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| Before the New Year |
| 12.29.04 (12:22 pm) [edit] |
Well, 2005 is getting very close,and I feel an urge to make a brief summary of my readings in 2004.
I think 2004 was a good reading year for me.I haven`t kept records of the number of read books before,so I can`t compare but still 57 books sounds very good to me- this is a bit more than a book every week!
I read a lot through Bookcrossing- I dare say,the most part of my readings were from bookrings or rays, or books sent to me by other bookcrossers. I got introduced to some new writers, as Alice Sebold, Alessandro Baricco,Ursula Hegi, Amy Tan, Bernhard Schlink,Haruki Murakami.
Some of the best books I read in 2004 were:
1. "Snow" by Orhan Pamuk (maybe the best book of 2004 for me)
2. "Invention of Solitude" by Paul Auster
3. "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
4. "The Go Between" by L.P.Hartley
5. "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold
6. "Silk" by Alessandro Baricco
7. "Italian Neighbours" by Tim Parks
8. "The Girl Who Played Go" by Shan Sa
9. "Knowledge of The Angels" by Jill Paton Welsch
10."Under The Tuscan Sun" by Frances Mayes
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My reading goals for 2005 include:
---Reading at least 60 books.
---Making more wild releases
---Reading in time the books promised to other bookcrossers
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Priority books I wish to read in 2005 (taken from my wish list):
"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hussein
"Time Traveller`s Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger (done)
"Italian Education" by Tim Parks
"The Last Samurai" by Helene DeWitt
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Books from my TBR pile I like very much to read in 2005:
"The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith" by Peter Carey
"Brick Lane" by Monica Ali
"Perfectly Correct" and "Zelda`s Cut" by Philippa Gregory
"What Do You Really Want for Your Children" By Wayne Dyer
"Dance,Dance,Dance" by Haruki Murakami
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HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE WHO READS THIS ENTRY!
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| Christmas Holidays: |
| 12.27.04 (10:44 am) [edit] |
I have not posted for a while and afterwards was busy with Christmas holidays.My reading has slowed a bit in the last weeks.I`m reading "Snow" by Orhan Pamuk.It is an absorbing read but not one which could be finished in a few sittings. The novel has much to do with politics and Islam in Turkey.Perhaps Pamuk is the only writer in whose books I would bear to read about politics.There is always a kind of mystery in his novels,regardless the story and what is it about.
12/30: UPDATE ON "SNOW"
Finished the book today.It is excellent,the best book of the year for me.Will post more about it in 2005:-)).
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| Lucky by Alice Sebold |
| 12.07.04 (11:47 am) [edit] |
Alice Sebold became a bestselling writer with her novel "The Lovely Bones". In "Lucky" she tells the story about a tragic incident which changed her life forever: she was raped at age of eighteen.
Here is my reading notes about "Lucky" by Alice Sebold:
I appreciate the moral courage needed to write such a book.At the same time,it must have had a healing effect on the writer.
One of the most painful aspects of what happened to Alice was,IMO,her alienation from society,the impossibility to speak about what have befallen her.The rape took her out of the average "normal" girls and put a sign on her that she was different. I was feeling at times very angry with her parents,especially her mother,for not being strong and open enough to support her in the first months.Rather ridicilous was the remark of her sister"You are coping so well with it,and I just don`t know how to think about it!'.It was as if she had to calm and support her family to overcome her rape,instead of being cared for by them.
I think she uses this theme about not speaking in the family in "The Lovely Bones" where we see how the family of the raped girl could not face talking and realising the fact of the loss.
Particulary difficult for reading were the pages in the courtroom.I never thought that testifying could be so difficult and painful.I was mad for the defendant of the rapist who tried to confuse Alice and mislead her.
For me the pages after the trial went a bit out of focus.In fact,I couldn`t understand much of Alice`s life after the convinction of the rapist. I couldn`t fix what exactly contributed to her healing at last.She mentions briefly about reading a book but still I couldn`t get the whole image of her healing. However,I think it would be unfair to judge the book as an usual piece of literature.
The rape of Alice`s friend Lila came unexpected for me.I think it is quite probable that the rape was a kind of revenge to Alice, it is also possible that she was the main target. I tried to figure out why Lila cut off Alice after the rape.I guess that first of all,Lila blamed Alice for what happened,as if rape was contagious and living with Alice brought a tragedy to Lila,too.When Alice was the victim,Lila could be the sensible and caring friend and maintain her own "purity" at the same time but once Lila became a victim herself,she felt as if she did drop low,so low as did Alice. This and many other stories in the book place an interesting topic about how a victim can become guilty in the eyes of the people for being a victim.I can only guess that in this case(a rape) things have much to do with sex,even if it is forced and unwilling....inside the puritanic minds of many people the victim is still guilty for having an illegal sex....even if she couldn`t do anything about it....
Reading "Lucky" contributed to my previous reading of "The Lovely Bones". Those two are not necessary read together; they may be read perfectly well one without another,and for me "The Lovely Bones" is better as literature and fiction but it was enlightening to read that one,too,for its honest approach and the bravery and courage of the writer.
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