BLOG BOOKS VICES OTHER

What can I say, I love to read. Whenever there's a legitimate reason to ask for presents, you'll always find a book title or two on my wishlist. I don't always find time to read all of them but I keep asking for more anyway. I know in my heart that one day, I will go through all of them. I really should stop collecting, at least for now simply because I move a lot and they're not the most convenient things to be hauling around. I probably should start getting into digital books. But for some reason, they just don't feel the same. Curling up with my laptop in bed to read an online book just doesn't sound or feel right. So until the day I can come to terms with that, I will need hard copies.

Below, I keep track of all the books I've read. From time to time, when I feel like it, I'll actually write my thoughts about the book.

Rendezvous with Rama (by Arthur C. Clarke)
2010-January
For someone who fancies themselves as a sci-fi fan, it's almost embarassing to admit that I had just read an ACC book for the first time ever. Talk about no closure though. This book was really interesting and I couldn't wait to find out the mystery behind the Ramans, and then I don't. But I guess that's the beauty of some of the good books out there. They just leave you hanging.
 
 
The Speed of Dark (by Elizabeth Moon)
2010-January
Most of the book is written from the point of view of Lou, an autist. I find it refreshing. Just like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Reading novels like this definitely opens my eyes to the world of autism and broadens my way of thinking.
 
 
Quantum Rose (by Catherine Asaro)
2009-December
I'm not sure who creates the cover art for Asaro's books, but I almost didn't want to read this book cause I felt like I picked up one of those Harlequin romance novels whose plots are all too predictable and oozing with romantic crap. This novel definitely has a little bit of that. And it was quite funny in parts. But the way it plays on science facts and advancement in technology will definitely tell you it ain't one of those cheap romantic novels. It's a very easy read, and very entertaining. This is the first book of Asaro's that I have read. And the author's background, if you read the "About the Author" part, is really impressive.
 
 
Spin (by Robert Charles Wilson)
2009-December
It wasn't hard getting sucked in to this book. The premise was different (or maybe I just don't read enough), and the intrigue made me really go and read this at a fast pace. Although the book flipped between the past and the present, it was presented in a way that wasn't too confusing. The closer you get to the end of the book, the more it comes together. Nicely done. I think I'll be reading more of this author.
 
 
The Sea, The Sea (by Iris Murdoch)
2009-November
I believe the goal was to make you feel disgusted by the arrogance and self-absorption of the main character, then that is very much achieved in this book. It was an interesting journey but I have to admit that towards the end, the whole self-introspection got boring.
 
 
Suite Francaise (by Irene Nemirovsky)
2009-August
This was a very nice first hand account (though fiction technically) of how people from all walks of life handled a Nazi-occupied France. Interestingly enough, Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds came out right after I finished the movie. I enjoyed the book, and the movie =)
 
 
The Player of Games (by Iain M. Banks)
2008-October
A friend couldn't get in to this book and decided to give it to me. I read most of it on the trip to Spain and back. It's kinda interesting though I'm not sure if I should have read something that introduces the Culture better, before reading this one. Maybe I would have "gotten it" more.
 
 
Anansi Boys (by Neil Gaiman)
2008-October
After reading American Gods, I thought this would make a good "sequel". Definitely pretty entertaining in parts, but I can't say it's as impressive as American Gods.
 
 
Life, The Universe, and Evertyhing (by Douglas Adams)
2008-April
As I said, this is the last one of the 5-part series I planned on reading and I've done it. It was a short one, but I really struggled to finish it. Just couldn't find it funny or enjoyable at all. It's probably just me....
 
 
American Gods (by Neil Gaiman)
2008-April
First book of NG's that I've read. And I loved it! Not sure if it was because it was that good, or because I just haven't read any of this particular genre (Fantasy/Americana) before and found it quite refreshing and different from all other books I've read in the recent past. Anyway, I got pretty pumped about this author so I'm definitely reading more of his work hopefully very soon. Although, if I wanna finish all the other books I'm reading right now first, I'm not sure how "soon" that will be.
 
 
Dead Souls (by Nikolai Gogol)
2008-April
I wouldn't have known about N. Gogol if not for Jhumpa Lahiri's Namesake. It's the sad and embarrassing truth. I happen to see this used book at the Boston Book Annex while shopping for a present for my BIL. For 2 bucks it was worth owning it despite the fact that this book is freely available (click on the title link above).
But anyway, I did enjoy reading this. Made me laugh at various points. Gogol was probably one of the more courageous writers who was openly critical about Mother Russia.
 
 
The Stolen Child (by Keith Donohue)
2008-February
Pretty neat 'faery' tale. Creeped me out at times when I was alone in the bedroom reading it at night.
 
 
Gilead (by Marilynne Robinson)
2008-January
 
 
The Known World (by Edward P. Jones)
2007-December
Bet you didn't know that before the Civil war, there were free black people who actually owned slaves. This book is what Jones imagined that world would have been like. Awesome book.
 
 
The Great Fire (by Shirley Hazzard)
2007-December
The plot isn't really complicated. But it's told so beautifully. I really enjoyed reading this. I would like to see if Hazzard's The Transit of Venus is any good.
 
 
The Road (by Cormac McCarthy)
2007-December
 
 
The News from Paraguay (by Lily Tuck)
2007-December
 
 
The Inheritance of Loss (by Kiran Desai)
2007-November
 
 
The Tortilla Curtain (by T. Coraghessan Boyle)
2007-November
 
 
The Year of Magical Thinking (by Joan Didion)
2007-November
Being reminded of our mortality is never fun. But at the same time, it's a good way of making you think twice about sweating the small stuff, making mountains out of molehills, etc. Also, and probably more importantly, makes you learn to appreciate even more the time you are able to spend with the ones you love.
 
 
Man Plus (by Frederik Pohl)
2007-November
 
 
The Ghost Road (by Pat Barker)
2007-October
 
 
Breathing Lessons (by Anne Tyler)
2007-October

 
 
The Namesake (by Jhumpa Lahiri)
2007-October

 
 
Charming Billy (by Alice McDermott)
2007-October

 
 
Darwin's Radio (by Greg Bear)
2007-September

 
 
Flowers for Algernon (by Daniel Keyes)
2007-September
Loved this book. Could have easily been written into a full novel, as opposed to a short story(I think that's its category). But because the progression of the rise and fall, if you will, of the main character, Charlie has been compressed into just a few hundred pages, the whole experience was quite intense. Highly recommended.

 
 
Housekeeping (by Marilynne Robinson)
2007-August
Good story-telling. Very lyrical. Wasn't so much about the story but how it was told. I look forward to reading Gilead. I hope it's just as good or better.
 
 
The Siege of Krishnapur (by J. G. Farrell)
2007-August
Parts of this book is just funny. And a great insight as to what could have really been going on with the English when they were in India in the 1850's. I wish I can say that I enjoyed this immensely, but the truth is, I had the hardest time picking it back up everytime I put it down. I don't really know why as I can't think of a good reason not to love it.
 
 
The Centaur (by John Updike)
2007-August
I think this is the first John Updike book I've read. I looked at all the books he's written and none of them looked familiar. I know there's a couple more Updike books on my list and after reading this one, my expectations are pretty high. I hope I'm not disappointed.
 
 
March (by Geraldine Brooks)
2007-July
This is Geraldine Brooks' take on what happened to the Dad in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women". It's a good read.
 
 
Mating (by Norman Rush)
2007-July
Not one of those you can finish in a single sitting, that's for sure. It got a little too historical/political for me in parts. Also, made me realize how limited my vocab is. There were quite a few words I didn't know the meaning of. And some Latin and French phrases that are, I guess, assumed to be well-known, but maybe I'm just not the intended audience. There were some hillarious tidbits. And I did enjoy a major chunk of it.

 
 
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (by Lisa See)
2007-July
If you want gory details on Chinese footbinding, this is the book for you. It also covers "nu shu", a writing system used exclusively by women. Entertaining read.

 
 
Of Love and Other Demons (by Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
(translated by Edith Grossman)
2007-July


 
 
Startide Rising (by David Brin)
2007-July


 
 
The Life and Times of Michael K (by J.M. Coetzee)
2007-July


 
 
Amsterdam (by Ian McEwan)
2007-June


 
 
The Moviegoer (by Walker Percy)
2007-June


 
 
Interpreter of Maladies (by Jhumpa Lahiri)
2007-June
This was a great read. Basically 9 short stories, totally unrelated to one another. Yet, you get the feeling that in some ways, they are not so different. I highly recommend reading this, if you have one afternoon to spare. I learned that Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake" was turned into a movie by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding). I think I'm gonna have to rent that movie.

 
 
Sabbath's Theatre (by Philip Roth)
2007-June
I'm still debating whether it was worth my time reading the entire book. I did give up at some point. But after finishing Forever Peace, I felt obligated to finish it before borrowing more books from the library. I didn't like this story at all. Maybe I just didn't get it. Oh well.

 
 
Forever Peace (by Joe Haldeman)
2007-June
This was a nice read. Pretty anti-climactic ending. But still worth reading. Reminiscent of "the matrix". Still not sure if the matrix was based on Haldeman's ideas or the other way around. I'm gonna have to find out...

 
 
White Noise (by Don DeLillo)
2007-June
I'm not sure if DeLillo's other books were written in this style, but it was definitely different. It was hard to differentiate who was talking in the book because he made them sound all the same. Even the kids spoke like the grown-ups did. This was quite funny in parts and just plain weird in others. I believe this book falls under the absurdist category (just like Camus' The Stranger), hence the weird parts. Raises a lot of questions, though doesn't really attempt to answer any. I did enjoy this book. I'm now curious about DeLillo's other works.

 
 
Jennifer Government (by Max Barry)
2007-June
This was such a fun read, if you can ignore the computer-y stuff/details. Basically, if you know computers and how they really work and all that business, some of the dialogues were just a bit hillarious, even when they're not supposed to be. Did that make sense? Anyway, still a great read. Adrienne was cleaning out her bookshelf and this book was put in the "to donate" pile. I asked her if it was any good, and she thought so, so I became the new owner of the book.

 
 
Falling Free (by Lois McMaster Bujold)
2007-May
This won the Nebula award in 1988. It's a good enough story, but not sure that it was award-quality. But then again, I haven't read the contenders for that year, so can't legitimately defend my opinion. It was still an entertaining read.

 
 
Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer
(by Steven Millhauser)
2007-May
The author has written a few other books, and this is the first one of his I read. There something about the way Millhauser tells a tale that makes you wanna pay attention to all the details that he gives you. I liked this one. Definitely thinking about picking up another one of his novels. Just as a side note, the movie The Illusionist was apparently loosely based on one of his stories, "Eisenheim the Illusionist".

 
 
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
(by Douglas Adams)
2007-May
I didn't find this as enjoyable as the first one in the series. It just didn't have the same effect on me as the first. I do own the third one in this 'trilogy' and I will probably read that one at some point. But will probably not go any farther.

 
 
The Waters of Kronos (by Conrad Richter)
2007-May
I have to admit, this was a little hard for me to finish, despite the short length of the book. It's really one of my weaknesses, description-heavy stories. Walden would fall into that category for example. And this book mostly felt like that. Though there was more going on and more dialogues. Still an interesting read.

 
 
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
(by Mark Haddon)
2007-May
This was a pretty interesting book. Fairly short, and an easy read really. Though it's really set apart from all other books I've read merely because it's told from the point of view of an autistic boy. It's quite funny and parts, and heart-wrenching in others. I really enjoyed this one.

 
 
Middlesex (by Jeffrey Eugenides)
2007-May
This is definitely nothing like any other book I've read before. You know, how when you start reading some book, it makes you think of another author(due to the style of writing) or another novel(just because of the similarity in the story line) you've read in the past? Well, this is isn't one of those books. At least, not for me. Very educational, in places. Good read.

 
 
The Good Earth (by Pearl S. Buck)
2007-May
The book follows the life of Wang Lung, the main character. From his marriage to O-lan and to the last days of his life. A lot happens in this short book and you go through so many emotions as you read through the entire thing. Pity, joy, sadness, anger, all toward Wang Lung. Make sure you're in the right 'mood' before you take on this book.

 
 
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