling of her dreams. her ‘physical’ story is told by three different characters throughout, span into three chapters at different periods of her time. One was her story through her husband’s eyes and experience, which i quite heart wrenching. as a husband who had, till then, had a good marriage life with his wife, suddenly find him not quite knowing who the woman he had loved and married. this is when the protagonist started to have dreams which then changed her into a vegetarian, in a society that loves their beef and kimchis. i could really feel this husband’s frustration and confusion on what caused his wife to change, and not knowing how to deal with the situation, or how to help his wife. like a dead end, a desperation. and through out this ordeal, i have the impression that his wife is nonchalant about her change, that it seems perfectly normal to her to be a vegetarian and do not see the need to explain to her husband, or her family members of what made her change her dietary, much to the anger of her father. this highlights the night they had a family dinner and the her father, out of anger and frustration, tried to forced her to eat meat. at first, i do think, it is ridiculous how she changed because of a dream, and then i felt that is totally cruel to abuse and force her to eat what she deemed repulsive and abhor.

and then we moved on to a next face of her life, which now she is divorced and living alone, going through medication, taken care of by her elder sister. but this time, through the ‘eyes’ of her brother in law. which was at times, i find the experience abominable. but still, again, yeong hye, the vegetarian, goes through this phase devoid of feelings and values. except her fascination to the plants and flowers painted on her body by the brother in law. but here, i do not sympathise with either yeong hye or her brother in law. i find both of them ridiculous. there is pseudo passion, avoidable intimacy if only the brother in law was in the right state of mind.

the next chapter would be my fave as it is told by her elder sister, In hye. this i could relate as a big sister, trying to bring the family together, to taking responsibility over her little sister’s predicament and her own marriage marred by both her sister and husband. despite all, still forgiving to her sister’s innocuous act. still trying to love her and understand her needs, trying to do what is best for her little sister, but unable to comprehend what she is actually going through. and here, i feel like i am behind her sister, somewhat trying to whisper her to move on and be strong, calm and patient.

Reading The Vegetarian, gives me questions of mainly exactly what Yeong hye is going through, what is she thinking actually, was she even aware of what is happening around her. it felt like she is just going a trance, unable to bring herself out of the blanket and lead her life ‘normal’. Was she sad or happy? perhaps in the book, it gives the impression that she is totally embracing her thoughts and lifestyle, fully satisfied with her life and what she is to become. but really, if she is having some different inner thoughts, what does she see through her own eyes?

and as haruki style, you don’t quite know what actually happened at the end. leaves you hanging to decide what you wish to. the story grips me, wishing to find more and more what is going to happen to her all the way to end. and it is not always that i manage to read a Man Booker book fresh after it is announced as the winner and i a quite lucky to have been able to borrow the book from the local library, knowing it has a long list of reservations. i can safely say i might have found another author i could look forward to reading her next book.

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colorless tsukuru tazaki

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Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of PilgrimageColorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

very haruki to leave us in the dark of whether sara accepted tazaki or otherwise. i am devastated by that fact that i have no answer to the ending when i was looking forward to it so much.

it was about tsukuru tazaki, colourless only because his name does not have ‘colours’ in him, whereby, in high school he was part of a close knit group of five friends. however, he was struck off from this group with just one phonecall and with no explanation whatsoever. hurt and depressed, tsukuru thought of death at the same time, living his life monotonously, albeit successfully achieving his dream of working at train stations. Years of pilgrimage probably refers to his 16 years of enduring this hurt. When he met Sara, on the verge of going deeper into the relationship, she suggested on finding his friends and requested tsukuru to find out what really happened between him and his friends.

he took up her suggestion and returned back to his hometown, meeting with two of his guy friends, taking a ‘virgin’ trip to finland to meet with one of the girl friends. unfortunately the fourth member of the group passed away many years ago and the story now diverge to revolve around the fourth member. tsukuru probably understood only half the reason of why they ditched him because eventually, the dead holds the answer. the good thing about his meetings then was to finally understand it is not entirely his fault that he was left out. perhaps that brings to him a new positive realisation to face his own demons.

however, somehow i am able to relate to tazaki a lot more. i understood perfectly how he felt of being ‘rejected’ by a group of close friends. of the pain he went through to kind of understand what really happened and how he felt he is the victim. and then toughened up to be independent of friends and relationships.

i could never imagined that the book is actually about friendships, lost and found, of finding questions unanswered, of loneliness, of forgiveness when not given and in search of an understanding when wronged.

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of course i was able to relate to tsukuru. i understood very well about being left out without any particular reason just like that. i so understood that. i also understood the journey of emotions he had just to digest what actually happened and finally became immune to it and learn to live with it but perhaps became a deep-rooted feeling he had to finally face up straight in order to come clean.

i also understood the ‘need’ to reconnect with friends when in your thirties. because now that i am in my thirties, i felt i should find back some of my friends i’ve lost and what do i know, i managed to, this year especially. i was able to reconcile with two friends i missed so much. and i am so happy and actually surprised that i did. i am never going to let them go. although the story also told of no matter how close you were once, there exist a spot of awkwardness when you meet your friends again for the first time after years of disconnect.

i also understood the feeling of loss and loneliness. of being alone in a crowd.

and i finally realise haruki’s style of writing. he will always have philosophy thrown in and some cool classics piece that his characters are obsessed with (and in turn makes me want to listen to these pieces) and there is a tendency of his characters having to deal with emotions and intuition and some spiritual, in the midst of straightforward human nature and responses.

i guess that’s what makes me enjoy reading his books, regardless of poor ratings.

a tale of time being

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A Tale for the Time BeingA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

i love the book. so many elements seemingly effortlessly intertwined into a beautiful story. there’s philosophy, there’s spiritual, there’s geography sciences, there’s psychology, there’s quantum physics, there’s relationships, bullying issue, and social media abuse. i mean, i feel so pleasantly overwhelmed by the many new information i am learning from a book.

here is another book that gives me a hangover when i reached the end of the story. it’s euphoric.

this is my first ruth ozeki’s and i am looking forward to reading more from her.

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Angelology

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Angelology (Angelology, #1)Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the book. Seeing that i had it in ebook and book form probably shows how much i love it, although i have to admit it was quite a drag when i first read it. I had to pause from reading it for quite awhile because i find myself unable to move on with the reading. Finally took it up again and reread the first few chapters instead of continuing from where i left off. I did not regret doing that because the story became more clearer.

It had history, thriller mystery, religion, ancient beliefs, a bit of espionage, family and love and of course, my favourite subject of the story:angels, even though they are depicted as the anti-thesis of my beliefs. Partly due to why i stopped reading it earlier was because its blasphemous. Although of course i know its fictional, i need to step back a bit.

Its mindblowing and i admire how the author was able to link everything seamlessly, almost without effort. And the whole story, although it took me weeks to finish it, the span of the story was supposed to happen in what, two days?! So many things could happen! Amazing.

I simply cannot wait to start the next book, but right now, im having a hangover after reading angelology.

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Yes. A hangover. Good books always give me this lost feeling after i finished it. I love love this book. I need at least two days to get over this hangover or otherwise any book i picked after this is going to bore me within the first page. And anyway, i think my brain needs something intelligent and non fiction after this. I know it’s yearning for something spiritually enhancing and enlightening because angelology has too much christianity and Ancient beliefs and not to say blasphemous. There’s also many things from angelology i want to google. I mean the story is fiction but the themes are not. I got to check it for myself.

reading Paulo

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the thing with reading Paulo Coelho is that, i could consider him as a fave author but i don’t always like or enjoy reading his books. the only, only book of his that i will reread without second thoughts is the Alchemist. i have to say that is his best. i have read the zahir, aleph, Brida, the witch of portobello which comes close to be a fave but there are others, like some of his books that i bought but have not read at all and there are those i wont read at all.

so i bought this Manuscript Found in Accra quite some time ago. as always with some of his books, i bought them first and decide to read them later. much later sometimes. like aleph, i read, i stopped, i read again from the start, stopped again. and only on the third attempt that i could truly appreciate the story.

so i have high hopes for manuscript. i thought it would be like the alchemist. but it was not to be. its just a manual…on life…questions and answers. it feels more like a self help book. i have yet to feel inspired from it. the preface gives an impression it is non fiction. but i can always do a bit of net research about it and find out how non fiction it is. but as i read through the pages, it felt like a typical Paulo Coelho-esque life inspiring questions and answers. it can get boring sometimes. but i know, reading Paulo takes time and sometimes you have to read at the ‘right time right moment’ of your life for them to make sense.

the alchemist made such an impact on me because i was reading it at a time when i was trying to find my identity, searching for knowledge, away from family and it was inspirational. i read the zahir when i felt a bit lost and on the verge of being a lovefool giving up on well, love, whatever that is at the that point of my life. it made sense to me then. i read aleph last year and i understood that journey of purpose and following that purpose and i learn to understand that concept of what or who your are now may be connected to a past life (at that time i was introduced to timeline therapy from nlp) so its like, it made sense. it can happen. although sceptical, it can happen.

yes, reading Paulo have to be at the right time. when you are ready for it. i am trying to read this manuscript found in Accra but i guess i am not ready for it still. maybe i should move on to the next book. or maybe a matching bookmark will help. i love matching bookmarks to books. i am obsessed with it. well, this calls for one bookmark making!

the island

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The IslandThe Island by Victoria Hislop
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

surprised that eventually I was drawn into the story and finished it in 4 days. and it strike me that this is one novel with good English, grammar and all put into good use! I feel like reading a general paper essay and had to be ready with a summary of sorts or be ready with answering some exam questions. I should read this book years ago during those difficult years of writing descriptive assignments. I feel like I have to read the book politely.

I truly loved Maria, felt as though, she was the great aunt I never had. and disgusted with Anna’s character. and as the story was ending, it was not about a tragedy or a disease, it was indeed about heroic acts and strong characters that braved through difficulties with perseverance and acceptance. I found myself googling about leper colonies as I was reading the novel, trying to find out about spinalonga and Greece’s connections to leper colony. it was an informative historic fiction. it can be a classic novel in the times to come.

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let there be books

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I am on a borrowing spree from my local library, which surprisingly are stocked up with new books and writers, so that is how I chanced upon Ben Aaronovitch’s because I had been contemplating for so long on whether to purchase his books or skip them altogether, or perhaps buy them as eBooks.

so when I suddenly found myself walking into the library for after so long, I went out with close to 16 books (two library cards:mine and my sister’s) within two days. if I had a book binge at the bookstore, I am currently on a binge now from the library.

Managed to borrow Ministry of Moral Panic which I have been seeing instagrams and reviews from local blogs, a Singaporean writer’s collection of short stories. I thought, why not try out reading local. so I took three of the seemingly latest collections. I guess I am still trying to ‘love’ local writers but I don’t do short stories. especially stories which are left hanging and you are ‘supposed’ to kind of imagine how the ending should be. and they are usually dark and disturbing stories, with many homo loves themes, and except for the momentary delights of seeing local words, and places mentioned in the stories, I have yet to appreciate short stories. although Ministry of moral panic seems to be catching on. so far, im just on the third story anyway.

I was also pleasantly surprised that there’s 2 of Aaronovitch’s books (Broken Homes & Foxglove Summer, which are pretty much new titles) and finally took up ‘courage’ to read Jhumpa Lahiri’s Namesake. and proud to say they are all borrowed :))

so looks like I am staying true to my 2015 resolution to borrow more rather than buy, but I also need to know that there are about 50 books on the shelves which are on the reading list. that…you gotta deal with, Seri.

and oh yeah, I am so elated to find out Mercedes Lackey’s fantasy novels are available as eBooks! both at amazon and kobo! perhaps not all, but I hope all of hers soon! perhaps, these are old news but having just found out about them, is exciting for me! just that it is not easy to find her physical books nowadays. there used to be those Sunny bookshops which had them in all of their glorious series and yes the libraries had them but it will be rare amazing moments to have the series all in nicely at the same time. and I have this ocd thing of wanting to read her valdemar series accordingly following her timeline so I have not had that chance since, well, forever. and now! because they are eBooks, I could finally, finally own them and read them one era at a time. i cannot wait to start on them already! but patience, patience. finish up whatevers on the book plate first yea. 😉

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addendum:
i also found out david eddings’ series in eBooks!!! yey! can own them and reread them!!
so crazy ocd-ied me who just had to read serial novels chronologically realised Peter Grant series are of 5 books and the two i borrowed were actually the latest five. so went to nlb catalogue online, bingoed the first three available at serangoon library, so why not, i return my mercedes lackey’s books and borrowed these three then? and once i got my heart and mind on something, i search high and low for it and i did just those in less than an hour.
-go home, took the mercedes lackey’s borrowed books
-go library at Nex, return the books
-entered the library and straight on go to A of the fiction section and saw them three aaronovitch’s books grab them and walla, i was smiling all the way back home….

gila.

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please take note:
the valdemar series – mercedes lackey (and the whole timeline)
the belgariad series – david eddings (and there are other series)
regina’s song – david eddings

best of reading 2014

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I was checking out my goodreads challenge in which I aimed to read 30 books by the end of the year. I managed to read only 24 books. although, I have to be honest, there are at least 3 books which I stopped halfway and couldn’t carry on reading them because they don’t capture my interest.

my best reads of 2014 have to be these:

1. Susan Cain’s Quiet.

It is the bible for the introverts. i understood myself better and kind of found enlightenment of my behaviour through those painful teenage years. and in a sense, found a more confident person in me.  just by embracing who i really am gives me a sense of faith and strength and…well..just be me.

2. Jeannette Walls’ The Silver Star

i had waited for her for so long. enough said. i love the book.

3. Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84

i know. i bought the books much much earlier but i only got to read them during my trip to Greece and Rome and i never regretted that they were my travelling companion throughout. reading this book reignites my love to murakami’s writings.

4. Jodi Picoult’s Leaving Time

The only book i read ‘on time’, heh, because it was published this year and bought it the first thing without hesitation when they became available at the local bookstores. i knew i loved it just from reading the synopsis. the terms ‘elephants’ and ‘psychic’ grabbed my attention without a doubt.

i am looking forward to a great reading year in 2015. and perhaps, maybe this time, i could read 30 books… with a reading room and a nice armchair.. swoons… ❤