Saturday, October 27, 2012

Reading List


I've already mentioned the fact that I love books in yesterday's post. Today, though, I'd like to share books which are on my reading list as well as books which I've started reading (aaaand just like that I just realized I'm reading 5 books at once! :D hopefully this post will serve as a reminder that I need to FINISH THE PILE ON THE RIGHT before starting the one on the left).

My Reading List (on the left, from the bottom):
  • 'Alone in Berlin' by Hans Fallada: After reading an interview where Angelika Taschen mentioned that this is her favourite book EVER, I really wanted to read it myself. I'm waiting for an opportune moment because it's meant to be really depressing & sad (it is no wonder given the subject is German resistance during World War II).
  • 'Kafka on the Shore' by Haruki Murakami: I always wanted to read something by Murakami, so I picked this book up. Really excited for this one, I've never read a Japanese novel. 
  • 'Let the Right One In' by John Ajvide Lindqvist: I'm dying to watch the film, but I thought I should read the book first. The story centers on the relationship between a Swedish boy and a centuries-old vampire child (safe to say, this is no Twilight). 
  • 'The Stranger's Child' by Alan Hollinghurst: Picked this one up when I was dying to read something 'new' - it was on the bestseller list and seemed interesting. I read about 2 pages and had to stop... I guess it's not my cup of tea, but I'll give it another shot at some point.
Books I've Started Reading (on the right, from the bottom):
  • 'The Last Nude' by Ellis Avery: A fictionalized account of the relationship between painter Tamara de Lempicka and her lover Rafaela. The book seemed really promising at first but now I just can't get into it anymore... 
  • 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII' by Antonia Fraser: I'm really into historical biographies by Antonia Fraser - she turns seemingly dull stories into page-turners. My favourite Antonia Fraser biography is this one
  • 'Phantom' by Jo Nesbø: This is the latest novel by Norwegian crime writer  Jo Nesbø. He's really popular here in the Czech Republic (and the rest of the world ;) so I thought I might give him a try. Almost done with this one! It was quite good too.  
  • 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' by Mark Haddon: This is a really clever and touching story of a 15-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome who tries to solve a crime involving a dead poodle. Almost done as well! Loved this one. 
  • 'Peaches for Monsieur le Curé' by Joanne Harris: As soon as this book came out, I wanted to buy it - I'm a big fan of Harris's previous novel 'The Lollipop Shoes' (the sequel to 'Chocolat', which, I admit, I never read.. I guess the Johnny Depp version was just that amazing :). Just started reading this one, so hopefully it'll be as good as her other stuff. 
OK, compiling that list took longer than I had anticipated! Hopefully I will now finish all the books on the right, reading five books at once is kind of ridiculous (plus it leads to major plot forgetfulness).
If you're wondering why all the books are in English, it's not because I have something against my mother tongue. :) I've just been reading English books for as long as I can remember (maybe that's why I have a BA degree in English & Media?). Reading English books just comes naturally to me... it feels 'right'.

I'd love to hear what others are reading right now. Do you have any book recommendations? I'm always happy to hear them (maybe that explains the huge pile of books :).

4 comments:

  1. I love reading as well, it's great that you've posted about these books, will serve as inspiration! from your list i've only read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' and I agree with you, it was great!
    thanks
    anna

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    1. Thanks for the nice comment! Yup, reading rocks but sometimes it can get a bit out of hand ;)

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  2. Awww yeahhh! Great post! When it comes to books I find it needs more word of mouth than any other medium just simply because there aren't trailers and such to let us know what's up ;)

    Thanks for all the descriptions here as it will help in deciding what to read. I've read two Haruki Murakami novels so far and I love it. Wind Up Bird Chronicles is said to be his best and I thought it was great. It sounds boring to verbalize it, but they feel like a you're in a dream state in the best way possible. Let me know how Kafka is when you finally get through it :)

    If I had to recommend just one book I'd say you should really check out Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. One of the few books that grabbed me two pages in, all because it's written as if the author is speaking to you over a drink at the pub. It's got everything this one :)

    Another one to keep on the book-radar is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. It's about an escape artist in Nazi-occupied Prague (of all things!) escaping the country to America, where he and a new-found friend start to make comics. They pour their frustrations of what's happening to Prague and their families into metaphors in the stories. Both these books are awesome!

    I'm liking your description of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. Sounds right up my alley, haha :)

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    1. Ahh thanks so much for the amazing comment!! I'll definitely check out Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao as well as the other book you recommended, thanks! And yes, have a look at The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, it rocks!

      I have a feeling I'll be posting about more books very, very soon. :D xx

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