Reading List - June

Lists are done to feel good and later, to feel bad.

But never mind these 'isms'
I managed to cross off 3 titles from my May List, which was a huge surprise for me too.
Here comes the June list:

1. Deaf Sentence - David Lodge
2. Wasp Factory - Ian Banks (have to have to finish it)
3. Where the mountain meets the moon - Grace Lin

Revival - Stephen King

More and more I am convinced that no one can write like King - not even Shakespeare. Yes, taking it to extreme, but I stick by it.
I love my Oldies, but King is simply, the Best.
I cannot think of a better name when it comes to building a canvass that is rich, complex, believable and yet so smooth that you cannot stop once you start reading. His characters, always flawed, yet there is so much about them that we root for. I love his background settings, it makes me feel as if I was there in all those small towns bang in the middle of America.
Many people think that his narration is sometimes too long, too winded. I vehemently disagree. What else will give us the feel of a place, a period, of people and their lives, if not the descriptive passages? Not once was I bored.
Coming back to Revival - classic Stephen King (if you can call it that), especially when it comes to creating the eerie, almost surreal situations. It is not horror, it is literature.
Loved the story, the characters, the family members (how distinct) and especially the pastor, Charles Jacobs and the hero Jamie Morton. The end was unexpected; the horror factor was not really strong though. But who really cares?

A must read for all fans of King. And an absolutely, totally must read for people who are not. 

The Spinning Heart - Donal Ryan

With Ireland as backdrop, it is easy to see why the setting is bleak. However, the writing is  quite good.

It could be a new style of narration, I am not sure, but there were too many perspectives, too many characters. The disadvantage of a story told by too many people is that you cant really leave it mid-way to pick it up later. You tend to forget some of them and it would be paragraphs and paragraphs of story that you are trying to make sense of.

Another difficulty I had was to figure out the period it was set in. People migrating to Australia and racial prejudice against foreigners made me think it was seventies only to be told of people checking on Facebook profiles in between. So, I couldn't really place the story as to when it all happened. 

So, that's two names crossed off my May Reading List. I am wading back to my familiar territory so next it will be Stephen King's Revival. 

High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

I just could not read this book.

There was really not much I could relate to - the hero or the other characters or even the music scene. I am sure it is because of the cultural differences, and because so much is about music I don't know, but a great book is supposed to transcend all such barriers and just touch the emotions that is universal amongst humanity. 

This, certainly is no great book. I could be one of those people who are on the other end of the enjoyment spectrum, but yes, sad to say this was a highly tedious, annoying reading experience. 

Too much of effort.. for nothing.

I can't categorize it as completed. 

Reading List - May

Books that I was supposed to have finished in March are still pending. Well, not all, but some yes.

I am pushing three books of April month to May and so, now May will have to bear the additional burden of three books. It is too ambitious to read six, but no harm in trying, considering I am already reading a couple of them before May begins

So here it goes:

1. Wasp Factory - Ian Banks
2. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
3. Revival - Stephen King
4. High Fidelity - Nick Hornby
5. The Spinning Heart - Donal Ryan
6. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Grace Lin

Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chobsky

A coming of age kind of a story of a damaged young boy, Perks of Being a Wallflower is very engaging.

Charlie is a fifteen year old boy (who turns sixteen during the course of the novel) who has to go through the process of growing up which, he doesn't seem to enjoy or understand much. He has wonderful set of friends and a normal family, although he himself is a bit hysterical. We do get to know the reason behind why he is the way he is, in the end, but I felt it didn't flow as smoothly as the rest of the story did.
The style of writing is something probably of a sixteen year old American boy, although I wouldn't know for sure.
An easy read, and very well written. 

3. a.m. - Nick Pirog

A novella that was freely available on Kindle, '3.a.m.' is a fast paced story by Nick Pirog. I had never heard of the writer, but then there are millions of them, aren't they? And we can only know a handful.
The story was very interesting, a bit on the dramatic side with a need for a slight suspension of disbelief. Of course, there were loopholes, and there were situations where it all looked too pat, too hollywood ish, but still.. I enjoyed the story. :)
I am willing to try out other stories of his, with the hope that he gets better with the next one.
A definitely worth one-time read.