Thinking About Loud!

Thoughts: The Rain before it Falls by Jonathan Coe

2012-01-30T23:09:00.001+01:00

I've had this book sitting on my shelf for ages, a beautiful hardcover still wrapped in cellophane. I'm glad I finally cracked its spine.

A family secret finally revealed in some beautiful prose is sometimes all a good books needs. Rosamond records a story for Imogen, her missing grand-niece, because she is the only one who can still tell Imogen's story, which reaches back till second world war, when Beatrix, Imogen's grandmother and Rosamond were still children. Beatrix didn't experience motherly love, which soon led her in the arms of the first available men she met and made her emotionally cold towards her own daughter, too. This paved the way for an awful incident which took Imogen's eyesight. Rosamond lifts the family secret with great empathy, also describing wonderful moments of Imogen's life, trying to rouse apprehension for an incomprehensible deed.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. I picked it up whenever I had a spare minute. I liked the way the story is told. Rosamond describes photographs of long-forgotten events and people to blind Imogen and reminisces in memories that come up looking at the pictures. The story develops along the succession of the photographs, adding details with every picture. The mood is melancholic and calm and very personal. The family secret is not that shocking rather than sad, but this did not lessen the reading experience for me. It was more the motivations behind it, that keeps the reader reading.

I'd recommend the book to people who liked Atonement by Ian McEwan or The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell.

Thoughts: The Gathering by Anne Enright

2012-01-22T20:04:00.003+01:00

The plot of this book is a simple thing. Veronica Hegarty is under shock because her alcoholic brother Liam died. He went into the sea with stones in his pockets. His funeral gathers the remaining Hegarty children and embraces Veronica in the arms of her rambling sisters and brothers. Meanwhile a lot of dark and melancholic observations of past times and past places are intertwined in the story, which go back to the get-to-know of Veronica's grandparents Ada and Charly. Veronica does not know much about this get-to-know but her thoughts strive back to it again and again, each time making up a new detail about it. Her apparently normal life, which includes a husband and children, seems to get more distant with each thought. Veronica is haunted by her brothers ghost and the reasons for his miserable life, seeking refuge in alcohol. Soon it dawns her that she might know what the reasons for it were, what happened to her brother. But does it change anything now?

The Gathering is not about a preceding plot, it is rather about the complicated emotional life of the protagonist Veronica. While reading I came to understand that sometimes the action is interior, that means the change or movement inside a person, when someone beloved passes away or leaves. Though I understand that this kind of writing makes some of us uncomfortable, too much feelings and not enough storyline.

Anne Enright has a most singular voice. I thought it was remarkable how everything came to live once Enright wrote about it. And this is why the book is not a simple thing at all. It attempts to analyze the essentials of love and death and their particular fears, pains and pleasures.

Thoughts: Room by Emma Donoghue

2012-01-18T10:54:00.001+01:00

Room is one of the books that gripped me already from the start. I read Room in two sessions, second time anxiously awaiting my free time to read on.

The book is narrated by Jack, who is a five year old living in Room with his Mom. And though five-year-olds experience the world different than adults, the reader instantly recognizes that Jack's situation is odd. This is because he and his Mom are captured in Room, but Jack doesn't really know. For him, everything happening in Room is his reality, with Old Nick visiting in the evenings, clearing the trash and delivering food. Jack's ignorance of the outside world is a desperate attempt of his mother to protect him, because Old Nick would never let them go. But now that Jack is five, his mother begins to form a plan of escape, in which Jack is going to have a leading role.

To read about the routine Jack and his mother kept in Room was shocking and amazing at the same time. Them playing rhyme games to build Jack's linguistic talents, running track on a C-round next to the bed for physical education or building a snake from egg shells, because there were not many other toys. And again I have to mention that all this was described in rich detail in the voice of a five-year-old.

I also think that Jack's mother is a great character. Her love for Jack and the way she tried to keep him safe from Old Nick but also from the world she could not offer him and how she tried to promote him though her means were restricted is just remarkable.

And though the circumstances of the Room itself must have been confined, I feel like the world has expansed a bit by looking at it with Jack's eyes. A five star read, of course!

Thoughts: Cain by José Saramgo

2012-01-16T21:50:00.001+01:00

Much more a novella than a book, in his final piece of work Saramago sends out Cain to witness the deeds of an ever quarreling mankind and the punishments of a vengeful god.

After murdering his brother Abel, Cain is touring the Old Testament, cursed by God to wander endlessly. He is there with Lilith in her bed, building the Ark with Noah, watching Abraham almost killing Isaac and witnessing Sodom and Gomorrah as well as he Tower of Babel fall.

I think the book could hurt the feelings of serious Christian people, because Saramgao indicates that even God is not always right and is mocking the biblical stories. I am an atheist and for me it was funny, because I felt like Saramago blew the dust from those old stories, retelling them in an entertaining way. Especially in the beginning, the part about Adam and Eve, I often had to laugh out loud because of the ignorance of the earliest people on earth. My BF asked me to read aloud and we had some good laughs together, admiring Saramago's writing style which is unlike anyone else's, though I had to get used to his punctuation.

And though the book is funny, it could not keep my interest till the end and that is why I only give it three stars. For people who want to read a fun interpretation of Jesus' life, I recommend The Gospel according to Biff by Christopher Moore.

What do your books do at night?

2012-01-10T22:25:00.001+01:00

Isn't it adorable? I just had to share, just because you know ...

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2012-01-09T17:32:00.001+01:00

Since my last Monday post a couple of weeks ago I read:
Alison Wonderland by Helen Smith - All in all it was not really my cup of tea as I would have hoped for more plot and mystery, be it strange or not.

Child 44 and The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith - Child 44 is a thriller unlike any I have read so far, because of the very different setting, where every move you make is overseen which is nightmarish in its own.

Cain by José Saramago (yet to be reviewed) - An irascible God sends Cain out in the world to witness the heavenly punishments. Mostly witty and entertaining.

Now I am reading:
The Gathering by Anne Enright - When a brother and son dies, an Irish family gathers to, mourn the dead. Life comes apart at the seams and perspective might change. Not always for the better.

I'm listening to:
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - my first audiobook and me likes it.

Coming up:
I still have Faithful place by Tana French and Room by Emma Donoghue high on my list. But as always those are subject to change. Becuase I am a moody reader. I like to make plans but nearly never am I able to stick to them.

It's Monday is hosted by Book Journey.

Thoughts: Child 44 & The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith

2012-01-06T09:23:00.000+01:00

I am not much of a series reader but my BF's mother lend me those two books and as I wanted to return them, I decided to give them a shot. Surprise, surprise I ended up liking the Leo Demidow series quite a bit.

Child 44

There is no crime in Stalin's Soviet Union and it is a paradise for it's dutiful citizens, it's hard workers. No one needs to live in fear of criminals but nearly everybody lives in fear of the State. An ideologically disloyal opinion or contact with suspicious people can send people into Gulags or their own execution. When Leo Demidow, a war hero and courageous MGB agent, becomes aware of a serial killer who murders innocent children, he has to be careful. The state arrests the wrong people, because they need to present the cases solved but the real murderer is still at large, killing at will. Leo must not challenge the state's way to come by the crimes but needs to find the killer on his own and stop a criminal that the State won't admit even exists.

The books was better than expected. Child 44 is a page-turner and brims with information about the repression and fear people lived in in a Stalin reigned Soviet Union. I myself felt the anguish. And I certainly liked the character of Leo. He is not perfect, first devoted to the state, pursuing innocent people, arresting them and delivering them to torture, he soon becomes aware of the wrongness of it all and wants to change. But he too only is a puppet and has to play his designated role, because everybody who questions the system is exposed to the state's cruelty. That is why Leo soon finds himself demoted and denounced by his enemies, his world turned upside down, and every belief he's ever held shattered. And Leo has to think of his family too, his parents and wife Raisa, who becomes a true companion for Leo and is a remarkable character herself.

Child 44 is a thriller unlike any I have read so far, because of the very different setting, where every move you make is overseen which is nightmarish in its own.

After finishing this one I instantly grabbed the second book of the series.

The Secret Speech

The Soviet Union in 1956 is a country where Stalin is dead and due to Khrushchev's secret speech some kind of reformation is going on. Suddenly the police, who forced repression and torture on people, are identified as criminals and the criminals are the innocent. The hunters become the hunted. Leo Demidow's adoptive daughter is kidnapped by a gang of criminals whose head is a woman Leo once betrayed. She wants him to get her husband out of a Gulag in Kolyma, a cold and dark Siberian region, where the forced laborers mine gold. Leo is channeled in the gulag as prisoner but already on the first day he is found out to be a Checkists, an agent working for the state. Now not only the life of his daughter but his own is in danger.

The second book in the series turns out to be as entertaining and fast-paced as the first book. The life in gulags, which played an important role in the punishment and conversion of dissidents, is focused in the middle part of the book. The conditions in those prisoner camps were horrible and the people that died in them are estimated about the same number as people died in second world war. But I think that Leo might have acted a little naive given what his experiences were in the first book, which makes Child 44 a slightly better read for me.

The next book in the series is Agent 6 which I might read some time in the future, too.

My 2011 reading stats.

2012-01-01T18:04:00.000+01:00

In 2011 I read 45 books out of 50 books, which was my set goal for the year. I didn't reach it but I read some great books this year and will attempt to crack those 50 this year again.

I already did a post about my favorite books of 2011, which you can find here.

As my native language is German I certainly read books in German. Out of 45 books I read 21 in German and 24 in English. I hope to keep reading books in both languages in balance for 2012, too.

I read 10 of those books on my e-reader.

13 books were written by men and 32 books I read were written by women.

Only 5 of the books were non-fiction. That is why I hope to read some more non-fiction this year.

Only 10 books I read were from the library and though I am happy to own many books I sure want to support my local library and would be happy to read more books from the library this year.

Of the 45 books I read, 32 books were written by authors new to me.

I am not sure exactly how many pages I managed to read in 2011 but my shelfari account told me that I read more than 15,000 pages and reached my goal for 2011.

All in all I am happy with my reading year 2011. As I already mentioned I'd like to read more non-fiction and more books from the library in 2012. Also I hope to explore some more new great authors this year, but also to revisited some "old friends and favorite auhtors".

My favorite books of 2011.

2011-12-27T09:04:00.002+01:00

It's this time of the year. Everything is closing up and reading statistics are a fine way to do so. And The Broke and the Bookish asks for our top ten reads of 2011 this week.

2011 has been another exceptional year readingwise. I read over 40 books this year, although I wanted to crack those darn 50 but obviuosly it was not meant to be or something. I'll try again next year.

In no particular order (links will show you my review):

	The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
	Suite Francaise by Irène Némirovsky
	The Likeness by Tana French
	Atonement by Ian McEwan
	The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
	Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
	The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
	Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
	Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
	Miss Timmin's School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy

I'll do another post with statistics about the amount of books I read during the year, adding things like if they were library books, e-books or written by male or female authors and stuff like that. So stay tuned.

Have you read some of the books mentioned above? Did you like or even love them like I did?

Thoughts: Alison Wonderland by Helen Smith

2011-12-26T20:35:00.000+01:00

Alison Wonderland suspects her husband to cheat on her and so she decides to ask a private detective agency to help her spy on him. The disturbing truth about her unfaithful man comes to light and Alison decides to leave him and become an investigator for the agency herself. There she works on a case that soon becomes threatening to her and her loved ones.

Because of the title I suspected a somewhat strange story in terms of Alice in Wonderland. And weird things are happening indeed. Alison is suspected to have found out more than she did, her neighbour Jeff, who is in love with Alison, is kidnapped and questioned by the company Alison investigates about and she helps her friend Taron to find a baby to keep.

It's all very quirky and though the book starts out promising it never really has a point. The characters' mindset is mostly grotesque and following their thoughts was often hard because those too never went somewhere. The characters and setup of the story could have been more enjoyable if there was an actual plot.

But the development of the relationship between Alison and her neighbour Jeff is a nice part of the story. Though this relationship is rather odd because it is actually a love affair, both, Alison and Jeff don't seem to acknowledge, it is pleasant to read about. I wish Helen Smith would have concentrated more on it.

All in all it was not really my cup of tea as I would have hoped for more plot and mystery, be it strange or not.

Santa, please bring me BOOKS!

2011-12-19T21:10:00.000+01:00

With Christmas only a few days ago The Broke and the Bookish asks us about the Top Ten Books We Hope Santa Brings.

Giving books to a person who reads much is difficult. Especially if you don't know what books are already on the person's shelves. That is why I ask for books I have on my wish list or gift vouchers for Christmas.

This year I asked Santa to bring the following books:

1. The Marrige Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides - I love Eugenides. He is an incredible author and wrote two of my favorite books The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex. I don't know much about this book, because I wanted to save the reading experience all to the time I settle down with this book in a cozy place, hot choclate in one hand book in the other and cat purring near me.

2. The Secret History by Donna Tartt - This book was recommended to me by some shelfari friends who knew how much I enjoyed The Likeness by Tana French (review here). They compared the book to Donna Tartt's The Secret History, which I knew existed but not what it was about.

3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - I know the book gets a lot of hype lately and sometimes reading a book when the buzz slows down makes for the better reading experience... but I WANT this book. I am somehow very excited to read it and own it. I have the feeling that the book and me could become close friends in the future.

Have you read the books I mentioned above or have you listed books on your wish list? Which ones do you want for Christmas?

Thoughts: Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

2011-12-14T21:01:00.000+01:00

About: Tucker Crowe, ex-rock star and icon of a small passionate fan crowd, lives a secluded life in small-town America. Annie and Duncan, who live across the pond, question their relationship because of him. Duncan, a big Crowe-worshipper, won't admit Annie the understanding it needs to form an opinion on Crowe's songs, for which one needs to be an expert like Duncan. Annie is no expert, but she decides to put a review of Crowe's latest album Juliet, Naked in the Internet. When the musician reads the review, he feels understood for the first time - and contacts Annie...

My thoughts: Nick Hornby already wrote a couple of good books about obsessive men and their music fanaticism. This book too seizes a man, Duncan, who seems to stand in his own and his life's way. For him, analyzing the music of his idol and it's meaning is the most important thing in life. He doesn't recognize that his life just passes by without him taking part in it. Annie tolerates Duncan's passion until he degrades her opinion on Crowe's newest album. But who would have thought that the musician himself sympathizes with Annie's views. Maybe Duncan is now able to realize, that though some things we do with passion, we are not above them.

The book is also about the weariness two people feel for each other, when day-to-day life already outrun them. Duncan meets another woman and Annie suddenly becomes the feeling that she wasted her precious time with Duncan. She is anxious to compensate some of the lost time, but she does not yet know how.

I think that the emotions and thoughts of the characters somehow felt real and tangible. I mean they are not pompous and exaggerated like in the most romance books. Though I like a good romance once in a while because they work great for the soul, they seldom reflect reality. Juliet, Naked is no romance but it does not leave the reader hopeless.

My favorite quote:

“For the best part of 40 years she had genuinely believed that not doing things would somehow prevent regret, when, of course, the exact opposite was true.”

I got this book from my local library.

Thoughts: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

2011-12-06T23:30:00.002+01:00

This book is a tome. It needs a lot of commitment to get through it, but in my opinion it was very much worth it. I started reading this book in English but it was extremely hard to follow for me (not just because nearly every other character's name is Thomas) and thus I got a German copy from my library. It still was a lot of work but at least I knew what was going on.

Hilary Mantel is a breathtaking, witty and sophisticated writer. I loved reading about the distribution of power, intrigue and manipulation at the British royal court in the 1620s. King Henry VIII is in need for a male heir, that's why he wants to get a divorce from Queen Katherine, but the pope wouldn't let him have one. So Henry needs to become not only head of state but head of church in Britain to marry Anne Boleyn. The man helping him to get what he wants is Thomas Cromwell, an eloquent and persuasive man, who does not only represent the King's interests but his own, too. Though Cromwell is a manipulator I got the impression of him as an amiable character. Being the son of a blacksmith, he worked his way up to court, gaining more and more influence, enemies and friends.

The writing was also very amusing and entertaining. I often found myself laughing or wanting to read passages to my partner to share the fun or to discuss things that were going on. We enjoyed talking about the book and some times (evenings, weekends) he asked me to read out loud for us.

I think Mantel found a bold but all new sight on British history. Wolf Hall is not a piece of historical fiction from the rack but a work of epic force, sharing new ideas, which very well deserved a prestigious award like the Booker prize.

My favorite quote:

“It is all very well planning what you will do in six months, what you will do in a year, but it's no good at all if you don't have a plan for tomorrow.”

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-12-05T20:14:00.000+01:00

Since my last Monday post in Mid-November I finished reading:

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - Thomas Cromwell gets Henry VIII his divorce and the opportunity to marry Anne Boleyn.
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby - Duncan is a big fan of Tucker Crowe's music. He does not think that Annie, his girl friend, is able to build a proper opinion about Tucker's music. She decides to write a review and gets in contact with the musician herself.

Both books will be reviewed soon.

Now I am reading Alison Wonderland by Helen Smith. I got it from the author as review copy and so far I enjoy the book. I am curious about it and am excited to take it up again.

Next I will read some books belonging to series. I want to read Faithful Place by Tana French, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.

It's Monday is hosted by Book Journey.

2012 TBR Pile Challenge

2011-11-26T10:15:00.000+01:00

I don't easily commit to reading challenges, because usually it goes like this: I love to make up my mind about the books I want to read for a particular challenge, I enjoy coming up with a list of books I want to read, I am overly enthusiastic about reading the books in the next year. BUT as soon as it comes to reading I get distracted, something different strikes my fancy and I wander off reading everything else except the books on my list.

It's no big secret that this is the same with books I bought with the intention to read them "next". What I need is this challenge hosted by Adam. I commit myself to reading 12 determined books I owned for more than one year but have not read yet. Here is my list (incuding 2 alternates and year of publication):

1. The Rain Before it Falls by Jonathan Coe (2007)
2. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (2009)
3. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (2010)
4. Blindness by José Saramago (1995)
5. The Gathering by Anne Enright (2007)
6. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (2006)
7. I know why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (1970)
9. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (2000)
10. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (2009)
11. The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant (2003)
12. Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto (1993)

My two alternates:
1. Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka (2007)
2. Wildthorn by Jane Eagland (2009)
As I make progress I will link the titles to my reviews. Wish me luck because I will give away one book from those I managed to read in 2012. Egligable for winning will be readers of my blog who comment on my reviews of those books as I go.

Thoughts: Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki

2011-11-24T22:39:00.004+01:00

This is the memoir of Mineko Iwasaki, one of Gion's most famous Geishas. She introduces us to her story starting at the very beginning of her childhood, still living with her parents and siblings. Soon she learns that some of her sisters have been adopted by an okiya, a Geisha house, because her parents were not able to feed so many hungry mouths.
But Mineko decides to follow her sisters into the okiya, because she is spellbound by this secretive world, which is inhabited and ruled by women only. She is to become first a maiko, an apprentice Geisha, and then a real geiko, which is the name of a Geisha in Gion, the best known Geisha district not only in Kyoto but Japan.

I have read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden and this book was in many ways similar to Golden's book. But there are differences especially in the way the story is told. Though Iwasaki claims to be the first Geisha to tell her story, I felt like she was holding back, I felt like she wasn't giving me the whole thing. That is because she tells the reader all the training was hard, or she decides to be adopted by the okiya and leave her family, or that all the other girls were jealous as she became a well-known geisha but she never tells what it felt like, she never says she was sad, lonely or exhausted.
On the other hand I am fascinated. Geishas are exotic strangers who are paid to be perfect entertainers with skills in music, dancing, singing and conversation. They live in a secretive world full of intrigue and jealousy, which makes it all the more interesting to read about.

If you are interested in the training of a Geisha in our modern times, I recommend the BBC documentary Geisha Girl, following 15-year-old Yukina as she leaves home and moves to Kyoto to embark on the arduous training needed to become a geisha. Here is a link to the first part on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrDGTUm2vBc

If you can't get enough of the Geisha world read this book.

I read this book for the JLC5.

Venice in February. I'm in!

2011-11-23T13:59:00.006+01:00

Venice in February is a new Reading Challenge not unlike Paris in July. It's all about reading books about Venice, a doomed but magical place. The challenge is hosted by Snow Feathers and Dolce Bellezza, who already put a lot of work into this project as they created a site for the event with book suggestions. For all of us readers who wouldn't know where to look for books about Venice that's the place to go.

So I'm planning to participate in February. But what am I going to read? It turns out I already have a book in my tbr pile that would fit.

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

And this one sounds intriguing. It's about a woman who leaves her grown up kids and job as a food critic to follow her love. My library has it, too.

A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi

If there is time and a way I can lay hands on this book, I would love to read this one, too.

A Venetian Affair by Andrea de Robilant

What do you think? Are you going to participate? Have you read any of the books mentioned above?

Thoughts: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

2011-11-15T10:04:00.000+01:00

Louis Zamperini was a promising tracker in his young age. Already successful during the Olympic Games in 1936, he was determined to get gold in the next Games. But in 1942 the world faces second world war and Louis serves in the Air Force. The Us and Japan are fighting over authority in the Pacific Ocean. One day in 1943 a US bomber crashes in the ocean, leaving only debris, a raft and three crew members among them Louis Zamperini. As they are drifting in the ocean they face leaping sharks, thirst and starvation and enemy aircraft. But beyond all that only a greater trial awaits the men. Louis and his friend Phil have to endure imprisonment in a Japanese POW camp and suddenly all that counts is to get through unbroken.

The book served as an eye-opener for me. I was not aware of the cruelty and the dehumanizing treatment the Japanese inflicted on their prisoners of war. And I was not aware that a human body, soul and mind is able to live through it.

Laura Hillenbrand doesn't hold back. I was overwhelmed by her writing as she made a perfect little package in form of a book, filled with Zamperini's story, which is a true one by the way, and hurled it at the innocent me. I was hit hard and am not willing to forget very soon.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-11-14T20:43:00.004+01:00

Since my last Monday post I read:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (click for review)
The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen (click for review)
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (will review tomorrow)
Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki (will review this week)
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (click for review)

Now I am reding Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, which won the Booker Prize in 2009. I am a little obsessed with reading the Booker Winners as a personal challenge. So far I like the book but I'm sure it will still take me some time to finish as it is a real chunk. My edition has over 650 pages.

As soon as I have finished Wolf Hall, I plan on reading Juliet, Nacked by Nick Hornby. I adore Hornby and make sure to read his newest books occasionally.

After that (or even before) I'll be reading Alison Wonderland by Helen Smith, who was so kind to send me the book for review. Thank you, Helen.

Have you read or plan on any of those? Did you enjoy them?

It's Monday is hosted by Sheila from Book Journey.

Thoughts: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

2011-11-13T17:34:00.002+01:00

Iris Lockhart is a young and independent woman who has both feet firmly on the ground. Nothing points to a dark family secret that could affect Iris' life until a letter arrives asking her to come and get Esme Lennox, Iris' great-aunt, from a mental hospital because the institution is going to close. But Iris doesn't know about a great-aunt who lived like a prisoner, locked up in a psychiatric ward, for over sixty years. The alleged mistake soon turns out to be a family tragedy that began in Edinburgh in the 1930s, when Esme and her sister Kitty, Iris' grandmother, were still girls in a marriageable age.

*MINOR SPOILER ALERT*
Esme was a wild, unsociable girl with lacking manners, perturbing Kitty's chances to find a husband. Is it really possible that under those circumstances the family got rid of Esme institutionalizing her? Or were there some more disturbing reasons for this decision?

I enjoyed reading Esme's story and getting to know what really happened to her from her early childhood living in India with her parents and sister until her being locked up back in Scotland. O'Farrell cleverly divided the narrating of the story between her characters. The reader gets an insight in Iris' private life as well as Esme's routine in the ward and as Kitty is supposed to be an old woman with Alzheimer's disease now, we get snippets of her recollections in no chronological order always accompanied by a tone of guilt.

It is really amazing how much this little book has to offer. Apart from a family mystery and betrayal, the author fit in a (I'll quote Linda) "holy cow ending". First I wasn't sure I really got what happened but after rereading the ending I made up my mind. I think this book would really work well in a book club because I feel the urge to discuss it myself. It seems that it was quite common for family's to edit out the life of certain family members if they didn't fit in anymore, just like in Jane Eyre. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox is like a Victorian novel but set in present.

Thoughts: The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen

2011-10-31T22:39:00.001+01:00

A little bit of crime, a little bit of mystery, a little bit of sentiment and you have this: a suspenseful page-turner, faster read than you can say "The Bone Garden".

Julia Hamill, a 38 year-old divorcée, is working in her garden when she thrusts on bones. Those turn to belong to a female long dead, the fractured bones suggest murder. Julia is intrigued. Who was that woman? Why was she murdered? Boston 1830: Norris Marshall is a student at Boston Medical College, but unlike his classmates he is a modest young man, forced to support himself with one of the most secretive jobs. He is a 'body snatcher' at night, a robber of cadavers to ensure his further study of human anatomy and because medical institutions pay well for corpses as they are always short of research objects. Soon Norris is hunting one of the most notorious killers of his time, not recognizing that the reaper is closer than he thinks. And what about the bones in Julia's garden?

One could not fight about the literary merit of this book. Because there is none. Which does not mean that it isn't entertaining and fast-paced. But this novel also crams a lot of human suffering in only 400 pages, which I didn't like too much. As this is one of Gerritsen's newer, stand-alone books I would opt to read one of her older books, as they are sad to be cracking reads.

Final words: Solid thriller with cleverly plotted mystery. Just too corny for my taste.

I write like ...

2011-10-30T18:00:00.002+01:00

Today on Leeswamme's blog I read about a page that analyzes your writing and compares it to the writing of other famous writers. It's called I write like. I analyzed three different reviews I wrote, one from this week and two I wrote about one year ago. All three came back with the same result:

I write like
H. P. Lovecraft

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

He is known for his horror writing and especially a subgenre called weird fiction. Well what do you think of that? I haven't read any of his work and am not sure I am going to.

Thoughts: The Immrotal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

2011-10-27T12:00:00.000+02:00

The story about Henrietta Lacks cannot be complete when it isn't told along with the cancerous cells taken from her cervix, which proved to be immortal, and thus changed science. The HeLa cells were cultured and distributed all over the world bringing forward a new era of cellular research and advances in scientific technology as well as medical treatments. They were used in many experiments, such as vaccine research and cloning, the cells even went to space. Yet, very little is known about the woman, her life or her family. Rebecca Skloot attempted to change this.

Now I know that the real sad part of the story is the devastation of a family when its unifying force, a mother, a wife or a sister is taken away. And though the valuable cells should be a source of pride for the family they got to know about it far too late. Not to mention any monetary compensation. Millions or even billions of dollars were made out of the HeLa cells but still the family couldn't afford to pay their own medical bills.

I also learned about informed consent and that it wasn't 'law', which means it wasn't necessary to inform a patient about the medical procedures he or she is going to take in the 50s. Very much has changes since.

The book was light on the scientific side, everybody can understand what is going on in this book. I struggled with the cell's importance, of which I was remembered every other page although I already grasped it with the first chapter.

It is remarkable that Skloot was finally able to get Henrietta's story, because of being persistent, calling the family over and over to get them spill the beans, but I can't get rid of the feeling that she might have been a real pain in the a.. by doing so.

Final words: I learned about 'them' cells.

Wonderful Wednesday #8 Gothic Reads

2011-10-26T09:00:00.001+02:00

Do you like books which give you the creeps or which make you feel uneasy? Well then gothic fiction is for you! Those books are all about atmosphere and the building of suspense and a good handful mystery and madness thrown in. Today I'm going to share with you my top reads in this genre.

The Monster's of Templeton by Lauren Groff which I reviewed here. This one is a bittersweet, melancholy read. I very much fell for one of the last chapters about Flimmy, Templeton's lake monster and how it comes that it died, it was sad but beautiful.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier which I have reviewed here. I won't give away anything. Du Maurier is a remarkable narrator and I think the best recommendation I can give is to grab the book and start reading immedietly if you havent't done so yet.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. That's my all-time favorite book we are talking about here. I haven't reviewed the book becuase I read it prior to blogging. But still. I love the atmosphere and the epic style of Zafon's writing. The characters harbor dark secrets which are not easily revealed. Ever since I read this book I want to visit Barcelona. It must have been amazing in the 1920s.

Which are your favorte gothic books? Do you have recommendations for me? Have you read any of those I mentioned? Did you like them? Discuss.

Wonderful Wednesday is hosted by Tiny Library.

Announcing winner of the Literary Blog Hop

2011-10-20T11:29:00.003+02:00

Drumroll please for readingmind. You have won A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian. I have contacted you via Email. So please get in touch with me to arrange the shipping of the book.

Thank you all for participating! It has been a blast.

Wonderful Wednesday #7 Favorite Authors

2011-10-19T10:57:00.005+02:00

Everybody has some favorite authors. Often a passion starts with an innocent crush for one specific novel. Soon one wants more and is determined to read all there is by this particular author.

Today I want to share three authors of whom I'm determined to read every book they have published or are going to throw on the market in the future.

Jeffrey Eugenides - I read The Virgin Suicides for a book project in school. I loved his writing and I was interested in the fate of the five suicidal sisters. As soon as I read the last page of this, I dashed out chasing for more. I found Middlesex, which is to date one of my most favorite books. I lost myself in this epic story about Greek siblings immigrating to the US and falling in love on the ship that brings them there. I'm looking forward to reading The Marrige Plot which was released most recently.

Banana Yoshimoto - Yoshimoto's stories are sad ones. But she uses language and style to make it easier to endure. Her protagonists are young and lusting for life as well as anxious for it. I discovered Yoshimoto early this year and have reviewed Kitchen and Goodbye Tsugumi in January. Sitting on my shelf I have Lizard and The Lake.

Margaret Atwood - I have only read one book by Margaret Atwood but I am going to go for more. I think she is a fascinating woman with an even more fascinating mind. I have reviewed Oryx and Crake this year and have The Year of the Flood as well as The Blind Assasin waiting on my to be read shelf.

Have you read any of them? Have you got recommendations?

Wonderful Wednesday is hosted by Tiny Library.

Thoughts: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2011-10-17T17:29:00.004+02:00

I finally managed to read the sequel to The Hunger Games. And I can report that it was a pleasant undertaking. Catching Fire introduces the reader to background information on Panem as well as its cruelty.

After Katniss' glorious return to District 12, life gets back to "normal". Her relationship with the boys she most cares for, Peeta and Gale, keep being complicated. But soon the next Games are up and life gets complicated again.

I didn't foresee the plot twist coming for the reader. It was like being hit by thunder when I read and I was hooked again. I can barely describe the pleasure I get out of reading the Hunger Games. It's a page turner, a real good one. Can't wait to make time for the last part of the trilogy The Mockingjay.

Have you experienced similar feelings for The Hunger Games? Maybe like me because I have only praise and no criticism.

Literary Blog Hop, Oct 15 - 19

2011-10-15T04:00:00.002+02:00

It's time for another giveaway here on Thinking About Loud! It's the second time I participate in the Literary Blog Hop. It's just amazing how many wonderful blogs are giving away cool, literary stuff.

To keep things simple, I will give away this book, which I reviewed here:

You can win A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka by simply posting a comment stating that you want it. Please leave me a possibility of how to reach you like an email address. The giveaway will be closed on Wednesday October 19th. I will pull the winner on Thursday June 20th and contact you via email. Please make sure you are going to respond within 48 hours. Once I got in contact with the winner I will put the book in the mail. I cannot be hold responsible in case of loss.

This is an INTERANTIONAL giveaway. Anybody can join. Please be aware since I already read the book it is not new and will arrive in a gently used condition.

Now make sure to visit all the other lovely blogs taking part in the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop. Thanks to Judith from Leeswammes for hosting this.

Leeswammes

Devouring Texts

The Book Whisperer

Seaside Book Nook

The Scarlet Letter (US only)

Rikki's Teleidoscope

Bibliosue

Curled Up With a Good Book and a Cup of Tea

The Book Diva's Reads

Gaskella

Lucybird's Book Blog

Kim's Bookish Place

The Book Garden

Under My Apple Tree

Helen Smith

Sam Still Reading

Nishita's Rants and Raves

Ephemeral Digest

Bookworm with a View

The Parrish Lantern

Dolce Bellezza

Lena Sledge Blog

Book Clutter

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer (US only)

The Blue Bookcase

Book Journey (US only)

The House of the Seven Tails (US only)

In One Eye, Out the Other (US only)

Read, Write & Live

Fresh Ink Books

Living, Learning, and Loving Life (US only)

Bibliophile By the Sea

Laurie Here Reading & Writing Reviews

Amy's Book World (US only)

Teadevotee

Joy's Book Blog

Word Crushes (US only)

Thinking About Loud!

Kinna Reads

Sweeping Me

Minding Spot (US only)

Babies, Books, and Signs (US only)

Lisa Beth Darling

Tony's Reading List

SusieBookworm (US only)

Tell Me A Story

Close Encounters with the Night Kind

Nerfreader

Mevrouw Kinderboek (Netherlands, Belgium)

Boekblogger (Netherlands)

In Spring it is the Dawn

No Page Left Behind

Elle Lit

So now it's time to hop! Have a wonderful weekend! I for sure know what I am going to do.

Wonderful Wednesday #6 Historical Fiction

2011-10-12T10:00:00.001+02:00

This weeks theme is historical fiction.

As this is about spotlighting books, which we loved but may be not so well known to other readers I decided to write about The Blindness of the Heart by Julia Franck this week. The summary is partly taken from shelfari.com.

Originally published as "Die Mittagsfrau" in German, this book won the German book prize in 2007. The Blindness of the Heart is a dark and gloomy novel set in the 20th century, spanning two world wars and several generations of a German family. In the devastating opening scene in 1945, a woman named Helene and her seven-year old son find themselves at a provincial German railway station, amidst the chaos of war refugees fleeing west. Having survived the horrors of the war years, Helene now abandons her son on the station platform, getting on a train and never looking back for him.

The story now goes back to the burdens of Helene's childhood with her sister Martha in rural Germany, which abruptly comes to an end with the outbreak of WWI. Helene's father is send to the Eastern Front and her Jewish mother slips into mental confusion over the hostility her surroundings now show her. Helene and Martha are going to live with their aunt Fanny in Berlin, where they grow to become young women. Aunt Fanny is a rich and cocaine-addicted lady, who introduces the sisters to the entertaining society of the 1920s Berlin. Helene falls madly in love with the young medicine student Carl, who wants her to get to know his family but dies in a car accident. Helene is devastated.

Now we have to watch how the hard years of survival (Helene is of Jewish descendant, due to her mother) and the ill-fated love make her capable of the unforgivable.

I hear you cry out loud: "The war is over but she leaves her son behind at a crowded railway station, though she struggled hard to keep him alive during those hard war years? Why? How could she?"

This is what the book is about, the things that must happen to a woman to make such a cold-hearted decision as to abandon her only child.

Julia Franck's English language debut novel throws light on a time, revealing the breathtaking scope of its citizens' denial - the "blindness of the heart" - that survival often demanded.

What do you think? Are there explanations for such a behavior?

This meme is hosted by Tiny Library (clicky-clicky).

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-10-10T01:12:00.006+02:00

During my last post I read and reviewed:

Suite Francaise by Irène Némirovsky (click for review) - a suitcase first opened in the 90s revealed Némirovsky's unfinished master piece.
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka (review one click away)- story about an old Ukrainian immigrant marrying a thirty year old woman, wanting his money and a visum.
The Likeness by Tana French (click for review) - a psychological thriller featuring the detectives from the Dublin murder squat.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (clicky clicky)- revealing the life of maids during segregation in the 1960s.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - soon to be reviewed.

Now I'm reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, which is a page turner at first but somehow slows down a bit now. Although it is amazing how the HeLa cells improoved the research on cancer and cells in general, I can't stand to read on every page how important the cells were. I'd like even more about Henrietta and her family.

I plan on reading The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver this month. I'll pick up which ever book I fancy reading next.

It's Monday is hosted by Sheila from The Book Journey.

Literary Blog Hop: Oct 6-9

2011-10-06T23:35:00.000+02:00

This week's question: If you could invite any three literary figures from different eras to a Sunday Dinner who would they be?

I would love to have a tea party actually. One like in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. And I would send invitations to Lewis Carroll first of all. It could be no spectacular tea party without him and maybe he could bring Alice, the Mad Hatter and March Hare with him. I'd also love to have Jane Austen at my table. I'm sure she wouldn't turn down an invitation for tea. Maybe C.S. Lewis could join us and please us with a sentence like: "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." That would make a perfect round for me.

How about you? Would you like to join us?

Thoughts: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2011-10-06T10:06:00.001+02:00

Finally I picked up The Help and it wasn't hard to get through because it's one of those book where you keep turning the pages compulsively although the topic is so heavy. I absolutely wanted to hear what the maids had to say, it only troubles me that Stockett did feel the necessity to rely on a young, white woman, Skeeter, to carry their stories. Because she is the one, who one morning has the idea to give the maids a voice, telling their stories in form of a book and how they are treated by their white, female employers. Every page in the voice of Aibileen or Minny was a treasure, taken away during Skeeter's parts.

When thinking about this book and the rating I wanted to give it, I asked myself a few questions. Is The Help an easy and enjoyable read? Yes. Does The Help imply an interesting and important topic? Yes. Is The Help great literature? No. I think the writing is far from brilliant. That's why I only give it four stars. Stockett introduced characters and never quite understood to use them, most of them remained shallow and didn't add to the story, like Skeeter's boyfriend Stuart, the senator's son, or Miss Lou Ann and her mysterious illness. I wondered why Stockett set plot points like this going nowhere. And why did she create Miss Celia and let her go waste? A tough girl from the country who couldn't even boil water doesn't make sense but a fool of herself. Still I liked her and would have loved to read more about her forming complexity.

I don't see The Help overcome time like To Kill a Mockingbird, but all in all I quite liked it. Four stars.

Lisbon. Get yourself started.

2011-10-04T22:45:00.008+02:00

I have been in Lisbon in September for one week. And let me tell 'ya I had a jolly good time.

First of all, if you visit Lisbon in the summer beware of the constant heat or the real nice weather. The time you step out of the airport you should have your sun glasses ready. If you go by bus to the city center take line 44 or 745. You pay 1.75 € for a single ride, whereas you pay 3.50€ in the aerobus. You can buy your ticket from the bus driver and don't be shy, most of Lisbon's people you'll get in touch with can speak English. A friend told me that is because they get all their TV-series only in English with Portuguese subtitles.

If you plan on using public transport you can either buy your ticket from the bus or tram driver, which has the disadvantage that you should always have some change at hand or you get yourself a 7 colinas card with the option zapping at a cost of 0.50€. Thus you can load for example 10€ on your card and get around Lisbon using tram, bus, metro or even train. You only have to validate your card at the entrance of each vehicle. You can get the card at the tourist information at the airport or at each ticket autmomat in metro entrances. For me charging the card once with 15€ was more than enough for my one-week stay. Although I challenged myself, walking up and down the city's steep hills. But hey, even the old Lisboetas can do it, so I can do it, too. And it makes for perfect muscles in ass and legs. Also necessary to know is that when you wait at a stop you have to indicate the driver you want to get on. So stretch out one arm or otherwise the driver will not hesitate and somewhat coolly drives by. And if you have trouble reading a timetable. The number in a circle means that a bus or whatever is coming by every "circled number" minutes (this is at least different from German timetables).

For people who have never been to Lisbon before I wholeheartedly recommend a Lisbon Walker Tour (clicky clicky). They have fantastic guides who know to give a lively tour and tell funny anecdotes. I joined the Lisbon Revelation Tour with Inès, a friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. She showed us around town about three hours including a ride on the Santa Justa Lift and a ride in the famous Number 28 tram. As a student I only had to pay 10€, whereas a normal adult ticket costs 15€. Tours start at Praca do Comercio nearly everyday (check the timetable at their site) at 10 o'clock. You can get free maps of the city at every tourist information. But you can't miss Praca do Comercio it is next to the river Tejo, in the heart of the city.

I plan on two more posts about Lisbon. One about the top five things I did in Lisbon like Europe's biggest aquarium and a post about trips out of town like swimming in the Atlantic Ocean.

Thoughts: The Likeness by Tana French

2011-09-29T12:10:00.000+02:00

Cover story: "Six month after a particularly nasty case, Detective Cassie Maddox has transferred out of Dublin's murder squad and has no plans to go back. That is, until an urgent telephone call summons her to an eerie crime scene.

It's only when she ses the body that Cassie understands the hurry. The victim, a young woman, is Cassie's double and carries ID identifiying herself as Alexandra Madison, an alias Cassie once used on an undercover job. Suddenly, Cassie must discover not only whokilled this girl but, more importantly, who is this girl?"

Tana French is on her way to become my favorite author concerning murder, mystery and psychological thriller. Her characters are versatile and have personality. I love to flip through the pages and would have actually never minded if there was no last page to the book. I can loose myself in the story, just like Cassie who steps in as Alexandra Madox again to find out who the other girl's killer was. She must be careful, especially around her four housemates who knew the dead girl very well. Soon Cassie gets used to her new life and wouldn't mind never leaving it again. But there is this case to solve and Franck Mackey, who supervises the undercover work, is watching every single step Cassie makes.

I can't wait to grab Faithful Place from the shelf, the third novel of the Dublin murder squad series, in which Franck Mackey will narrate the story.

Final words: Alarmingly thrilling.

I am rereading whatever I like.

2011-09-28T12:03:00.005+02:00

I reread whenever I feel like it. I reread The God of the Small Things by Arundhati Roy, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides just to name a few. Those are extraordinary books I wanted to enjoy more than once. In fact every time I reread a book it's a whole new experience. Because I am older, because I recognize new things, because I feel like visiting old friends, because I can't get enough of them.

Today I share my top ten books I plan on rereading in the future.

1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer - It whirled up my emotions. Love, love, love it.
2. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden - Personally I think there is nothing more interesting than this old Japanese tradition.
3. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer - Mount Everest is fascinating as well as Krakauer's encounters there. My favorite non-fiction until now.
4. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Aidichie - The beauty of Aidichie's writing combined with Nigerian history. I have to pick it up again sometime.
5. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann - My favorite book by a German author. A sheepish murder mystery. Funny and touching.
6. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - I don't know why but I will pick it up again.
7. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende - I think I might have been to young to grasp the whole concept of the book when I first read it.
8. Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff - A story about a man with a multiple personality. Highly interesting.
9. On Beauty by Zadie Smith - One of the first books I read in English, which really stuck with me.
10. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - because it is my absolute favorite and I expect I will reread it from time to time my whole life.

Do you think rereading is a waste of time? Or do you occasionally pick up an old loved one?

This meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Thoughts: A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewcycka

2011-09-08T20:49:00.002+02:00

I picked this book up in a used book store in London one year ago because I already recognized it, always being prominently displayed in every German book store. Now it took me nearly one year to finally pick it up from my shelf. I expected something humorous or possibly hilarious. This I expected quite rightly because every praise on the cover used the word 'funny'.

Unfortunately I didn't find the story or the characters particularly amusing. Valentina is a 36 years old Ukrainian woman, who wants to live in the UK. So she marries Nikolai Mayevsky, a 84 years old Ukrainian immigrant. Valentina makes life to hell for Nikolai, that is where his daughters come in. They want to help their father out of his desperate situation and Valentina out of their mother's kitchen.

The language Lewycka used is the only thing that caused me to giggle from time to time, because it's a lively mix of English used by Ukrainian immigrants. Otherwise there is very much dark humor spread over the pages, mainly a greedy woman abusing an old man, making fun of him and his daughters trying to help him out of a tragic situation he doesn't acknowledge being in, more often than not bitching at Valentina, who seeks a better life for herself and her son.

The fifty years of darkest European history which were meant to be uncovered weren't as insightful as I hoped for. I would have liked a little input about Siberian labor camps, but as Nikolai's family seeks to keep the past under tight wraps, not much insight is allowed.

Somewhat generous 3 stars.

My favorite books, never reviewed!

2011-08-23T12:33:00.004+02:00

My Shelfari shelf displays 23 favorite books. Those are the ones I marked with a heart because I enjoyed reading them more than all the other books on my shelf. And reading them made me happy and sad. Those books were able whirl up the most extreme emotions. That is why I love them.

As I started blogging a little over one year ago, I never wrote a review for all the lovely books I read prior to blogging. Here is a shout out for my ten favorite books for which I never wrote a review.

On the list from top left to bottom right:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Set this House in Order by Matt Ruff
What I loved by Siri Hustvedt
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
ExtremelyLoud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Thoughts: Suite Francaise by Irène Némirovsky

2011-08-17T12:17:00.005+02:00

Irène Némirovsky died in Auschwitz in 1942. A suitcase which harbored the manuscript of Suite Francaise was opened in the 90s for the first time. An unfinished masterpiece came to light. Némirovsky purposed a book build like a symphony made of five pieces. But there was only time for two pieces before she was deported.

The first part Storm in June deals with Parisian war refugees. Germany is up to take Paris and people see themselves forced to flee their homes, hastily pack their dearest belongings, catch a train or a car, or if that is not possible walk. On the streets reigns chaos, heavily packed cars have come to a halt because of a lack of gas, guest-houses are overcrowded and the refugees are hungry, especially the children. Nobody knows how long this, the war, the hunger, the misery, is going on. Those are the miserable conditions in 1940 in German-occupied France.

Némirovsky already introduces us to a varying set of characters in the first part, who all seem so real and whose problems are touching. There are the Michauds, an elderly couple, whose son fights in the war. Poor Madame Michaud keeps looking for the face of her son in the stream of passing soldiers. The Perrins, a rich family with a grumpy old grandpa on whom lays the hope of a rich heir and lots of children; one a young priest, who is killed by the orphan boys, which were entrusted on him and Hubert, who is only sixteen but wants to fight and therefore leaves his family. There is also Corbin, the owner of a bank, the Michauds are working for him, he has got an affair with a young dancer and now wants to safe her as well as his wife and the very important documents of the bank.

The second part Sweet deals with the young German soldiers occupying the villages. Each French family, be they aristocrats or peasants, has to take at least one enemy in. But the young Germans are polite and cheerful, they make a positive impression. Here and there gentle bonds are flowering. Quite a few are torn between the human beings those soldiers are and the enemy they represent.

Lucille is one of the main characters in the second part. She is meant to be a young and beautiful but cold woman. But the German officer living in her house stirs up some forgotten emotions.

Némirovsky's language mediates feelings and a sense for the surroundings. I especially loved that. Her linguistic pictures overwhelmed me now and then. One example would be the raindrops on the window panes running down like tears. I think everybody should read this and be swept away by the author's genius.

The story ends with the soldiers leaving for Russia. Némirovsky planned to take up a third part about imprisonment from here.

5 stars, of course!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-08-15T11:00:00.006+02:00

Last week I posted a review of The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff, which you can read here.

And as I plan a trip to Lisbon I posted a list of sites, which helped me getting some insider information on the city. You can read the post here.

Last week I finshed reading Suite Francaise by Irène Némirovsky. I will post a review this week. Unfortunately I made no progress on reading The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto last week, which I will try to finish this week.

I also plan on reading A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka this week. After that I will probably pick up The Gathering by Anne Enright or The Likeness by Tana French.

Have you read or plan on reading any of my books? Did you like them?

And as for the weekend: It was fantabulous. We had a treasure hunt I organized for my friend's birthday. Everybody had fun and as for a treasure there were two birthday cakes I made. For ten people you better have two cakes, right?

It's Monday is hosted by Sheila from BookJourney.

If you plan a trip to Lisbon ...

2011-08-14T18:47:00.006+02:00

As you might know, I'm going to visit Lisbon in September. While I prepared my trip, I thought it was very difficult to find some decent sites, which provide some insider tips or the really lovely sights only known to locals. I decided to put a list of official sites and private blogs together, which to me were very helpful.

I already jotted down some notes in my beloved Lisboa city notebook. I for sure want to check out the Pasteis de Belem, some kind of pastry filled with custard and the Oceanario, the biggest oceanarium in Europe.

For more information check out those sites:

1. Visit Lisboa - is an official site about everything Lisbon, certified by Turismo de Lisboa.

2. The Lisbon Connection - a Lisbon guide from the inside, provides awesome tips about an alternative Lisbon.

3. Spotted by Locals Lisbon - offers reviews of famous sights and places in Lisbon by people who live in the city.

4. In Love with Lisbon - a very personal view on all things Lisbon has to offer.

5. This article from delicious days - delicious days is an awarded food blog and author Nicky shares the most beatuiful and delicious spots she visited during her stay.

BTW has anybody read Nighttrain to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier? Have you enjoyed it? I am considering it as accompanied reading during my stay.

Thoughts: The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

2011-08-08T22:30:00.000+02:00

The day Flimmy, Templeton's lake monster, is found dead is also the day when Willy Upton arrives back home. She is pregnant and the father of her child is her married professor. Willy has to make up her mind whether she wants to keep the child or not. During her stay she learns that her own father is not a man her mother lived with in a commune, as she was always told, but a man from Templeton. Her mother leaves it to Willy to find out who it really is. The only clue she provides is that her father, too, is a descendant of Marmaduke Temple, the founder of Templeton who lived in the 19th century.

This novel encompasses the lives of about five generations of descendants of Marmaduke Temple. Though this could turn out confusing, Groff managed to keep it neat. Every time Willy gets to know something profoundly new about her family the changes are drawn into a family tree. I personally like to watch family trees, I don't know why exactly. But Willy's search for the truth holds lots of surprises and reveals some odd birds, while her personal life takes twists and turns, too. Sometimes I just couldn't understand Willy's emotional life, e.g. why she is so angry with her mother, or why Primus Dwyer, her professor, suddenly is an a..hole. ***spoiler*** Must have been the pregnancy which later turns out to be a pseudo pregnancy.

I very much fell for one of the last chapters about Flimmy and how it comes that it died, it was sad but beautiful.

It is a strong debut novel and a shame it is not more well known in the reading world. Four stars.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-08-08T13:03:00.005+02:00

Since my last Monday post tthree weeks ago I read and reviewed:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins which I couldn't put down and whole heartedly gave five stars - see my review here.
The Giver by Lois Lowry which was not my cup of tea - see my review here.
I also read The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff which I'm going to review this week.

I am reading Suite Francaise by Irène Némirovsky now. Let's say that the writing is beautiful, the story so true it hardly can be called a novel and the characters are diverse and lovely. I am also reading The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto, where there is not much action going on but deep thinking.

After those two I'll probably pick up A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka. I read that it is humorous. Have you read it?

It's Monday is hosted by Sheila from BookJourney.

Thoughts: The Giver by Lois Lowry

2011-08-02T14:26:00.002+02:00

I totally liked the initial concept of this book. Imagine a world where you get served up with everything you need, a family, meals and even your job. You do not need to make your own decisions, you only need to obey some simple rules, like not asking any rude question and the precise use of language. This is the sort of controlled world Jonas lives in. Where the community lacks the memories of the world as it was. The social commentary is easily grasped. I was really looking forward to exploring the world Lowry created.

But the novel lacked in execution. Everything was either black or white. There was either individualism or sameness. The community or Elsewhere. Plenty of food in the birth-controlled society or starvation, overpopulation and warfare outside. And although Jonas immediately understood that a life without memories and emotions and individualism was not right, there was never even a hint about how and why the community decided to live this way. We are given to believe that the community abandoned warfare but operates planes and trains pilots. And what about the other communities' receivers of memories? Do they share their memories? They are not even acknowledged.

I understood the concept of 'release' immediately as euthanasia, because even children could be 'released'. But the whole community lacks understanding it, is even looking forward to it, although the Nurturers and Caregivers execute the actual 'release'. I wonder how the society managed to hide the truth from itself.

And for the ending well, I wondered about it. But I, as many others, could put no sense into it. This must be because the whole rest of it lacks sense, too. Sorry, absolutely not my cup of tea.

Lisbon Calling!

2011-07-21T12:55:00.005+02:00

I finally decided. I decided to go on vacation to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal in September. Of course the Great Thinker is coming with me.

As you might know I'm a city traveler. Last year I spent one week in London and had a series of posts about my adventures there. The year before I went to Paris and did a post about Paris for Book Lovers and Gourmands, which is still the most read post I have ever done.

What can I say, I don't care much for mountains or beaches, although this time I will have the city, the mountains (or hills) and the beaches at the Atlantic coast. Lisbon has it all. And for a special treat it has my friend Anna. Anna lives in Lisbon now, with her boyfriend Tiago. I hope they will show us all the great places one has to go, whether it is for culture, nightlife or shopping.

But of course I won't leave it all to them. I love planning ahead, deciding what to visit. It's what I do, the Great Thinker leaves it all to me.

First of all I rely on the most handy and beautiful notebook I can think of. The Moleskine City Planner Lisboa. It provides space for personal notes, places to visit and addresses. A map of the city and the metro is included as well. I have one for Paris and London, too. It helps to keep track of my adventures during the stay and give away the most precise recommendations, when I am back.

Second most important thing, a travel guide. But of course not any travel guide. I have a fancy for the National Geographic city guides. It's a German series and I own one for Paris and London as well. They never disappointed me. I like their concept because it's neat. The city is divided in the most important neighborhoods and includes recommendations on what to see in one day in the particular neighborhood as well as trips to the surroundings of the city. I hope the Lisbon guide will stand up to the standard I already experienced in the other two.

As always I would be delighted to hear your opinion! Have you ever been to Lisbon? Would you want to go? What is a must do? Do you want more posts in preparation for the trip, like where am I going to stay, or is it easy to learn the language (Because I try and nope, they don't speak Spanish.)?

New books! Used.

2011-07-20T12:00:00.000+02:00

I have had this strong feeling coming up. You know, the one where one can't resist any longer, where one needs to lay hand on new books. At least new books to me as they are all gently used.

I got The Blind Assasin by Margaret Atwood, Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel and The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. All but Geisha of Gion are Man Booker Prize Winners. I bought the books used or got them from Bookmooch.

Have you read any of them?

Thoughts: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2011-07-19T11:47:00.002+02:00

"Happy happy Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favor!"

What a ride! I could never actually put down this book. I lost myself in the world of Katniss Everdeen, a slender sixteen year old girl, with good hunting skills, who is chosen to be the Hunger Game's girl tribute of her district. That means she has to fight to death, her own or the death of all other 23 tributes, one boy and one girl, from every district in Panem. Peeta, the baker's son is going as boy tribute with her to the capitol to be prepared for the Hunger Games.

The chances for Katniss to come out alive of the arena are small, or aren't they? She is a good hunter and knows how to survive with as little food as there is. And she is smart, strong with bow and arrows. Also she has promised her little sister Prim to fight as hard as she can, when she stepped in for her, as Prim was actually chosen to be the district 12 tribute.

The book was very suspenseful. I felt my heart beating whenever Katniss got into a seriously dangerous situation. I admired her for her courage and her will to survive. I lived through the emotional turmoil she must have felt, when Peeta began working with the Career tributes (the ones who were trained their whole life to fight in the arena) only to find out later that he was on her side all the time.

I have to get my hands on the second book as soon as possible.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-07-18T12:35:00.005+02:00

Since my last Monday post two weeks ago I read and reviewed:

Miss Timmins' School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy - a very versatile book about life teaching lessons and a mysterious murder - see my review here.
Little Bee by Chris Cleave - the story of a Nigerian refugee girl and a British woman, whose life changes dramatically one day at a Nigerian beach - see my review here.

I also have read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Giver by Lois Lowry. For both books reviews are coming shortly.

Now I'm reading The Monsters of Templeton. I already read the first chapter about Willie coming home and a big, dead monster floating atop of Templeton's lake. Let's say I am hooked and looking forward to my cozy reading time before I go to sleep.

After The Monsters of Templeton I want to read Suite Francaise by Irène Némirovsky for Paris in July. Another big chunk. For more information about the event, click the button in the right sidebar.

It's Monday is hosted by Sheila from BookJourney.

Authors I'd really love to meet in person...

2011-07-13T22:10:00.005+02:00

From top left to bottom right:

Nick Hornby - The first novel I ever read in English was his About A Boy. Thanks for starting my passion for reading.

Haruki Murakami - Murakami writes weird but beautiful books. Would love to get to know a man with such an impact on the reading world.

Jonathan Safran Foer - I fell for Extremely Loud and Incredibliy Close. Is there more to say?

Carlos Ruiz Zafon - Of course I'd like to meet the author of my favorite book all time The Shadows of the Wind.

Margaret Atwood- Look at her. She is so awesome. I'm determined to read all of her books.

Siri Hustvedt - Never heard of her? Go read her book What I loved.

Jeffrey Eugenides - I lost myself in his epic Middlesex. I sure would like to take a closer look at him.

Jon Krakauer - His encounter with Mount Everest nearly pushed me off the cliff.

Banana Yoshimoto - Her books fascinate me. I sure would like to have a cup of tea with her in any Kitchen.

Zadie Smith - Her books have been most challenging reads language wise. And she has written On Beauty.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Thoughts: Little Bee by Chris Cleave

2011-07-12T22:29:00.002+02:00

The chapters alternate between Little Bee, a Nigerian refugee and Sarah, wife, mother and magazine editor. Both have met on a Nigerian beach two years ago, which changed their lives dramatically. Unfortunately I'm not able to tell you more without giving away the story. That's why I keep it short

I really loved the first pages where Little Bee shares her observation about modern societies and how strange they seem to a refugee girl. Those comments were witty and funny. Surprisingly I even liked Sarah's encounters. Chris Cleave floats effortlessly between his two telling characters. I was relieved because I read books where the author didn't handle alternating point of views very well.

But the story did not keep being light or hilarious like the back cover promises. In fact the book got heavy about topics like immigration, oil wars, friendship, personal responsibility and violence. Topics on which Chris Cleave thoroughly researched. I liked that the book had meat to it, it carries many important messages such as the horrible conditions in detention centers or that many refugees are treated like crap and not like human beings.

Give it a chance, it may surprise you! 3.5 stars.

Thoughts: Miss Timmins' School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy

2011-07-07T13:35:00.003+02:00

In 1974 young Charulata Apte is coming to Miss Timmins' to teach English. She is a shy and innocent girl with a birthmark, she calls her 'blot'. One could see it as an indicator of her emotional state, because when Charu is in emotional turmoil it turns red and itchy. Miss Timmins' is a boarding school where Indian parents sent their daughters to get a British education. Charu befriends another young teacher called 'the Prince', a bold and troubled woman, and falls in love. But the Prince is found murdered some time later and Charu is one of the suspects. Now the time has come when life is teaching Charu lessons.

This book is a murder mystery as well as a coming of age story, but it also topics the caste system, sexuality and drug consumption. As varied as the topics are the characters who populate the story. There are Charu's parents and family, who have kept a secret from Charu for too long now; the teaching staff, with headmaster Nelson, who ALWAYS carries a white purse; Miss Raswani, the Hindi teacher with the crazy eyes and of course Miss Prince with whom Charu has an affair and who entertains a mysterious relationship with Miss Nelson. But there are also other people that inhabit the city around the school, like the inspector and most importantly the Panchgani crew with Merch, a group of bohemians who become Charu's friends.

I liked the complexity of this story. It's almost unbelievable that it is a debut novel. I also liked it's atmosphere, the mountains, the monsoon, the gloom, the isolation. Only the pacing of the writing did not always feel right. And in the end I found myself clueless as I could not tell the murderer.

Four deserved stars.

I got this book from the publisher HarperCollins via NetGalley.

For further reading, books about India:

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

It's Monday!

2011-07-04T23:15:00.003+02:00

It's Monday is hosted by Sheila from Book Journey.

Last week I finished reading Miss Timmin's School for Girls, which I'm going to review this week. I will also review The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera this week.

I have written a review of Consolation by Anna Gavalda, which you can view here. I have read this book for Paris in July, but I'm sorry to say that it wasn't my cup of tea. The story lacked a somewhat twisted plot or the kind of wit Gavalda produced in Hunting and Gathering (aslo known as Ensemble, c'est tout).

I am now reading Little Bee by Chris Cleave. After that I'm going to read the Giver by Lois Lowry. I heard people rave abou this one for too long. Finally, I want to read for myself.

What else? My mother is coming back from Taiwan on Wednesday. I am curious to know what she picked up in the various bookshops at the aiports spending the last money in foreign currencies.

Thoughts: Consolation by Anna Gavalda

2011-07-04T14:09:00.006+02:00

Charles is a busy architect living in Paris with his wife and step-daughter. One day he receives a letter which reads like this: Anouk is dead. This little piece of information throughs Charles off the track. His past is overwhelming him and he realizes that he is unhappy in his current life and that something needs to change.

Anouk was the mother of his childhood friend Alexis. Charles was secretly in love with Anouk and decides to visit Alexis, who once was an exceptionally gifted musician but now lives in a small town with wife and children. He gave up music and is unhappy, too. In that small village Charles meets Kate, who runs a farm and is foster mother to five children. She too is unhappy at night, feeling lonely with her problems. Charles falls in love with her. Is it possble for him to become happy with Kate and her children?

I think the book was too long. Everything that happened could have happened in less pages. I wasn't impressed with the story either, nothing exceptional happened. The characters Gavalda created are lovely and kind. But that's it.

I picked this book up because I loved Hunting an Gathering. I was disappointed with this one though. Gavalda showed significantly more wit in her forementioned novel.

I still highly recommend reading Hunting and Gathering also known as Ensemble C'est tout, which I reviewed here. This book also has been made into a movie with Audrey Toutou, known for her lead role in Amelie.

But don't bother with Consolation, which I would give 2 maybe 2.5 stars, but nothing higher.

I read this book for Paris in July 2011.

Pulling the Winner ...

2011-06-30T12:29:00.006+02:00

Wow. Wasn't that a grand blog hop? I visited lots of blogs and entered quite a number of giveaways myself. But here it is, the pulling of the winner of my literary giveaway!

Drumrolls, please! And a YAY! for Sam from samstillreading! You are the winner of one copy of The Brief Wondrous Life by Oscar Wao! Congratulations! I will get in contact with you via email now.

I assigned you all numbers in the order you entered the giveaway and used an online randomizer to pull the winner, which looked like the picture on the left side. I pulled number 11, which was Sam's number.

Thank you all again for participating! Hope to see you next time, too!

It's Monday!

2011-06-27T23:32:00.004+02:00

Last week I finished reading Consolation by Anna Gavalda. I will hold back the review for the grand Paris in July event. For more information click the button in the right sidebar.

I also finished The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, which I'm going to review this week.

I am reading Miss Timmin's School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy, which I got as ebook via NetGalley from the publisher.

Next up is definitely Little Bee by Chris Cleave.

Also I have a giveaway running. I am participating in the Giveaway Blog Hop hosted by Leeswammes. If you like to enter and for more information, go here.

By the way I can't believe this is already summer reading we are talking about here. Though I'm not going on vacation till September, I always tend to think I will get espacially much reading done in summer. I should have learned by now, that this was never the case. Sigh.

Weekend Cooking: Is Weekend Baking this time.

2011-06-26T14:00:00.001+02:00

Sunken Rhubarb Cake

You need:

2 stems of rhubarb, 150 g flour,
125 g butter, 100 g starch,
2 egg yolks, 1/2 bag baking powder,
1/2 cup milk, 100 g grounded almonds,
150 g sugar

Cut the rhubarb into 1 cm pieces and put them in a bowl with water and a little sugar. Set aside. Gently mix the egg yolks and the sugar. Add the melted butter and stir. Mix flour, starch and baking poweder and add all through a sieve into the bowl with egg, sugar and butter. Stir. Add milk and grounded almonds and stir.
Take a springform pan and cover the ground with baking paper. Put in the dough and place half-moon shaped rhubarb pieces on it. Bake for 50 minutes with 175°C.

I like the look of the moon-shaped rhubarb pieces sunken into the cake. If you want to you can decorate the cake with powder sugar.

I made the pie to welcome home the great thinker from his 10 day bike tour with his buddies. The tour was exhausting and he was starved.

Week End Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.

Literary Blog Hop, June 25 - 29

2011-06-24T21:00:00.002+02:00

It's time for another giveaway here on Thinking About Loud! I am participating for the first time in the Literary Blog Hop, because last time when I entered the great variety of giveaways I was thrilled! People were giving away cool, literary stuff. This time I wanted to be part of it.

To keep things simple, I will give away this book, which I reviewed here:

You can win The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by simply posting a comment stating that you want it. Please leave me a possibility of how to reach you like an email address. The giveaway will be closed on Wednesday June 29th. I will pull the winner on Thursday June 30th and contact you via email. Please make sure you are going to respond within 48 hours. Once I got in contact with the winner I will put the book in the mail. I cannot be hold responsible in case of loss.

This is an INTERANTIONAL giveaway. Anybody can join. Please be aware since I already read the book it is not new and will arrive in a gently used condition.

Now make sure to visit all the other lovely blogs taking part in the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop. Thanks to Judith from Leeswammes for hosting this.

Leeswammes (Int)

The Book Whisperer (Int)

Kristi Loves Books (Int)

Teadevotee (Int)

Bookworm with a View (Int)

Bibliosue (Int)

Sarah Reads Too Much (Int)

write meg! (USA)

My Love Affair With Books (Int)

Seaside Book Nook (Int)

Uniflame Creates (Int)

Always Cooking Up Something (Int)

Book Journey (Int)

ThirtyCreativeStudio (Int)

Col Reads (Int)

The Book Diva's Reads (Int)

The Scarlet Letter (USA)

The Parrish Lantern (Int)

Lizzy's Literary Life (Int)

Read, Write & Live (Int)

Book'd Out (Int)

The Readers' Suite (Int)

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer (USA)

Ephemeral Digest (Int)

Miel et lait (Int)

Bibliophile By the Sea (Int)

Polychrome Interest (Int)

Book World In My Head (Int)

In Spring it is the Dawn (Int)

everybookhasasoul (Int)

Nishita's Rants and Raves (Int)

Fresh Ink Books (Int)

Teach with Picture Books (USA)

How to Teach a Novel (USA)

The Blue Bookcase (Int)

Gaskella (Int)

Reflections from the Hinterland (USA)

chasing bawa (Int)

51stories (Int)

No Page Left Behind (USA)

Silver's Reviews (USA)

Nose in a book (Int)

Lit in the Last Frontier (Int)

The Book Club Blog (Int)

Under My Apple Tree (Int)

Caribousmom (USA)

breienineking (Netherlands)

Let's Go on a Picnic! (Int)

Rikki's Teleidoscope (Int)

De Boekblogger (Netherlands)

Knitting and Sundries (Int)

Elle Lit (USA)

Indie Reader Houston (Int)

The Book Stop (Int)

Eliza Does Very Little (Int)

Joy's Book Blog (Int)

Lit Endeavors (USA)

Roof Beam Reader (Int)

The House of the Seven Tails (Int)

Tony's Reading List (Int)

Sabrina @ Thinking About Loud! (Int)

Rebecca Reads (Int)

Kinna Reads (Int)

In One Eye, Out the Other (USA)

Books in the City (Int)

Lucybird's Book Blog (Europe)

Book Clutter (USA)

Exurbanis (Int)

Lu's Raves and Rants (USA & Canada)

Sam Still Reading (Int)

Dolce Bellezza (Int)

Lena Sledge's Blog...Books, Reviews and Interviews (Int)

a Thousand Books with Quotes (Int)

It's Monday!

2011-06-20T22:07:00.011+02:00

Last week I finished reading Consolation by Anna Gavalda which I will review next week as part of my Paris in July contribution. It's not too late to join in the fun. I reviewed Atonement by Ian McEwan last week and wrote a post about the new books I got via NetGalley here.
Now I am still reading Miss Timmin's School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy and The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, which I hope to finish both this week.

Coming up next will be Little Bee by Chris Cleave to be followed by another Jane Austen book. I will either read Northanger Abbey or Persuasion. Which one did you like best? I haven't read either and would love a little help deciding which one to pick. Thanks.

It's Monday! What are you reading is hosted by Sheila from Book Journey.

New Books! Are you on NetGalley?

2011-06-17T19:14:00.009+02:00

If not I would highly recommend it. At least for owners of an e-reader. It has a great variety of (un-)released ebooks. I requested seven books and already was allowed to download six of them. The titles are:

The Art of Forgetting by Camille Noe Pagan (Penguin Group USA)
The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto (Melville House Publishing)
Miss Timmin's School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy (HarperCollins)
White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey (Penguin Group USA)
The Oriental Wife by Evelyn Toynton (Other Press)
Cain by José Saramago (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) *no picture*

The publishers only ask you to write a review of the books they offer, but this is something we book bloggers do anyway, don't we?

I'm already half way into Miss Timmin's and though I thought the first chapter wasn't that intriguing, I am satisfied now. The Lake I plan on reading for the JLC 5.

I hope to squeeze in some extra reading time for the lovely titles I got. I'm off reading!

Do you know or have read any of the titles yet?

Thoughts: Atonement by Ian McEwan

2011-06-15T21:14:00.007+02:00

From the back cover:On a summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment's flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. But Briony's incomplete grasp of adult motives and her precocious imagination bring about a crime that will change all their lives, a crime whose repercussions Atonement follows through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century.

I know there are ambivalent reviews of this book out there. I have read a few of them. But I decided to not care about them. I think Ian McEwan's Atonement was just great. Everything he wrote was important to the story even if it was not to the plot. The first third of the book is a detailed description of a lush afternoon in a big house in the countryside. Although it takes up half the book, the motives out of which the characters act become clear as glass. I could picture the scenery as if I were watching a postcard or something. The language is rich and beautiful. Although I found myself wondering why the characters were so naive, not getting what was going on, I decided that it made sense at last, as they don't get the whole package, not the panorama view as the reader does.

I didn't care as much for the middle part and Robbie's experiences in wwii. But as I got to part three and the present (1999), I was pleased again. I understood Briony's motives to write about the two figures by the fountain.

*beware of spoilers*

Briony is a nurse now, she visits her sister Cecilia, who has cut herself of her family ever since the bad incident. Briony finds out that Cecilia and Robbie are living together now and pursue their happiness. But this is what Briony, who wanted to tell the truth at last, made up. It is indicated that both Cecilia and Robbie died 1940. They never had a happy live together, but Cecilia lets the lovers have it. She has made herself guilty. And this is her Atonement.

I LOVE that there is so much space for interpretation. Often I don't like endings, where I am not presented everything until the last snippet. But with this novel it is completely different. I feel like I understood.

★ ★ ★ ★ and 1/2!

Published by Anchor, February 2003
Paperback, 368 pages

It's Monday! Again.

2011-06-13T21:41:00.006+02:00

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Book Journey to share with others what you've read the past week and planning to read next.

Last week I reviewed:
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

Last week I finished:
Atonement by Ian McEwan which I'm going to review this week. Stay tuned.

I am reading:
Consolation by Anna Gavalda this fabulous French writer I raved about here.

What's up next?
I decided to join Netgalley.com and requested some review copies. One I'm going to read soon is Miss Timmin's School for Girls. Another will be The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto for the JLC 5. Besides I borroughed The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera from the library.

Top Ten Grandest Places in Books

2011-06-07T14:19:00.005+02:00

1. The Cemtery of forgotten Books (Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon) - A mysterious place full of books in the heart of Barcelona. That's just grand!

2. Mount Everest (Into thin Air by Jon Krakauer) - It must be sheerly breathtaking to stand on top of the highest mountain our world has to offer. Or visting a the base camp, where people meet and expose themselves ton one of the roughest, cold and windy places.

3. Lisbon (Nighttrain to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier) - I had to add it because it's going to be the destination of my travels this year.

4. Gion in Kyoto (Geisha district), Japan (Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden) - That's a historic place I would have wanted to visit, when it was still what it was. You know waht I mean, right?

5. Bookholm, Zamonia (The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers) - A magical world where reading is a remarkable adventure.

6. The Secret Garden (The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett) - Wouldn't it be nice to set out for a childish adventure in a nice hidden garden once in a while?

7. London (Imagine Londo by Anna Quindlen) - I love London. I love books about London. And I love books about books set in London. That's it.

8. Paris (The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery and Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda) - Here applies the same as above for London.

9. The Circus (Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen) - Imagine to join a circus like it was in the olden days...

10. An autistic world like the one in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Just out of curiosity.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Thoughts: The World without Us by Alan Weisman

2011-06-06T20:09:00.007+02:00

This was a most interesting read. Weisman shares a thought experiment with the reader. What would the world look like if every human being would vanish from it's surface this minute? What would happen to our cities, houses and pets? And what would become of all the plastic we produced? Is it possible that in some hundred years microorganisms are able to "biodegrade" plastic products? Weisman has an answer to all that and even more. He also explains how we humans developed till today and if the world would have been a different place without our existence. I thought it to be extremely fascinating to explore all this and liked to follow Weisman on his execution of his gedankenexperiment (another word for my list of German words used in English, too).

Let me tell you Weisman writes in a most entertaining way. I never had to force my eyelids to stay open, although I like to read in bed before going to sleep and sometimes this makes it harder to stay with a book. There were a few chapters I didn't care about as much as I cared about others, but that is all I have to complain about.

During my studies I have gained some scientific background. But I don't think that this is particularly necessary to enjoy this book. Maybe you should show a little curiosity for the world we live in and how we shaped it. If that could be you, go on read it.

★ ★ ★ ★. Well deserved.

Thoughts: The Devil in the White City

2011-06-03T22:40:00.003+02:00

*note: I read a German translation.

You have read my note, right? Because in my opinion this must be the reason why I didn't care for Larsen's book. I may have been overwhelmed by the hard work of so many people who put together a world fair in nearly no time. Many things were very interesting but I always waited for the Devil to begin his cruel work. Unfortunately not so many details of H.H. Holmes doings were known, like that to date one has only a vague idea of how many women became Holmes' victims, so that his story often seemed to lack facts and description. I think I only got the creeps because I had to imagine what Holmes could have possibly done to the poor women instead of being told.

At some point I always hoped for the book to be over already so that I could go on to the next. I think that is why it nearly took me two and half weeks to finish, I didn't feel like taking it up too often.

2.5 stars from me!

Top Ten Books for a Lazy Hour at the Beach

2011-05-31T21:55:00.005+02:00

In the summer we spend many a lazy hour where we want a book to keep us company that will take us to other places, a book that can be romantic or suspensful or lush or oh so true or all at the same time. Here are ten books that are great choices for your beach bag.

1. The Geisha by Arthur Golden

2. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

3. In the Woods by Tana French

4. Desert Flower by Waris Dirie

5. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

6. Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda

7. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

8. Half of the Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Aidichie

9. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

10. Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Announcing winner of my first giveaway.

2011-05-30T12:55:00.009+02:00

This blog is now officially one year old. Due to the blogoversary I hosted my first giveawy of Audrey Niffenegger's Her fearful Symmetry. This was the first book I reviewed on this blog. I pulled a piece of paper with the winner's name out of a small glass bowl. Congratulations to Sheila from Book Journey.

Thanks to everybody who participated. Cheers to a hopefully wonderful second year of blogging and making friends.

Literary Blog Hop May 26-29

2011-05-27T15:29:00.006+02:00

The literary blog hop is a biweekly meme hosted by The Blue Bookcase. This weeks question is:

Talk about one author that you love and why his or her writing is unique. Please be specific.

I have loved many author's of whom I only read one book. And I wonder is that already enough to judge the uniqueness of any author's work?! Well, I hope so becuase I could have also hated any auhtor's writing of whom I only read one book. And after detesting it so much of course I never felt like picking up the particular author again.

One author I loved and just recently raved about is Arundhati Roy. You can find my review of her book The God of Small Things here. Her writing is as unique as it can be. I never read anything that can be compared to her style until today.

But "Hey now!" you think. "Tell us already what is so special about it!" Okay, of course I'm just too happy to oblige.

Roy's writing is just amazing because every single page is filled with metaphors, descriptions, and poetic prose (in a good readable way). The writing is not hard, it does not blow smoke, it odes not take itself too important although it is important, it is not the writing of a show off. Instead it is gorgeous and lush and rich, like it flew effortless out of Roy's pen. That's why.

And now I will give you one of my most beloved quotes to see for yourself:

But what was there to say?
Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there was a snuffling in the hollows at the base of a lovely throat. Only that a hard honey-colored shoulder had a semicircle of teethmarks on it. Only that they held each other close, long after it was over. Only that what they shared that night was not happiness, but hideous grief.
Only that once again they broke the Love Laws. That lay down who should be loved. And how. And how much.

What do you think? Have you read it? Have you loved it as much as I did?

Introducing Leo the Lion

2011-05-25T13:59:00.003+02:00

Last week I took up crocheting again. The occasion is the upcoming first birthday of my friend's son Leo. I also grabbed Amigurumi World by Ana Paula Rimoli from the shelf. I decided to crochet a lion for Leo. It's just suitable, isn't it?

Today I finished the little Lion. He came out just fine due to the great crochet pattern from Amigurumi World. The instruction to produce a muzzle with nose and mouth was very helpful. I decided to stitch on eyes because plastic eyes are not suitable for children under the age of 3. My sewing skills have been challenged but I think the resulting lion was worth it.

I hope Leo is going to like his new friend.

It's Monday and my first giveaway!

2011-05-23T13:24:00.007+02:00

Dear readers, followers, fellow bloggers,

I'm going to host my first giveway! The occasion is my one-year blogoversary next week. I decided to give away the first book I reviewed on this blog about one year ago. This book is Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.

It's an international giveaway. You can win this book by simply posting a comment stating that you want it. Please leave me a possibility of how to reach you like an email address or link back to your blog. I will pull the winner one week from today, on Monday 30th of May. Please make sure you are going to respond within 48 hours. Once I got in contact with the winner I will put the book in the mail. I cannot be hold responsible in case of loss.

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey to share with others what you've read the past week and planning to read next.

I finally finished reading The Devil in the White City which I'm going to review this week. I started The World without Us by Alan Weisman.

In the mail I received an English version of my favorite book The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, which I plan on reading in English the first time soon.

Home Alone!

2011-05-22T21:50:00.006+02:00

That's exactly what I am right now. The Great Thinker left home early today to go on a bike trip with two friends. He is expected to be back Tuesday the week after next week, 31st of May.

That means I have 10 days to do what ever I like, like being lazy and reading, and to do things I have to do like working on my diploma thesis and preparing my presentation for a national student forum where I am going to speak about raising flood awareness using different communication strategies.

First thing today I got my book shelf from my parent's house, because my shelf here is threatening to burst with books. But now the Thinker would come in handy to build it or at least to show me where he put our tool case. LOL.

I'm planning on finishing The Devil in the White City tonight. My cat will keep me company.

Spreading the Word!

2011-05-17T16:42:00.005+02:00

My dear readers,

it's time to share two things that lie at my heart. First Karen from BookBath has announced the second Paris in July. Last year I and many other bloogers participated in Paris in July to share our love for all things French. We read French books, we watched French films, we tried French recipes and many more fun activities and shared our experiences.

I for one wrote a book recommendation for Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda and shared my favorite bookish and gourmandish places in Paris, which I visited in September 2009.

If you are interested in participating this year, please go over to Karen's blog and say Hello.

Second things second. I decided it's time to host my first give-away. Due to the first anniversary of this blog in the end of May, I will do a birthday give-away. Isn't that fantastic!? Stay tuned for more information and the start of the give-away on next Monday, 23rd of May.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-05-16T13:45:00.003+02:00

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Book Journey to share with others what you've read the past week and planning to read next.

Last week I posted a review of Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. After reading March this book was yet another great reading experience.

Unfortunately I did not finish one book last week. That means I'm still reading The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I couldn't quite get into the book at first but now it takes on.

Next book up is The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. As I got it from the library I want to read it before it's due. I picked it because I pledged to read more non-fiction this year. That's why I made May my planned non-fiction month. After reading Weisman's book I finally want to get to Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff.

Thoughts: Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

2011-05-14T20:34:00.002+02:00

Authors like Geraldine Brooks remember me why I love to be a reader. Her story about young Anna, who is living in a small village in the far North of England in 1665, grabbed me by the hair and pulled me under water, where I was reading, struggling for air but only coming up when I finally had finished. It is not Brooks' writing which lets me fight for breath, because the writing is simple and slow paced but beautiful, it is the horrible sensation I felt when reading about the plague and how many of Anna's neighbors became it's victims. In 1665 a bolt of cloth, housing plague seeds (commonly known as fleas), comes to Anna's remote village. When the first people die the community decides to shut the gates in and out of the village and isolate themselves to prevent the Black Death from spreading. One year later hope arises, could it be that the plague's rampage is stopped?

Anna is a fascinating character, a simple girl with her heart on the right spot, she is used to hard work and won't give up. In one year she has to face the truth about the human spirit, god's rage and the loss of many beloved ones. I cared for her and her well-being as much as she cared for the well-being of the villagers.

I didn't like the end though. The last 50 pages were needless and I didn't like that Brooks moved the main character from the main scene because of a forced reason.

4 stars!

It's Tuesday! What am I reading?

2011-05-10T17:49:00.004+02:00

I missed the Monday meme hosted by Book Journey. But I like it to keep you all updated on my reading. Here it is:

I reviewed The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall last week.

I finished reading Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, which I enjoyed reading and will review this week. As I read some books in the last time for which I didn't care now finally a book I liked.

I started reading The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson and am curious to find out more. It's about the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the man who killed its visitors.

Next up is The World without Us by Alan Weisman. Another non-fiction about the world as it would look like without any human presence.

Thoughts: The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

2011-05-06T14:33:00.001+02:00

Well, oh well. This story offers an intriguing start and gets you hooked up just fine. Valentina and her husband are fleeing war torn Russia to safe their small child Lydia. When their train is stopped by the enemy Valentina's husband is captured and Valentina is enraptured to give some diamonds for her daughter's live. But soon afterwards the story leaves you, not caring a bit about the characters or the plot. Lydia is now sixteen living in a Chinese city with her worthless mother who drinks and smokes all day. Lydia feels enraptured to steal watches, wallets, necklaces or whatever crosses her way. When a young Chinese saves her life a love story begins to unfold. I kept on reading wanting to know when the part about concubines, promised in the title, would reveal itself.

***SPOILER ALERT***

But there never is a part about concubines, let alone a Russian concubine.

I thought this book would be right up my alley, promising a historical fiction set in China during the 1920s with a romance interlaced. Well, unfortunately I couldn't have cared less. I always waited for the story to begin and the characters to reveal their use to the process of the story.

Two lonely stars.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-05-02T13:56:00.005+02:00

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Book Journey to share with others what you've read the past week and planning to read next.

Since my last Monday post I posted reviews of The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, which I loved, and White Oleander by Janet Fitch, for which I didn't care much.

At the moment I'm about to finish The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall. Next up is Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks and The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I'm really looking forward to the Geraldine Brooks book as I loved her book March very much.

What I had been up to on the weekend: Traditionally we have a bonfire in the night from 30th April to 1st of May called Walpurgis Night, which we celebrated in the garden of close friends including a barbecue. On Sunday we went to the park and had ice cream and one or two games of Speedminton, with our skins warmed by the sun.

Thoughts: White Oleander by Janet Fitch

2011-04-28T19:46:00.004+02:00

Sometimes it's strange how a reading experience comes out in the end. While I read the book I thought it was good and wanted to know what would happen. When I look at it now, I think the main character was unreliable, the prose forced, the plot a series of bad experiences.

Where do my problems with Astrid, the main character, come from? She is fourteen years old. Her mother is in prison, she has a sexual affair with a man three times her age, she is shot by her first foster mother. But she doesn't seem a troubled or emotionally disturbed girl. She just moves on to her next foster family. I think that damages her credibility. No girl her age would overcome bad experiences like this, only being sad or lonely sometimes.
Well, the prose, first it engaged me but the further I got the more it slowed down the reading for me. It was overcooked, too much thought out than easily flowing out of the pen.
And the plot was constructed like I would expect from an inexperienced writer, with the climax build by yet another tragedy happening to already shaken Astrid.

All in all I cared for the book's topic but not for its execution. 2.5 stars.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-22T14:34:00.005+02:00

I wish you all a nice weekend. Above that's my delicious Chocolate Easter Bunny! It's from Lindt. Which Chocolate Bunnies do you like best?

Thoughts: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

2011-04-19T00:25:00.004+02:00

This story unfolds before you, revealing a thing with a big mouth, which is going to swallow you and will only give you free after it thoroughly digested you and you digested all the things you saw in its inside. The story of Rahel and Estha, fraternal twins, is about the importance of small things, like the importance of a careless word or two. Because ...

"That's what careless words do. They make people love you a little less."

That's what small things are all about, they trigger the big things. Arundhati Roy shares a big deal of wisdom with the reader. She lets it pass through Estha and Rahel's family. The two are only children but they will witness how live can change in less than a day, when their cousin Sophie Mol dies and their mother Ammu is accused of a love affair with Velutha, one of the untouchables.

Roy's language is magical but I was more impressed with her using her characters. The twins with all their childish innocence are meant to observe the harsh reality of the world and their own family's haunting tragedy. Velutha, the untouchable, actually has no personality of himself but serves as a screen on which the other characters could project their desires. Ammu is the center of the twins' world, when she goes down the twins go down with her. Like in the end, when they, now grown up, break the laws of love like their mother.

"But what was there to say?
Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there was a snuffling in the hollows at the base of a lovely throat. Only that a hard honey-colored shoulder had a semicircle of teethmarks on it. Only that they held each other close, long after it was over. Only that what they shared that night was not happiness, but hideous grief.
Only that once again they broke the Love Laws. That lay down who should be loved. And how. And how much."

I read reviews where readers complained about the non-constructiveness of Roy's description of misery. There would be no conclusion to it or at last no idea, out of which one could construct a conclusion. I don't think that is what this book is about. There are people living poor, miserable lives and unfortunately not everybody can be helped. But misery still can be the foundation of something beautiful, like it is the foundation of this book.

I read this book as part of my Booker Challenge.

5 stars and a heart!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-04-18T15:27:00.007+02:00

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Book Journey to share with others what you've read the past week and planning to read next.

I posted a review of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and finished reading The God of Small Things which I will review this week.

I'm going to finish White Oleander by Janet Fitch tonight and will grab Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks or The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall next.

Upcoming reads include Little Bee by Chris Cleave, Room by Emma Donoghue and Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff.

Thoughts: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

2011-04-13T14:42:00.006+02:00

I have mixed feelings about this piece of writing ... or haven't I?

Yunior tells us a story. Not particularly his story but the story of Oscar, who is a ghetto-nerd with Dominican roots, living in Paterson, N.J.. Oscar is a wanna-be sci-fi writer, likes role play games and easily falls in love with girls he can't have. He also is obese and lonely. Soon I realized that this is not solely Oscar's story but the story of Lola, his rebellious sister and Yunior's on and off girlfriend, and his mother Beli, a long lost Dominican beauty, who works two jobs and fights cancer. In comparison the parts about Oscar are thin, the Yunior parts are annoying and the Lola and Beli parts are lively and strong.

I never got rid of the feeling that the author used different styles to blow the novel to become something big and spectacular, which in fact it really isn't.

The biggest problem might be the narrator, Yunior, whom I disliked very much for his macho demeanor and the frequent use of the word fuck. As he is barely holding the story together, I would have liked every character to speak for himself.

Magical realism is introduced in this novel as the superstition every Dominican family knows as fuku, a curse of which each family has to endure one of this or that kind. Miracles are happening twice in form of a Mongoose.

Why the author uses language in such a sloppy way, I don't know. Is it good writing to not use any quotation marks? Or to build sentences which are incomplete? Or to use a mix of Spanish and English words to make up a single sentence?

I haven't yet made up my mind how to rate this book. Let's say I haven't disliked it so much as to not finish it nor have I liked it enough to recommend it to anybody I like.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-04-11T15:29:00.003+02:00

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Book Journey to share with others what you've read the past week and planning to read next.

I have read and reviewed Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami last week. And I finished reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao which I'm going to review this week.

I started reading The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy which I read 4 years ago but wanted to revisit for my Booker Challenge.

I plan on reading White Oleander by Janet Fitch next. Furthermore I borroughed The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall and Years of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks from the library.

I hope for a good week reading-wise for all of us. Please leave a link and I will visit you back.

Thoughts: Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami

2011-04-07T21:51:00.007+02:00

I got this book for my birthday and as I always wanted to pick up another Murakami, I decided to give it a go, although ... I first thought I would not like the book at all. Because the description of the story on the back cover sounded much more sci-fi than to my liking. Luckily it wasn't.

Murakami draws two alternate worlds, one where a calculator encrypts scientific data in his head, to protect it from something like a data-mafia. He gets into trouble not knowing why, but soon he discovers it has to do with his latest job. The second world is set in a strange town surrounded by a high wall only birds can overcome. Unicorns are living in the town and people who don't know how they got there. At first the worlds seem fairly unrelated and I already wondered if Murakami wanted to keep me in the dark. I should have known better than to mistrust the author, because in the end, though not all made perfect sense, I was not left clueless. The way to the end was a little exhausting. I think I felt like that, because like in the Wind-Up-Bird-Chronicle, some of the story takes place under the earth, in complete darkness, the protagonist is in a hurry and he fears to be snatched away by some specimen living underground. I felt uncomfortable reading it.

Nevertheless there always is something about a Murakami novel that keeps me on the edge. I always want to grab the deeper sense, and if I fail I enjoy some of his beautiful prose, as Murakami knows about the miseries of the individual.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

2011-04-04T21:39:00.005+02:00

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Book Journey to share with others what you've read the past week and planning to read next.

I have finished Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami. I'm going to review this book this week.

I started reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, which I bought used and got in the mail today.

Upcoming reads include White Oleander by Janet Fitch and The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall. I requested both from the library.

Last week I reviewed Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. You can read my review here.

The Hopping April Fish!

2011-04-01T15:57:00.004+02:00

Every Friday, join the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-For-Books, and hop to some new blogs. The Book Blogger Hop gives book bloggers a chance to connect and find out what others are reading. Sign up at Jennifer’s blog so people can find your blog too.

You wonder what April Fool's Day has to do with a fish? In France, on April 1st, children try to play tricks by sticking a paper fish on the backs of their friends, parents and other people. When the person notices that he or she has a fish on the back, the kid says: Poisson d'avril! Which means April Fish. Totally weird but fun, right?

I only remember one prank played by me and a friend when we maybe were seven years old. It was my friends birthday and his guests were expected to come through the garden gate. We thought it would be funny to put some super glue on the gate handle, so the next person entering would stick to the handle. Unfortunately the next person to enter was the father of my friend. He was not much amused and we neither.

Thoughts: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

2011-03-30T23:09:00.004+02:00

I'm in for a classic regularly and this time I decided it was finally time to read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. English being not my native language, this was not a must read of my childhood or adolescence. I'm glad I read it anyway.

Alcott introduces us to four lovely sisters with very different characters and flaws of such. There is Meg, who likes pretty things and envies the girls whose families have money. Jo is a common madcap and always wanted to be a boy. She's got some sense for writing, too. Beth and Amy are the younger children, with Beth being shy but very amiable and Amy, the nestling, always being cared for.The story describes the coming-of-age of these four young girls until finally they all are grown up women.

The story is very heavy on the moral part, every chapter is pointing out some advice on how to best get along in a given situation. I guess it had some pedagogical merit in Alcott's time. I often felt lectured. Nevertheless I fell in love with the characters and reading how they became little women was to the most entertaining.

I expected the book to finish with the homecoming of their father who served during war and was injured and sent home afterwards. I read March by Geraldine Brooks some months ago and thought that Little Women would focus on the time of his absence. It did not and as Alcott published Little Women in two parts, the second part focuses on the girls' first loves and marriages.

I cared best for the parts about Jo, who was so lively that I would like to really know her. I did hope though that she and Laurie, her best friend and neighbor, were meant to be together in the end. I though the end dragged a bit and Alcott could have come to terms faster.

4 stars for this classy piece of writing.

Authors who deserve more Recognition

2011-03-29T16:42:00.009+02:00

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme to share your top ten bookish things. It is especially funny for people who like to make lists.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Authors That Deserve More Recognition (reduced to three on whom I set my heart).

1. Siri Hustvedt - She is an American author with Norwegian roots. I only read the novel What I Loved yet, which amazingly portrayed the complexitiy of relationships. What I Loved is a deeply moving story about art, love, loss, and betrayal. I'm looking forward to reading her new book The Summer Without Men.

2. Anna Gavalda - She is a French auhtor and wrote the beautiful story Hunting and Gathering or maybe better known as Ensemble, c'est tout. My review of this book is here.

3. Leonie Swann - She is a German author and wrote an amiable sheep detective story. When the flock finds out that their shpeard was killed they decide to find the murderer. I recommend this book over and over. Three Bags Full is the title of that dear book and I can't wait to read her latest book Garou.

Hop hop hop!

2011-03-25T14:23:00.008+01:00

Every Friday, join the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-For-Books, and hop to some new blogs. The Book Blogger Hop gives book bloggers a chance to connect and find out what others are reading. Sign up at Jennifer’s blog so people can find your blog too.

If you visit my blog because of the hop, please leave a comment and link and I will be sure to pay a visit at your blog, too.

This week Jeniifer asks: "If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

That's a tough one. Or isn't it? Because I'd like to use the chance and become a part of my all time favorite book The Shadows of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It's set in a mystic Barcelona in the first half of the 20th century. Everybody in this book is a friend of books and shadowy things around books are going on. I mean seriously have you read this book? Then you'll know what I'm talking about.

Check out my new books here.

New books!

2011-03-24T12:19:00.003+01:00

I have three new books in my posession. Atonement by Ian McEwan I got via Bookmooch.
I have read a review of Wildthorn by Jane Eagland at Bookworm with a View's blog and decided I had to have it. I bought it used.
Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff is going to be my first audiobook.

Thoughts: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

2011-03-23T11:41:00.000+01:00

A children's story is a children's story is a children's story. This classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett tells the story of Mary Lennox who comes to live with her uncle at Misselthwaite Manor after her parents died of Cholera. She is a queer and sour young girl, who does not like anybody and is not liked by anybody. One day she finds the key to the secret garden and befriends with nature and a boy named Dickon. She finds that nature does her good and makes her a more amiable little girl and that she wants it to let cure another secret inhabitant of Misselthwaite.

It's a cute story, which at many points I thought to be very repetitive. Like when spring is described and everything gets green and the air is so fresh. It got mentioned over and over again. Like the point of my first sentence. I longed for a faster developing plot during reading. But I certainly did not miss Burnett's main statement: Playin' outasides is very healthy for children, making friends, too.
The book had cute moments though, e.g. when Mary makes friends with a Robin (the bird) and the gardener and the other people talk to her in their Yorkshire dialect.

3 stars out of the hat.

I have my head in school books!

2011-03-20T21:12:00.001+01:00

My final exam before I'll start my diploma thesis. When I have have done the exam on Wednesday, I'll be back. Wish me luck.

Friday Book Blogger Hop!

2011-03-11T12:57:00.000+01:00

Every Friday, join the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-For-Books, and hop to some new blogs. The Book Blogger Hop gives book bloggers a chance to connect and find out what others are reading. Sign up at Jennifer’s blog so people can find your blog too.

If you visit my blog because of the hop, please leave a comment and link and I will be sure to pay a visit at your blog, too.

This week Jennifer asks which book I would buy myself if she gave me $80. Well, I wish this was real and not just hypothetical. I would go and get:

1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebeca Skloot
2. Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
3. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
4. The Siege by Helen Dunmore
5. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

What would you get yourself? Happy reading!

Review: Sincerely Yours, Schurik by Ljudmila Ulitzkaja

2011-03-10T16:45:00.000+01:00

Why I read this book: Some time ago arte a German-French tv-channel had a show named reading horizons (or Lesehorizonte in German). There famous and upcoming authors of different European capitals or countries all over the world were introduced. For example there were shows about authors in Lisbon, Moscow and Prague as well as about Egypt, Haiti and South Africa. I watched the one about Moscow where I was introduced to author Ljudmila Ulitzkaja who read some passages out of "Ergebenst, euer Schurik".

Schurik is a young man who grew up with his mother and grandmother. That's why he became a sensitive young man who knew about the wishes and needs of women. Schurik entertains a lot of affairs with lots of different women for whom he mainly feels pity. He identifies this special feeling - pity - to be his strongest feeling for every woman. But he, the modern Anti Don Juan can't resist the seduction of all those women be they crippled, depressive, lonely or a man eater. His first love Lilja, fled Moscow at age 18. Schurik often compares his love affairs to the pure one he had with Lilja. He lives his unliberated life, but when his 30th birthday arrives, Lilja is to visit Moscow and Schurik. After one day Lilja leaves for Tokyo. Her opinion about Schurik and what he made out of his live is shattering. She only feels pity for him.

I very much liked that I was able to vividly picture Moscow and the life one has there. It's not all love and light and laughter. The family has to face some serious problems when the resolute grandmother dies who always took care of everything. I was also amazed at how many different female characters the author was able to bring to life. Although it were about ten women I never wondered like: which one was that again?

The book never had so much a point than to tell a life's story. I liked Schurik because he cared about women but his problem was that it was more like a duty than a passion and that's why I felt sorry for him, he was just utilized and didn't even know. It's not like the women didn't need him, but they only needed him to polish their ego or because they belived he could make them healthy or because they were lonely. They never needed him because he was Schurik.

The book is worth its 4 stars.

It's Monday!

2011-03-07T13:23:00.001+01:00

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Book Journey to share with others what you've read the past week and planning to read next.

Last week I finished reading:

Ergebenst, euer Schurik by Russian author Ljudmila Ulitzkaja, the title translated into English is something like Sincerely yours, Schurik. It is about a young man who grew up only with his mother and grandmother. This made him sensitive for the needs of women, which he is easily obliged to satisfy. He soon learns that his primary feeling for women is pity. But only the reader knows that he is the one people look at with pity. I will review the book this week.

When Mary Lennox becomes an orphan she is send to live with her uncle in a big manor. The house is surrounded by parks and gardens of which one is locked. Lonely Mary sets out to explore the secret garden. I will review the book this week.

What I am reading now:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and when I have finished this I will either read Lord of the Flies by William Golding or Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.

Review: Tell No One by Harlan Coben

2011-03-06T17:05:00.000+01:00

This was my second Harlan Coben book. I read The Woods about two years ago and liked it. Coben is a master of unforeseen plots. I decided to read another and a friend recommended Tell No One, stating this was the best Coben book.

David Beck and his wife Elisabeth celebrate the anniversary of their first kiss by carving lines in a tree for every year they have been together since their first kiss at age 12. At their 13th anniversary hey drive to the lake where this tree stands and after carving decide to take a swim in the dark. When Elisabeth leaves the water David hears a scream and follows to investigate the reason. He is struck over the head with a baseball bat or something.
Eight years later, Elisabeth has long been buried being the victim of a serial killer, David receives an e-mail from his dead wife. Could Elisabeth still be alive?

I always wonder how writers like Coben develop stories like that, twisted and totally unforeseen. Do they do it straight forward or do they develop an inner story and then construct an outer plot? Whatever. I like to creep myself with such a thriller now and then, although it has not much literal merit. But I decided to not care in change for two creepy reading nights.

The French made a movie out of the book, too. After reading I decided to watch the film. It very much keeps to the story of the book. There are only some little changes, like less different characters, to keep it more simple for the viewer and some scenes removed to keep it shorter. And of course the characters have French names.

When you want to read a book full of suspense I recommend Tell No One. When you want to watch a movie watch Tell No One. Three and a half stars!

Review: Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore

2011-03-03T13:40:00.000+01:00

Catherine Grace grew up in Ringgold, GA, a small town in the South of the US. Her daddy is a preacher, she's got a little sister and a dead mother. All she dreams about is to escape this life, go to the city and become a successful girl. She is planning her escape, sitting on the bench in front of the local Dairy Queen. After graduation she leaves town and her first love and gets herself a job in a big department store in Atlanta. But soon she is to home as a tragedy struck her family. Even a somewhat brutal secret is revealed. Catherine Grace recognizes that Ringgold, the town she always tried to flee, might be the place she ought to be.

It is Christian Fiction, a genre which I usually don't read. I recognized that this is for a reason. Being an atheist I don't go to church Sunday's although I do understand that this builds the fundament of community life in South American small towns like Ringgold, GA. I had problems connecting with the story and thus liking the book. But Gilmore did a good job portraying some of the minor characters like Lolly who unlike Catherine Grace grew up with a mother who resents the birth of her daughter. Or the family friend living next door, a woman never had her own children but takes care of the preacher's daughters like they were her own. She is a hearty woman (I forgot her name) who lives her life like it pleases her.

All in all it was a pleasant but not world-moving read. Three stars!

Top Ten Tuesday!

2011-03-01T21:52:00.001+01:00

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme to share your top ten bookish things. It is especially funny for people who like to make lists.

This Tuesday's topic is: Top Ten Books I Just HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Bookshelf.

I'm a book gatherer, and sometimes I'm just overwhelmed by the amount of books I meant to read.

1. The Likeness by Tana French - the second of French's novels which I bought together with the first one. In the Woods was amazing and ever since I say to myself I have to read The Likeness soon.

2. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen - I got it as an unexpected Christmas present because my man read my post about Top Ten Books I want for Christmas. I didn't get to it yet.

3. Room by Emma Donoghou - it's a very recent purchase, still I feel guilty and read older books first, so this book has to be patient.

4. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. I have this book for over one year now, but as I wanted to read Oryx and Crake first (review here) this book is still sitting on the shelf. But it's good to know that it is there and I could read it if I wanted.

5. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky - I once borroughed it from the library and was not able to read it before I had to return it. Then I bought it and never picked it up again.

6. The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunnant - I mooched it from Bookmooch because somebody recommended it, now I wait for the right mood to read it.

7. Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho - I bought it three years ago when I still lived with my parents. It sat on my book shelf there, until recently, I took it home with me meaning to finally read it. I was not a big fan of The Alchimist but I very much liked Coelho's Veronika decides to die.

8. The Help by Katherine Stockett - I bought it and borroughed it to my mother. Hopefully she is done with it soon.

9. The Gathering by Anne Enright - I mooched it a long time ago when I decided to read some booker prize winners. I read The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, which I got around the same time (review here) but not this poor, neglected book.

10. A short History of Tractors in the Ukrain by Marina Lewycka - I read some great reviews about this book and it seems to be very popular in Germany, I bought it and one other by the same author and put it on my shelf, where it looks nice but is waiting imaptiently to be read. Will this ever be different?

What a fun topic for a Top Ten Tuesday.

It's Monday!

2011-02-28T18:40:00.001+01:00

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Book Journey to share with others what you've read the past week and planning to read next.

Last week I read two books. I have swallowed Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore which I will review this week. It is Christian Fiction, a genre which I usually don't read. I recognized that this is for a reason. Being an atheist I don't go to church Sunday's and everything that comes with it although I do understand that this builds the fundament of community life in South American small towns like Ringgold, GA. I did get what it means to grow up in a small town like this though, dying to escape this life like heroine Catherine Grace does.
I also read Tell No One by Harlan Coben, which is a thriller, full of suspense and aimiable characters. I did like to spook myself at night a lot. I also learned that the French made it into a movie, which I plan on watching. Maybe I will review both sometime, book and film, this week.

I started to read a book by a Russian author of which I found no translation into English. In German the tilte is: Ergebenst, Euer Shurik. Which is translated something like: Sincerely yours, Schurik. It is about a young Russian who is not able to emancipate from his grandmother and mother, but who is sensitive about the needs of every woman young or old. He aslo does not shy away to satisfy those needs, be they ugly or beautiful.

Next I will read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

Have you read any of these?

Review: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

2011-02-21T16:11:00.001+01:00

This was my first book by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, I fell in love with her writing in an instant. I took my time with this book to take in everything Atwood has to say about what is going wrong on planet Earth and to what it could possibly lead. This especially means overpoulation, resource constraints, war and terror, all things caused by humans, weakening them. Atwood describes an apocalyptic future where all this has let to the extinction of all humans but Snowman and the children of Oryx and Crake.

Snowman is a solitary human living close to the genetically modified Crakers. He is like a prophet for them, telling them stories about Crake, who made them and Oryx, who teached and loved them. We get to know Snowman's story, his childhood and how he became friends with Crake and how he fell in love with Oryx. He is the only one left who knows what happened. His story is told between descriptions of his present day activities, where he has to get hands on some food or has to hide from genetically mixed animals like pigoons or wolvogs.

I think the genetic engineering going on in the book, which at last becomes a man-playing-god tale, to be upsettingly realistic. Reading multiple reviews, I know this book is not liked by everyone. But if you like a thought-provoking, literary dystopia novel this book is highly recommended. Five stars!

It's Monday!

2011-02-21T15:25:00.001+01:00

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Book Journey to share with others what you've read the past week and planning to read next.

Last week I have finished one book: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood which I have reviewed here. I loved spending time with this book. Snowman is a great character with all the flaws of a human, guiding us through his dystopian world.

Lately I feel like I have too many books, it's really become hard to choose what to read next. So this week I let my friend decide. I grabbed three books from the tbr shelf and he picked one at random. I'm going to read Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queenby Susan Gregg Gilmore, which I got from Julie at Book Hooked Blog. As it is a short one I might squeeze in something else before the end of this week. Or I will read the given literature for my diploma thesis, which is all about spectra analysis and H2O and CO2 fluxes.

I got one new book last week. It is The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt.

Any thoughts?

Review: Still Alice by Lisa Genova

2011-02-17T13:50:00.001+01:00

Fifty-year-old Alice Howland is professor in Harvard, has three grown-up children and a loving, scientist husband. When one day on her usual jogging round she can't remember where she is, Alice recognizes that something has changed. She visits her doctor who soon diagnoses her with the early onset Alzheimer's disease.

Alice now has to face all the horrible things that come with such a diagnose. She has to tell her husband and children and needs to deal with the fact that soon she will not be able to remember faces, places and words; and later how to go or eat. Of course she hopes that some medicine can help her, but as of today there are only meds which can slow the process of the disease but cannot cure it.

I liked that Genova describes a diversity of problems Alzheimer's patient and their relatives have to deal with. For an example that there exist many self help groups for relatives but only very few or no groups for patients.

*spoiler warning*

Genova also did a good job to describe the emotional turmoil a family faces when one amongst them is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I felt really sorry for Alice's husband who always loved the eloquence and smartness of his wife and first struggles to accept the disease and later tries to get out of Alice's way because he cannot stand to watch her decay. Or later when Alice doesn't recognize her youngest daughter anymore but still feels that this person loves her and simply loves her back. It's heartwrenching but somehow beautiful, too.

*end spoiler*

At a certain point I could never put down this book. I read it at late night, with everybody else already asleep. Although I felt like I had not have enough sleep the next morning, I love when this happens with me and a book.