13 November 2015

It is November

And I am yet to update.

I finished four books or may be five, I cannot remember the fifth one, although I have been feeling that I have read something and I cannot remember.
This has nothing to do with the quality of the book - more with my memory, or the lack of it. It doesn't feel good, this not remembering.

Career of Evil - Robert Galbraith. The third of the series, I was eagerly looking forward to this book. It disappointed me a bit. The other two were slightly distinct in their characterization. I was confused by the villains in here. They all seemed very similar to each other - and I had to keep going back to figure out who the writer was talking about.
But overall, I like the main characters - Cormoron Strike and Robin. I enjoyed their changing emotions towards each other. They are worth rooting for, from the first book.

The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood. A very very good book. I was haunted by the theme of the book - of human relationships, love, and betrayals - long after the book was over. Although it is lauded for the story within the story within the story, I did feel some parts were really just an extension that could have stayed short. The science fiction felt out of place. The characterizations were brilliant. It is essentially Iris (Chase) Griffen's life story and an extremely well told story.

The Edible Woman - Margaret Atwood. There is a strong feminist angle in the way the story is narrated. It may not sound ground-breaking for today's reader, but considering the time period when it was written, I feel it did depict a lot of societal changes that the West was facing during 60's. I enjoyed it in parts.

Incidents in the Rue Laugier - Anita Brookner. This is a sad sad story of a man and a woman who are compelled to marry each other without the equation of love to hold them. The story is told by a third character, the daughter of the duo. It is a slow moving story, but extremely well written in many parts. The insights to the human thinking, and the emotions exhibited under stress, is simply wonderful. However, as a reader, I want to be uplifted by a story - an end where there has to be some hope somewhere. It is not always the case and should not be, but yet, parts of the story hit home hard.