Franky's bookshelf: 2024-reading-challenge en-US Sun, 12 Jan 2025 13:09:25 -0800 60 Franky's bookshelf: 2024-reading-challenge 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Dragonwyck 122856 342 Anya Seton 1556525818 Franky 4
Miranda Wells comes from a humble home. She is the daughter of a very religious and upright father who maintains a farm. While she lives the life in the country with her family, she enjoys reading spicy Gothic romance novels. So, it seems that fate intervenes when a letter arrives at Wells� residence from a certain cousin Nicholas Van Ryn. Living an aristocratic lifestyle, Van Ryn has invited one of the Wells daughters to stay for a time and be a companion to their child.

For Miranda, this is the adventure she has hoped for: “The fantastic name ‘Dragonwyck� enchanted her. She repeated it over and over to herself and it was as though it pulled her to it, and beckoned." So, of course her father relents, and Miranda is off to visit the Van Ryns.

One of the angles explored in the novel is Miranda being caught between the two societies, one that is the country life with a moral and religious upbringing, and that of the aristocratic, genteel lifestyle under her cousin. She soon comes to realize after arriving at Dragonwyck that there are more questions than answers, but she is enamored with Nicholas. Still, she has an uncomfortable, uneasy feeling sometimes about her stay, but why is that?

As I mentioned earlier, the dramatics are definitely there, and maybe a little over the top at points, but there are definitive moments of intrigue and suspense as Miranda gradually learns more about obscure cousin and his wife and tries to pull back the proverbial curtain to this situation.
I also thought the romantic angle was handled nicely as well. For some reason, I was thinking about several novels that have traits similar to this one: Rebecca, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights to name a few.

A nice touch also is Seton’s ability to weave in the historical elements and figures of the time and incorporate them into the plot. For example, the Anti-Rent Wars and the steamboat racing become quite essential to several conflict and parts of the plot. Also, there are several cameo appearances by authors of this time, such as Melville, Cooper, and Poe. (At one point, Miranda and Nicholas are at the Poe’s place listening to “Eddie� recite one of his works).

The ending and final resolve was a little clunky, but I suppose it got the job done. Nevertheless, it did not take away from the enjoyment of the novel.

This was my first exposure to reading Anya Seton (I own and have Katherine on my to -read list), and it was a good experience. There is a film adaptation with Gene Tierney available that I watched years ago, so I might go revisit, to see how it compares.]]> 3.75 1944 Dragonwyck
author: Anya Seton
name: Franky
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1944
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, gothic, historical-fiction, history, mystery, romance, kindle, 2025-reading-challenge
review:
I’ll chalk Dragonwyck up to one of those classic Gothic romance guilty pleasure types, as it seemingly has all the staples in place: the naïve young lady from simple origins out of her element, the dark and mysterious man who captivates said lady, a foreboding and mysterious estate with secrets and superstitions, and a few skeletons in the closet. And did I forget to mention the flair for melodramatics?

Miranda Wells comes from a humble home. She is the daughter of a very religious and upright father who maintains a farm. While she lives the life in the country with her family, she enjoys reading spicy Gothic romance novels. So, it seems that fate intervenes when a letter arrives at Wells� residence from a certain cousin Nicholas Van Ryn. Living an aristocratic lifestyle, Van Ryn has invited one of the Wells daughters to stay for a time and be a companion to their child.

For Miranda, this is the adventure she has hoped for: “The fantastic name ‘Dragonwyck� enchanted her. She repeated it over and over to herself and it was as though it pulled her to it, and beckoned." So, of course her father relents, and Miranda is off to visit the Van Ryns.

One of the angles explored in the novel is Miranda being caught between the two societies, one that is the country life with a moral and religious upbringing, and that of the aristocratic, genteel lifestyle under her cousin. She soon comes to realize after arriving at Dragonwyck that there are more questions than answers, but she is enamored with Nicholas. Still, she has an uncomfortable, uneasy feeling sometimes about her stay, but why is that?

As I mentioned earlier, the dramatics are definitely there, and maybe a little over the top at points, but there are definitive moments of intrigue and suspense as Miranda gradually learns more about obscure cousin and his wife and tries to pull back the proverbial curtain to this situation.
I also thought the romantic angle was handled nicely as well. For some reason, I was thinking about several novels that have traits similar to this one: Rebecca, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights to name a few.

A nice touch also is Seton’s ability to weave in the historical elements and figures of the time and incorporate them into the plot. For example, the Anti-Rent Wars and the steamboat racing become quite essential to several conflict and parts of the plot. Also, there are several cameo appearances by authors of this time, such as Melville, Cooper, and Poe. (At one point, Miranda and Nicholas are at the Poe’s place listening to “Eddie� recite one of his works).

The ending and final resolve was a little clunky, but I suppose it got the job done. Nevertheless, it did not take away from the enjoyment of the novel.

This was my first exposure to reading Anya Seton (I own and have Katherine on my to -read list), and it was a good experience. There is a film adaptation with Gene Tierney available that I watched years ago, so I might go revisit, to see how it compares.
]]> Long Day’s Journey into Night 12083
The play is autobiographical, and O'Neill draws his drug-addicted mother, his close-fisted father, his drunken and degenerate elder brother, and his tormented self, with terrifying veracity.]]> 179 Eugene O'Neill 0300093055 Franky 3
I’m having a very difficult time rating this one. I won’t deny that there is a deep power from the rawness and brutal honesty at points in this very autobiographical play from O’Neill, but at the same time, it’s like admiring a train wreck.

There is just so much in the way of dysfunction exhibited within the dynamics of the Jerome family, and for the duration of the play, there are constantly going after each other. It feels like they are at each other’s throats nearly all the time, and while I suppose that this is the point of the drama, it is very, very bleak and depressing considering the subject matter. At points, it feels a little too heavy with so much dirty laundry being exposed.

The sins of the past are held under a microscope for each member of the Jerome household. Because these failings have not been addressed in due course and reconciled in some manner over the years, they continue to linger and be a part of the present. Alcohol addition, morphine and drug addition, broken promises, broken dreams, broken relationships are all a part of what O’Neill’s work delves into. The title becomes symbolic of not only the journey of this one day of familial strife, but the journey of life.

So, I wouldn’t say this is a play someone “enjoys� or “likes,� even though there is quite a bit of depth and food for thought and room for reflection in this drama.

It reminds me a little of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman in that hopes of characters are dashed and get a reality check, but I feel like Miller’s play has more in the way of giving context to the decline of one Willy Loman and ,to a certain extent, his sons, whereas this play is more of just characters bickering and criticizing each other ad nauseum throughout.

So , on one hand, I can appreciate the play’s depth and brutal honesty, while on the other hand saying it is far too bleak to embrace. Personally, I was just not in the right frame of mind to fully embrace a work like this, so I might in the future take another stab at it and re-read it to see if my feelings change.

]]> 4.05 1956 Long Day’s Journey into Night
author: Eugene O'Neill
name: Franky
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1956
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, drama, familial, american-dream, history, literary, classics, 2025-reading-challenge, arewethereyet
review:
“The past is the present, isn’t it? It’s the future too. We all try to lie out of that but life won’t let us.�

I’m having a very difficult time rating this one. I won’t deny that there is a deep power from the rawness and brutal honesty at points in this very autobiographical play from O’Neill, but at the same time, it’s like admiring a train wreck.

There is just so much in the way of dysfunction exhibited within the dynamics of the Jerome family, and for the duration of the play, there are constantly going after each other. It feels like they are at each other’s throats nearly all the time, and while I suppose that this is the point of the drama, it is very, very bleak and depressing considering the subject matter. At points, it feels a little too heavy with so much dirty laundry being exposed.

The sins of the past are held under a microscope for each member of the Jerome household. Because these failings have not been addressed in due course and reconciled in some manner over the years, they continue to linger and be a part of the present. Alcohol addition, morphine and drug addition, broken promises, broken dreams, broken relationships are all a part of what O’Neill’s work delves into. The title becomes symbolic of not only the journey of this one day of familial strife, but the journey of life.

So, I wouldn’t say this is a play someone “enjoys� or “likes,� even though there is quite a bit of depth and food for thought and room for reflection in this drama.

It reminds me a little of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman in that hopes of characters are dashed and get a reality check, but I feel like Miller’s play has more in the way of giving context to the decline of one Willy Loman and ,to a certain extent, his sons, whereas this play is more of just characters bickering and criticizing each other ad nauseum throughout.

So , on one hand, I can appreciate the play’s depth and brutal honesty, while on the other hand saying it is far too bleak to embrace. Personally, I was just not in the right frame of mind to fully embrace a work like this, so I might in the future take another stab at it and re-read it to see if my feelings change.


]]> Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1) 104 Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family—and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.]]> 528 Frank Herbert Franky 4
Based on the many, many reviews, it is very hard to add something new to the mix other than just giving my two cents on the novel.

I will venture to say that the novel’s biggest strength for one reader might prove to be the novel’s biggest weakness to another reader, and that is the very intricate and sophisticated world building that Herbert sets up.

More so than another other science fiction I’ve read, I do believe that Dune has so much going on not only on the surface level story, but “off screen� as well. It is quite amazing how Herbert could design a novel where past, present, and future all bear a great weight of importance and how so many themes intertwine. It feels like the essence of time is such a critical factor in laying out the framework of this novel, and perhaps subsequent sequels in the Dune saga.

The focal point of Dune is on Paul Atreides and all the future prophecies and potential that lie in store for him. Even at a very young age, he has a premonition that big plans are part of his fate and future. His direction that lay ahead is sometimes revealed through visions that could possibly be truth or illusion.

Within the framework on the novel, the two Houses, the Atreides and the Harkonnen, vie for power and control of a highly sought-after mélange, (aka “the spice�), a drug that gives one great capabilities. Paul has to navigate the many conflicts that arise through the course of the plot and interpret how his fate, his “terrible purpose,� plays a part.

I think one of the essential aspects of Dune is how there is so much packed into it. It is amazing to think how Herbert is able to blend in so many important themes about culture, politics, traditions, religion, power, etc. and weave them into the story all the while establishing this complex world. For this reason, there is such an intricate depth that Dune reaches, and so it is a novel that I feel like a reader must take their time with.

As stated earlier, the world building is quite sophisticated, but I think if the reader is patient, then many of the elements come into focus later. Herbert uses characters� inner monologue quite often to give glimpses into a character’s head and perspective. There are also quite a few terms and concepts the author uses, but there is a glossary that explains and sheds light on these.

Being a sci-fi fan, I’m glad to finally have powered through this novel, which many people put on the Mount Rushmore of science fiction. I found that, once I figured out the central conflict, this novel became a much more enjoyable and entertaining experience. It’s clear to see how this novel has become such a phenomenon and been the basis of many adaptations and inspiration for the genre. I already have Dune Messiah on my to-read list for the upcoming year.

]]> 4.26 1965 Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Franky
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1965
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, fantasy, sci-fi, adventure
review:
I tried to read Dune before once or twice before and had a difficult time getting into the novel because it felt like there was so much going on with regards to world building and trying to figure out how everything in this society worked. I tried again this past month and found that I ended up really enjoying it once I got past all the world building and complexities of the work.

Based on the many, many reviews, it is very hard to add something new to the mix other than just giving my two cents on the novel.

I will venture to say that the novel’s biggest strength for one reader might prove to be the novel’s biggest weakness to another reader, and that is the very intricate and sophisticated world building that Herbert sets up.

More so than another other science fiction I’ve read, I do believe that Dune has so much going on not only on the surface level story, but “off screen� as well. It is quite amazing how Herbert could design a novel where past, present, and future all bear a great weight of importance and how so many themes intertwine. It feels like the essence of time is such a critical factor in laying out the framework of this novel, and perhaps subsequent sequels in the Dune saga.

The focal point of Dune is on Paul Atreides and all the future prophecies and potential that lie in store for him. Even at a very young age, he has a premonition that big plans are part of his fate and future. His direction that lay ahead is sometimes revealed through visions that could possibly be truth or illusion.

Within the framework on the novel, the two Houses, the Atreides and the Harkonnen, vie for power and control of a highly sought-after mélange, (aka “the spice�), a drug that gives one great capabilities. Paul has to navigate the many conflicts that arise through the course of the plot and interpret how his fate, his “terrible purpose,� plays a part.

I think one of the essential aspects of Dune is how there is so much packed into it. It is amazing to think how Herbert is able to blend in so many important themes about culture, politics, traditions, religion, power, etc. and weave them into the story all the while establishing this complex world. For this reason, there is such an intricate depth that Dune reaches, and so it is a novel that I feel like a reader must take their time with.

As stated earlier, the world building is quite sophisticated, but I think if the reader is patient, then many of the elements come into focus later. Herbert uses characters� inner monologue quite often to give glimpses into a character’s head and perspective. There are also quite a few terms and concepts the author uses, but there is a glossary that explains and sheds light on these.

Being a sci-fi fan, I’m glad to finally have powered through this novel, which many people put on the Mount Rushmore of science fiction. I found that, once I figured out the central conflict, this novel became a much more enjoyable and entertaining experience. It’s clear to see how this novel has become such a phenomenon and been the basis of many adaptations and inspiration for the genre. I already have Dune Messiah on my to-read list for the upcoming year.


]]> Paper Moon 10582173 vintage fiction 0 Joe David Brown 0451054180 Franky 3
I felt like many of the earlier episodes and adventures were a tad repetitive: try to scam someone and have it blow up in their face. Repeat it all over again and try again. So, this is a book that I kept putting down, and I wavered in interest at points, but then I would pick it up again because I wanted to see how things would turn out at the end.

I think that, with the exception of the finale in the closing pages, the last episode when Major comes into the story is the most engaging part. If you think that Long Boy and Addie are con artists, they are quite amateurs compared to the Major, who has it all figured out and seems to have made an art form of “the scam.� The trio put together a rather ambitious plan to fleece an old woman out of her dough, but it isn’t as easy as it seems.

At points, this novel has a feeling of “coming of age� from Addie’s point of view, but then this never really completely materializes. I felt like the aforementioned ending was a little odd in that it seems to just end, period, without a few conflicts explained or resolved.

There’s a little fun here and there in the novel. I just wish it had been more consistent.

So, this novel was the basis for a film with Ryan and Tatum O’Neal back in the 70s which I will have to watch if I can track it down.
]]> 4.00 1971 Paper Moon
author: Joe David Brown
name: Franky
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1971
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, coming-of-age, historical-fiction, humor, southern, classics
review:
Paper Moon is set during The Great Depression, and it basically involves a man, Moses Pray, and his daughter(?) Addie Pray going around from place and scheme to scheme trying to scam people out of money. I know that there is not a great moral compass displayed, but there is sort of a tongue-in-cheek humor about many of their episodes. I suppose there is maybe slightly a coming of age and character arc for Addie Pray, the young girl in the schemes who narrates this story.

I felt like many of the earlier episodes and adventures were a tad repetitive: try to scam someone and have it blow up in their face. Repeat it all over again and try again. So, this is a book that I kept putting down, and I wavered in interest at points, but then I would pick it up again because I wanted to see how things would turn out at the end.

I think that, with the exception of the finale in the closing pages, the last episode when Major comes into the story is the most engaging part. If you think that Long Boy and Addie are con artists, they are quite amateurs compared to the Major, who has it all figured out and seems to have made an art form of “the scam.� The trio put together a rather ambitious plan to fleece an old woman out of her dough, but it isn’t as easy as it seems.

At points, this novel has a feeling of “coming of age� from Addie’s point of view, but then this never really completely materializes. I felt like the aforementioned ending was a little odd in that it seems to just end, period, without a few conflicts explained or resolved.

There’s a little fun here and there in the novel. I just wish it had been more consistent.

So, this novel was the basis for a film with Ryan and Tatum O’Neal back in the 70s which I will have to watch if I can track it down.

]]> <![CDATA[Christmas at Thompson Hall and Other Christmas Stories]]> 20893319 Christmas at Thompson Hall brings together the best of the Christmas stories of Anthony Trollope, one of the most successful, prolific, and respected English novelists of the nineteenth century.Characterized by insightful, psychologically rich, and sometimes wryly humorous depictions of the middle class and gentry of Victorian England—and inspired occasionally by missives in the “lost letter� box of the provincial post office that Trollope ran—these tales helped to enshrine the traditions of the decorated Christmas tree, the holiday turkey, and the giving of store-bought gifts.Today, they open a window onto a time when carolers filled the streets and each house’s door displayed a wreath of evergreen boughs, a time at oncedistant and yet startlingly familiar.


This collection includes:

Christmas at Thompson Hall --
Christmas day at Kirkby Cottage --
The mistletoe bough --
The two generals --
Not if I know it.]]> 207 Anthony Trollope 0143122479 Franky 3
This aside, I felt like the first story, “Christmas at Thompson Hall� was the star of the show, the headlining band playing with a bunch of amateur rock groups. Clearly this is the story that carries the weight of this whole collection. The other stories maybe had some enlightening or poignant moments, but these moments were seldom, and all were very flawed and lackluster at points.

“Christmas at Thompson Hall� will definitely get you thinking about mustard plaster. (I know you probably think about it all the time, but now it will be even more so). It involves a certain Charles and Mary Brown having quite a predicament when Mary has a very awkward moment. Her husband is quite the hypochondriac, and he needs to get something, anything, to feel better, and quick! So, Mary is off to find some mustard plaster to help his throat, and when she finally finds it, she accidentally gets herself into quite a mess.

What ensues is a comedy of errors, and she makes plenty of them let me tell you. The funniest bits in the tale consist of Mary trying to get out of trouble and remedy the situation, only to have each solution blow up in her face and make things worse. I couldn’t wait to see how things panned out for the Browns. Just the right touch of comedy in this one.

Regarding the others in the collection, they all seem to have a commonality in that they deal with familial strife and drama with a lot of quarreling and regrets. “Christmas Day at Kirkby Cottage� and “The Mistletoe Bough� are fairly similar in that they both deal with a couple having to iron out some difficulties, but it feels like they both have way too much drama over trifles and that the conflict is contrived and forced. The fourth story “Not if I Know It� is so short that I couldn’t even figure out what it was about before it was over. So, I think that one was the least of the entire bunch. “The Two Generals� , a Civil War story, started off promising in how it was set up with the conflict with the two brothers, but fizzled out and became sort of a mess by the end.

I hate to be a bit of a Scrooge this Christmas Eve, but would give the entire collection as a whole about two and a half stars, which I will round up to three for the lead story.

This was my first exposure to Trollope, and I have heard that his longer works are vastly different, so I’m interested in checking them out.
]]> 3.55 1882 Christmas at Thompson Hall and Other Christmas Stories
author: Anthony Trollope
name: Franky
average rating: 3.55
book published: 1882
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, christmas, classics, historical-fiction, holiday, humor, short-stories, kindle, victorian, arewethereyet, romance
review:
I almost feel like this is a great (and deceptive) marketing ploy here by advertising these stories as Christmas tales when in reality, they do not really feel very festive or Christmas(sy). I mean, sure, the word Christmas is thrown around here in the stories a time or two, and they take place sometimes near the holiday, but that’s about it. It’s merely window dressing.

This aside, I felt like the first story, “Christmas at Thompson Hall� was the star of the show, the headlining band playing with a bunch of amateur rock groups. Clearly this is the story that carries the weight of this whole collection. The other stories maybe had some enlightening or poignant moments, but these moments were seldom, and all were very flawed and lackluster at points.

“Christmas at Thompson Hall� will definitely get you thinking about mustard plaster. (I know you probably think about it all the time, but now it will be even more so). It involves a certain Charles and Mary Brown having quite a predicament when Mary has a very awkward moment. Her husband is quite the hypochondriac, and he needs to get something, anything, to feel better, and quick! So, Mary is off to find some mustard plaster to help his throat, and when she finally finds it, she accidentally gets herself into quite a mess.

What ensues is a comedy of errors, and she makes plenty of them let me tell you. The funniest bits in the tale consist of Mary trying to get out of trouble and remedy the situation, only to have each solution blow up in her face and make things worse. I couldn’t wait to see how things panned out for the Browns. Just the right touch of comedy in this one.

Regarding the others in the collection, they all seem to have a commonality in that they deal with familial strife and drama with a lot of quarreling and regrets. “Christmas Day at Kirkby Cottage� and “The Mistletoe Bough� are fairly similar in that they both deal with a couple having to iron out some difficulties, but it feels like they both have way too much drama over trifles and that the conflict is contrived and forced. The fourth story “Not if I Know It� is so short that I couldn’t even figure out what it was about before it was over. So, I think that one was the least of the entire bunch. “The Two Generals� , a Civil War story, started off promising in how it was set up with the conflict with the two brothers, but fizzled out and became sort of a mess by the end.

I hate to be a bit of a Scrooge this Christmas Eve, but would give the entire collection as a whole about two and a half stars, which I will round up to three for the lead story.

This was my first exposure to Trollope, and I have heard that his longer works are vastly different, so I’m interested in checking them out.

]]> The Purple Cloud 209525 296 M.P. Shiel 0803292791 Franky 4
This classic, published at the beginning of the 1900s, popped up on my recommendations after I read a few books of the post-apocalyptic, dystopian variety. Shiel’s novel is an excellent example of the “last man� scenario. It is unique in that the narrative itself changes and shifts in tone, style, and direction several times through the course of the story.

It all begins with a quest to the North Pole. The late and affluent Charles P. Stickney had offered 175 million dollars to the first person to reach the North Pole, and this sends many individuals in due course to the polar region for this challenge and prize.

Adam Jeffson, the man who composes our narrative, embarks on this expedition to the artic climate with a group of other prospectors. However, an unusual and disastrously fatal event happens that interrupts this quest: a toxic purple fume is emitted into the atmosphere, and soon after begins to wreak havoc, leaving death and destruction in its path. Everyone, it seems, except Jeffson.

Quite a bit of the narrative comes in the form of Jeffson’s wanderings, traversing from place to place via ship, train, or other method in search of survivors, but being faced with a harsh, grim reality.

There are several interesting themes unearthed through the course of the plot, one of which is the psychological toll, the inner mental turmoil, of this global cataclysmic tragedy upon the individual. From his recollections, Jeffson recalls a man who spoke about two diverging forces at play in the world, one compelling us towards benevolence and reason, the other towards malevolence and irrationality. These two forces are forever at odds in the makeup of Jeffson who, at points, goes through various phases psychologically: reflective, manic, depressed, egotistical, sociopathic, somber, philosophical, etc.

Additionally, the author captures so well the disturbing sense of prevailing isolation from Jeffson’s point of view:

“…I can feel again now that abysmal desolation of loneliness and sense of hostile and malign universe bent upon eating me up: for the ocean seemed to me nothing but a great ghost.�

I found it rather fascinating that despite Jeffson (who I suppose is both protagonist AND antagonist in this novel) being a rather unsympathetic character for substantial portions, and the reader having to be stuck with him for the long haul, Shiel still manages to make us invested in his fate and the novel’s outcome.

The Purple Cloud has a subtlety disturbing, haunting atmosphere that permeates throughout. There are various shifts in the tone and feel of the novel, and we see this again the book’s final portions.

If there is one downside, I think that the wanderings of Jeffson (specifically in the middle parts) do get a tad long-winded and drag some. However, I suppose this was an intentional tactic employ by the author to the create the aimless effect we—and Jeffson—feel during the search.

The Purple Cloud breaches into various genres, and it is an unusual, haunting, disturbing, yet thought-provoking experience.]]> 3.41 1901 The Purple Cloud
author: M.P. Shiel
name: Franky
average rating: 3.41
book published: 1901
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, apocalyptic, dystopian, fantasy, horror, kindle, sci-fi, rare-books, weird-tales
review:
“Well, onward through the desert ice I continued my lonely way, with a baleful shrinking terror in my heart; for very stupendous alas! is the burden of that Arctic solitude upon one poor human soul.�

This classic, published at the beginning of the 1900s, popped up on my recommendations after I read a few books of the post-apocalyptic, dystopian variety. Shiel’s novel is an excellent example of the “last man� scenario. It is unique in that the narrative itself changes and shifts in tone, style, and direction several times through the course of the story.

It all begins with a quest to the North Pole. The late and affluent Charles P. Stickney had offered 175 million dollars to the first person to reach the North Pole, and this sends many individuals in due course to the polar region for this challenge and prize.

Adam Jeffson, the man who composes our narrative, embarks on this expedition to the artic climate with a group of other prospectors. However, an unusual and disastrously fatal event happens that interrupts this quest: a toxic purple fume is emitted into the atmosphere, and soon after begins to wreak havoc, leaving death and destruction in its path. Everyone, it seems, except Jeffson.

Quite a bit of the narrative comes in the form of Jeffson’s wanderings, traversing from place to place via ship, train, or other method in search of survivors, but being faced with a harsh, grim reality.

There are several interesting themes unearthed through the course of the plot, one of which is the psychological toll, the inner mental turmoil, of this global cataclysmic tragedy upon the individual. From his recollections, Jeffson recalls a man who spoke about two diverging forces at play in the world, one compelling us towards benevolence and reason, the other towards malevolence and irrationality. These two forces are forever at odds in the makeup of Jeffson who, at points, goes through various phases psychologically: reflective, manic, depressed, egotistical, sociopathic, somber, philosophical, etc.

Additionally, the author captures so well the disturbing sense of prevailing isolation from Jeffson’s point of view:

“…I can feel again now that abysmal desolation of loneliness and sense of hostile and malign universe bent upon eating me up: for the ocean seemed to me nothing but a great ghost.�

I found it rather fascinating that despite Jeffson (who I suppose is both protagonist AND antagonist in this novel) being a rather unsympathetic character for substantial portions, and the reader having to be stuck with him for the long haul, Shiel still manages to make us invested in his fate and the novel’s outcome.

The Purple Cloud has a subtlety disturbing, haunting atmosphere that permeates throughout. There are various shifts in the tone and feel of the novel, and we see this again the book’s final portions.

If there is one downside, I think that the wanderings of Jeffson (specifically in the middle parts) do get a tad long-winded and drag some. However, I suppose this was an intentional tactic employ by the author to the create the aimless effect we—and Jeffson—feel during the search.

The Purple Cloud breaches into various genres, and it is an unusual, haunting, disturbing, yet thought-provoking experience.
]]> The Masque of the Red Death 204779
In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms.

The story follows many traditions of Gothic fiction and is often analyzed as an allegory about the inevitability of death, though some critics advise against an allegorical reading. Many different interpretations have been presented, as well as attempts to identify the true nature of the titular disease.

Librarian's note: this entry relates to the story "The Masque of the Red Death." Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on ŷ.]]> 129 Edgar Allan Poe 1594567395 Franky 4
While this plague rages on and devastates the outside world, Prince Prospero and his distinguished guests escape it while living in luxury. While basking in his grandiose abbey, eating and drinking and living it up, they leave all of those others outside to their unfortunate fates.

However, on this night, at precisely the stroke of midnight, during all the revelry, the Prince notices the appearance of a mysterious figure, one who has found a way in and crashed Prince Prospero’s little party�

This is one of those stories that was in the old sophomore literature book, and I used to read this one literally every single year. It’s definitely one of the staples and go-to stories in the Poe classic vault and collection. It has such a dark atmosphere that permeates.

What I really appreciate about this one is how much The Masque of the Red Death is dripping with allegory and symbolism, and that these elements lend themselves to a larger moral or message established in the tale. Contained in the elaborate set up of the Prince Prospero’s palace are seven distinguished rooms, each in design with a specific color. We can derive some larger meaning from both the number as well as the colors of these various rooms, and this may become more apparent at the story’s conclusion.

This one reminded me a little of one of my favorites from Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher. Its similarity lies in how non-human elements become like characters in the story because of their impact or significance. In this case, there are the rooms, and in one of the rooms, a giant ebony clocks that ticks away as time passes.

One of the fascinating things about this tale is how much is also going underneath the surface of what is taking place. One can read this story multiple times and find a new, hidden element or meaning in the next reading.

A fascinating and definite gem of a Gothic tale!]]> 4.09 1842 The Masque of the Red Death
author: Edgar Allan Poe
name: Franky
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1842
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, fantasy, horror, gothic, kindle, reread
review:
“The ‘Red Death� had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal—the redness and the horror of blood.�

While this plague rages on and devastates the outside world, Prince Prospero and his distinguished guests escape it while living in luxury. While basking in his grandiose abbey, eating and drinking and living it up, they leave all of those others outside to their unfortunate fates.

However, on this night, at precisely the stroke of midnight, during all the revelry, the Prince notices the appearance of a mysterious figure, one who has found a way in and crashed Prince Prospero’s little party�

This is one of those stories that was in the old sophomore literature book, and I used to read this one literally every single year. It’s definitely one of the staples and go-to stories in the Poe classic vault and collection. It has such a dark atmosphere that permeates.

What I really appreciate about this one is how much The Masque of the Red Death is dripping with allegory and symbolism, and that these elements lend themselves to a larger moral or message established in the tale. Contained in the elaborate set up of the Prince Prospero’s palace are seven distinguished rooms, each in design with a specific color. We can derive some larger meaning from both the number as well as the colors of these various rooms, and this may become more apparent at the story’s conclusion.

This one reminded me a little of one of my favorites from Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher. Its similarity lies in how non-human elements become like characters in the story because of their impact or significance. In this case, there are the rooms, and in one of the rooms, a giant ebony clocks that ticks away as time passes.

One of the fascinating things about this tale is how much is also going underneath the surface of what is taking place. One can read this story multiple times and find a new, hidden element or meaning in the next reading.

A fascinating and definite gem of a Gothic tale!
]]> <![CDATA[The Betel Nut Tree Mystery (Crown Colony, #2)]]> 36737352 'Great protagonist, great setting - this is a delightful book' Morning Star

The second novel in Ovidia Yu's delightfully charming crime series set in 1930s Singapore, featuring amateur sleuth Su Lin.

What we came to think of as the betel nut affair began in the middle of a tropical thunderstorm in December 1936 . . .

Singapore is agog with the news of King Edward VIII's abdication to marry American heiress Wallis Simpson. Chen Su Lin, now Chief Inspector Le Froy's secretarial assistant in Singapore's newly formed detective unit, still dreams of becoming a journalist and hopes to cover the story when the Hon Victor Glossop announces he is marrying an American widow of his own, Mrs Nicole Covington, in the Colony. But things go horribly wrong when Victor Glossop is found dead, his body covered in bizarre symbols and soaked in betel nut juice.

The beautiful, highly-strung Nicole claims it's her fault he's dead . . . just like the others. And when investigations into her past reveal a dead lover, as well as a husband, the case against her appears to be stacking up. Begrudgingly on Le Froy's part, Su Lin agrees to chaperon Nicole at the Farquhar Hotel, intending to get the truth out of her somehow. But as she uncovers secrets and further deaths occur, Su Lin realises she may not be able to save Nicole's life - or even her own.

'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. This book is exactly why I love historical novels' Rhys Bowen

'I really enjoyed this wonderful gem of a book. The diversity and rich history portrayed in the book are what make The Frangipani Tree Mystery a brilliant read. The fact that it's a fusion of crime and historical fiction adds brownie points to the package!' Bookloves Reviews

]]> 266 Ovidia Yu Franky 3
While there is a definite charm about the series so far, I can’t help but feel that The Betel Nut Tree Mystery was a slight letdown compared to the first book. The overall plot and its unravelling mystery felt a little messy and convoluted.

The second book begins where the first left off as far as our principle character is concerned. Su Lin is working as secretary for Chief Inspector Le Froy at Singapore’s Detective and Intelligence Unit.

In the opening, it seems everyone is getting ready for a high-profile wedding of Victor Glossop with rich widow, Nicole Covington. However, a monkey wrench is thrown into that plan when the ultimate prankster Victor is found dead at the Farquhar hotel in a rather odd, bizarre manner. Now it is up to Le Froy and company to come in and figure this mess out�

The characters were a mixed bag in total. It's interesting how some of the familiar faces from book one, including some of Su Lin’s family and other minor characters make an appearance. However, some of the minor characters who are central to the plot are somewhat underwhelming, particularly the likes of Nicole Covington, Dr. Covington, and Kenneth Mulliner among others, who are of the stock variety: unreasonable, overdramatic, predictable, irritating, and forgettable. These characters mainly serve to get us from Point A to Point B.

As far as the pacing, the mystery peaked too early, and then seemingly fizzled out. When we get deeper into the plot, the investigation gets a little repetitive, drawn out, and convoluted. We are just tapping our feet waiting for the big reveal.

I do, however, like how Su Lin has more of a prominent and assertive role in the crime investigation. Another job she has (other than having to deal with perennial drama queen Nicole Covington) is to keep her naive friend Parshanti out of harm’s way while she wades through the various suspects and their motives. It feels like Le Froy takes a lesser role, and is often missing in action while many key events are taking place.

Another notable trait (and plus) is the author’s ability to create a vivid setting of 1930s Singapore and give the story a historical element.

In the end, I feel like the mystery was serviceable, but fairly pedestrian. I will most likely read the next one in the series, but I am not in as much of a hurry to get there.


]]> 3.79 2018 The Betel Nut Tree Mystery (Crown Colony, #2)
author: Ovidia Yu
name: Franky
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, asia, history, historical-fiction, mystery, kindle
review:
I discovered Ovidia Yu’s Crown Colony (Su Lin) mystery series about six months ago thanks to an online reading group, and enjoyed the opening book, The Frangipani Tree Mystery, quite a bit. Much like the first book, the second installment features our amateur sleuth, Su Lin.

While there is a definite charm about the series so far, I can’t help but feel that The Betel Nut Tree Mystery was a slight letdown compared to the first book. The overall plot and its unravelling mystery felt a little messy and convoluted.

The second book begins where the first left off as far as our principle character is concerned. Su Lin is working as secretary for Chief Inspector Le Froy at Singapore’s Detective and Intelligence Unit.

In the opening, it seems everyone is getting ready for a high-profile wedding of Victor Glossop with rich widow, Nicole Covington. However, a monkey wrench is thrown into that plan when the ultimate prankster Victor is found dead at the Farquhar hotel in a rather odd, bizarre manner. Now it is up to Le Froy and company to come in and figure this mess out�

The characters were a mixed bag in total. It's interesting how some of the familiar faces from book one, including some of Su Lin’s family and other minor characters make an appearance. However, some of the minor characters who are central to the plot are somewhat underwhelming, particularly the likes of Nicole Covington, Dr. Covington, and Kenneth Mulliner among others, who are of the stock variety: unreasonable, overdramatic, predictable, irritating, and forgettable. These characters mainly serve to get us from Point A to Point B.

As far as the pacing, the mystery peaked too early, and then seemingly fizzled out. When we get deeper into the plot, the investigation gets a little repetitive, drawn out, and convoluted. We are just tapping our feet waiting for the big reveal.

I do, however, like how Su Lin has more of a prominent and assertive role in the crime investigation. Another job she has (other than having to deal with perennial drama queen Nicole Covington) is to keep her naive friend Parshanti out of harm’s way while she wades through the various suspects and their motives. It feels like Le Froy takes a lesser role, and is often missing in action while many key events are taking place.

Another notable trait (and plus) is the author’s ability to create a vivid setting of 1930s Singapore and give the story a historical element.

In the end, I feel like the mystery was serviceable, but fairly pedestrian. I will most likely read the next one in the series, but I am not in as much of a hurry to get there.



]]> <![CDATA[The Chosen (Reuven Malther, #1)]]> 187181 304 Chaim Potok 0449213447 Franky 5
I had this book on my to-read list what feels like forever. It’s one of those times where the lofty expectations of a book came through exceedingly. Chaim Potok’s historical novel is about friendship and so many other important themes and life lessons.

Told from the perspective of Reuven Malter looking back at this pivotal time in his life, we get a sense of the background and culture of Brooklynn from a Jewish youth growing up amid the period of the second World War. Within five blocks of each other, Russian Hasidic Jews and another sect of ideology neighbor each other. As fate would have it, Reuven and a boy named Danny Saunders meet—and ultimately become friends--when the two religious sects meet for an organized baseball game and Reuven is hospitalized by a freak accident when Danny hits a line drive that shatters Reuven’s glasses.

As much as this novel is about Reuven’s formed friendship with Danny Saunders, as well as the lives of their fathers, it is also about several important themes like religion and faith, empathy, compassion, finding one’s identity and place in the world, and perseverance through internal and external strife.

Potok is a natural storyteller, and the ease at which see the story progress through the lens of Reuven allows The Chosen to be a quick, easy, powerful, and reflective experience. I felt like this novel was such a quick read and it has to do with the personal style with which the author writes that brings the novel to such an authentic life. Reuven invites us into the lives of his family and the Saunders family and his concerns for the future, and we are right there along the journey.

There are several key points in the narrative where the expectations of the father come into play, where both sons must reach a key decision with a weighty life moment in front of them.

This is a very reflective novel and sticks with the reader long after the final page. It ends in such a way to set up a second novel but with enough closure to finish.

What a thoughtful, intelligent, and moving book The Chosen is!
]]> 4.06 1966 The Chosen (Reuven Malther, #1)
author: Chaim Potok
name: Franky
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1966
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, coming-of-age, historical-fiction, history, holocaust, religion, judiasm, amazing, favorites
review:
“A span of life is nothing. But the man who lives the span, he is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable through its quantity may be insignificant. Do you understand what I am saying? A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life.�

I had this book on my to-read list what feels like forever. It’s one of those times where the lofty expectations of a book came through exceedingly. Chaim Potok’s historical novel is about friendship and so many other important themes and life lessons.

Told from the perspective of Reuven Malter looking back at this pivotal time in his life, we get a sense of the background and culture of Brooklynn from a Jewish youth growing up amid the period of the second World War. Within five blocks of each other, Russian Hasidic Jews and another sect of ideology neighbor each other. As fate would have it, Reuven and a boy named Danny Saunders meet—and ultimately become friends--when the two religious sects meet for an organized baseball game and Reuven is hospitalized by a freak accident when Danny hits a line drive that shatters Reuven’s glasses.

As much as this novel is about Reuven’s formed friendship with Danny Saunders, as well as the lives of their fathers, it is also about several important themes like religion and faith, empathy, compassion, finding one’s identity and place in the world, and perseverance through internal and external strife.

Potok is a natural storyteller, and the ease at which see the story progress through the lens of Reuven allows The Chosen to be a quick, easy, powerful, and reflective experience. I felt like this novel was such a quick read and it has to do with the personal style with which the author writes that brings the novel to such an authentic life. Reuven invites us into the lives of his family and the Saunders family and his concerns for the future, and we are right there along the journey.

There are several key points in the narrative where the expectations of the father come into play, where both sons must reach a key decision with a weighty life moment in front of them.

This is a very reflective novel and sticks with the reader long after the final page. It ends in such a way to set up a second novel but with enough closure to finish.

What a thoughtful, intelligent, and moving book The Chosen is!

]]> The Moon is a Harsh Mistress 349 The Moon is a Harsh Mistress was the last of these Hugo-winning novels, and it is widely considered his finest work.

It is a tale of revolution, of the rebellion of the former Lunar penal colony against the Lunar Authority that controls it from Earth. It is the tale of the disparate people - a computer technician, a vigorous young female agitator, and an elderly academic - who become the rebel movement's leaders. And it is the story of Mike, the supercomputer whose sentience is known only to this inner circle, and who for reasons of his own is committed to the revolution's ultimate success.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is one of the high points of modern science fiction, a novel bursting with politics, humanity, passion, innovative technical speculation, and a firm belief in the pursuit of human freedom.

Cover illustration by Bob Eggleton

]]> 382 Robert A. Heinlein 0312863551 Franky 3
I know this book is highly regarded in science fiction circles, but I found the novel to be one where the execution--- or to be more precise, the lack thereof—to be the main component of irritation, not necessarily the ideas, premise contained within. The manner and style in which the story is presented is equal parts convoluted and cringey.

For starters, the narrator’s voice got on my nerves. Maybe it’s the English major in me, but Manuel’s lack of articles and subjects from sentences annoyed me throughout and I found it a source of distraction while reading.

Likewise, the heavy-handed approach, as our band of rebels make their way towards their cause, was also bothersome. As readers we are given heavy mouthfuls of politics and told to keep our mouths open and then swallow down everything whether we like it or not. Heinlein utilizes the Professor as the central mouthpieces for these causes.

In general, with “Man� as our narrator, events come to us in a random, scattered way that fails to give any power or consequence to any given scene or important moment. (Also, it felt like a good chunk of the book was just characters going back and forth yapping about this glorious cause and movement). It feels like there is so much wasted potential with world building because as much as there are some interesting concepts within, none of these concepts really come to life in the reader’s mind.

The cast of characters for this great Lunar rebellion include aforementioned Manual (“Man,� a computer technician), Mike (a supercomputer), Wyoming Knot (a female agitator, and yes, that really is her name), and Professor Bernardo de la Paz (the brainpower behind their movement).

I felt like one of the interesting dynamics was simply the relationship between our protagonist Man and his supercomputer friend, Mike. The back-and-forth exchanges and dialogue are engaging in the initial stages of the novel and set the scene of this society. It becomes clear that Mike is a form of artificial intelligence with strong capabilities. It feels, however, that as time moves on in the novel, this dynamic lessens as Mike becomes takes a more prominent role in their fight against Authority.

While some concepts are brought forth, the overall method of presenting the story just did not gel for the long haul. The blurb on my edition boasts such accolades as “masterpiece� and the like. If this is the best book in the Heinlein collection, I’m not that encouraged to try another.

Maybe someone can suggest another in the Heinlein vault that is very unlike this one.

]]> 4.07 1966 The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Franky
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1966
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/21
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, fantasy, sci-fi
review:
At the core of Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is the lunar colony’s rebellion against Lunar Authority, Warden, and all those other baddies trying to oppress the common civilians. When enough is enough, they decide to act.

I know this book is highly regarded in science fiction circles, but I found the novel to be one where the execution--- or to be more precise, the lack thereof—to be the main component of irritation, not necessarily the ideas, premise contained within. The manner and style in which the story is presented is equal parts convoluted and cringey.

For starters, the narrator’s voice got on my nerves. Maybe it’s the English major in me, but Manuel’s lack of articles and subjects from sentences annoyed me throughout and I found it a source of distraction while reading.

Likewise, the heavy-handed approach, as our band of rebels make their way towards their cause, was also bothersome. As readers we are given heavy mouthfuls of politics and told to keep our mouths open and then swallow down everything whether we like it or not. Heinlein utilizes the Professor as the central mouthpieces for these causes.

In general, with “Man� as our narrator, events come to us in a random, scattered way that fails to give any power or consequence to any given scene or important moment. (Also, it felt like a good chunk of the book was just characters going back and forth yapping about this glorious cause and movement). It feels like there is so much wasted potential with world building because as much as there are some interesting concepts within, none of these concepts really come to life in the reader’s mind.

The cast of characters for this great Lunar rebellion include aforementioned Manual (“Man,� a computer technician), Mike (a supercomputer), Wyoming Knot (a female agitator, and yes, that really is her name), and Professor Bernardo de la Paz (the brainpower behind their movement).

I felt like one of the interesting dynamics was simply the relationship between our protagonist Man and his supercomputer friend, Mike. The back-and-forth exchanges and dialogue are engaging in the initial stages of the novel and set the scene of this society. It becomes clear that Mike is a form of artificial intelligence with strong capabilities. It feels, however, that as time moves on in the novel, this dynamic lessens as Mike becomes takes a more prominent role in their fight against Authority.

While some concepts are brought forth, the overall method of presenting the story just did not gel for the long haul. The blurb on my edition boasts such accolades as “masterpiece� and the like. If this is the best book in the Heinlein collection, I’m not that encouraged to try another.

Maybe someone can suggest another in the Heinlein vault that is very unlike this one.


]]> <![CDATA[Lord Valentine's Castle (Lord Valentine, #1)]]> 252838
Valentine's journey is a long one, a tour through a series of magnificent environments. Fields of predatory plants give way to impossibly wide rivers, chalk-cliffed islands and unforgiving deserts. The prose is unrelentingly dreamlike—no accident given that on Majipoor, dreams rule the minds of great and humble alike.

Originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in four parts: November 1979, December 1979, January 1980 and February 1980.]]> 506 Robert Silverberg 0061054879 Franky 5
Silverberg handles so many elements superbly to make this one an entertaining, enlightening, and enjoyable ride.

Lord Valentine’s Castle thus begins Silverberg’s Majipoor book series, and the novel is a perfect blending of fantasy, adventure, and science fiction that fans of these genres can enjoy.

The novel begins with Valentine looking down on the city of Pidruid with what appears to be a festival taking place and the Coronel being welcomed. Ironically, this is another Valentine, a Lord Valentine, who is being honored. Valentine, in a sort of mind haze and suffering from amnesia as he cannot recall past events, eventually befriends a boy named Shanimar and they join a traveling juggling troupe.

One of the more compelling dynamics of the story is how the world of dreams and the physical world coincide and are equal to each other in significance. The dreams, often referred to as sendings, reveal probable future destinies and fates. In this way, dreams carry a great weight and level of import and can even be a method of communication from one character to another, and we see this play out in the novel.

As Valentine treks from place to place with his juggling companions, it begins to dawn on him that he may be in store for a bigger destiny:

“These tortured dreams, these squirming dragons in his soul, these portents and omens…�

What destiny lay in store for Valentine that is desperately trying to break out?

On this planet, there are beings and creatures of all sorts. Humans share this planet with Hjorts, a creature who are a part of the juggling troupe, and there are Metamorphs, creatures who can readily alter their appearance at will.

The level of imagination contained within the plot and storytelling is quite profound.

I also liked how the characters were so well drawn, especially our protagonist, Valentine. As Valentine begins to comprehend his past, he must do quite a bit of grappling and soul-searching. There is a deep conflicted nature that exists between Valentine the juggler and Lord Valentine as he tries to maintain his simple principles all the while accepting the future and all the challenges he must overcome. In this way, there is a depth to his character, and this makes him a character one will readily root for. The secondary characters like Carabella are also distinct and memorable as well.

Much like an Arthurian Legend or an adventure, the archetype of “the quest,� both physical and internal, becomes a prominent aspect as the novel progresses and new revelations come into focus.

Some reviewers have complained that, over five hundred pages, the novel takes a leisurely route in getting to the heart of the matter. I do agree that the novel does a scenic route to its destination, but I didn’t mind this at all. The author takes his time to let us get to know this world, the characters, and the main conflicts at hand. I know it’s a little cliché, but this was a novel that I didn’t want to end because I was hooked each time I picked it up, being transported back into this world of Majipoor.

Silverberg went on to write more novels in this series, and I am eager to pick them up. This was a fantastic start to the series, one that I think will appeal to fans of science fiction, adventure, or fantasy.

Definitely my favorite read for this year!]]> 3.89 1980 Lord Valentine's Castle (Lord Valentine, #1)
author: Robert Silverberg
name: Franky
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1980
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/16
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, fantasy, adventure, sci-fi, amazing, favorites
review:
After reading Silverberg’s Dying Inside years back and finding it fairly mediocre and being less than enthusiastic about it, a few of my friends and reading buddies recommended I try Lord Valentine's Castle. And let me just say: this one came through with flying colors.

Silverberg handles so many elements superbly to make this one an entertaining, enlightening, and enjoyable ride.

Lord Valentine’s Castle thus begins Silverberg’s Majipoor book series, and the novel is a perfect blending of fantasy, adventure, and science fiction that fans of these genres can enjoy.

The novel begins with Valentine looking down on the city of Pidruid with what appears to be a festival taking place and the Coronel being welcomed. Ironically, this is another Valentine, a Lord Valentine, who is being honored. Valentine, in a sort of mind haze and suffering from amnesia as he cannot recall past events, eventually befriends a boy named Shanimar and they join a traveling juggling troupe.

One of the more compelling dynamics of the story is how the world of dreams and the physical world coincide and are equal to each other in significance. The dreams, often referred to as sendings, reveal probable future destinies and fates. In this way, dreams carry a great weight and level of import and can even be a method of communication from one character to another, and we see this play out in the novel.

As Valentine treks from place to place with his juggling companions, it begins to dawn on him that he may be in store for a bigger destiny:

“These tortured dreams, these squirming dragons in his soul, these portents and omens…�

What destiny lay in store for Valentine that is desperately trying to break out?

On this planet, there are beings and creatures of all sorts. Humans share this planet with Hjorts, a creature who are a part of the juggling troupe, and there are Metamorphs, creatures who can readily alter their appearance at will.

The level of imagination contained within the plot and storytelling is quite profound.

I also liked how the characters were so well drawn, especially our protagonist, Valentine. As Valentine begins to comprehend his past, he must do quite a bit of grappling and soul-searching. There is a deep conflicted nature that exists between Valentine the juggler and Lord Valentine as he tries to maintain his simple principles all the while accepting the future and all the challenges he must overcome. In this way, there is a depth to his character, and this makes him a character one will readily root for. The secondary characters like Carabella are also distinct and memorable as well.

Much like an Arthurian Legend or an adventure, the archetype of “the quest,� both physical and internal, becomes a prominent aspect as the novel progresses and new revelations come into focus.

Some reviewers have complained that, over five hundred pages, the novel takes a leisurely route in getting to the heart of the matter. I do agree that the novel does a scenic route to its destination, but I didn’t mind this at all. The author takes his time to let us get to know this world, the characters, and the main conflicts at hand. I know it’s a little cliché, but this was a novel that I didn’t want to end because I was hooked each time I picked it up, being transported back into this world of Majipoor.

Silverberg went on to write more novels in this series, and I am eager to pick them up. This was a fantastic start to the series, one that I think will appeal to fans of science fiction, adventure, or fantasy.

Definitely my favorite read for this year!
]]> Infinite Jest 6759
Set in an addicts' halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwed-up family to come along in recent fiction, Infinite Jest explores essential questions about what entertainment is and why it has come to so dominate our lives; about how our desire for entertainment affects our need to connect with other people; and about what the pleasures we choose say about who we are.

Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, Infinite Jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. It is an exuberant, uniquely American exploration of the passions that make us human—and one of those rare books that renew the idea of what a novel can do.]]> 1088 David Foster Wallace Franky 2
I’ll give Infinite Jest some credit: it’s different for sure. Different than anything I’ve ever read. It seems to exist in so many genres and subgenres and is has a unique presentation. I had to pull the plug, though, because it was just too much of everything else.

Probably the one thing that this book has going for it is the moments of humor aimed at society. There were a few entertaining segments that are spot on, for instance, that are insightful and predictive of our future (there is a funny chapter dedicated to all of the problems of communication that reminded me quite a bit of the Zoom meetings we were forced to take part in during the 2020 lockdowns for instance). Also, the competitive tennis world scenarios were rather funny as well.

So why 2 stars? Basically, everything else. This book packs in various alternating storylines but within these storylines there is so much filler and superfluous, minute, overabundant nonsense thrown in that I literally had to skim over chapters just to get to something else. Footnotes and endnotes are everywhere as well. Alongside all the extraneous material, there was quite a bit of off-putting and/or depressing subject matter (drug use, mental health, etc.) that I just didn’t want to read about every day.

I stopped around the 400-page mark and it took me a month and a half to get there, and it feels like this book could have been trimmed down significantly. I could only read this book in small mouthfuls, 15 or 20 pages a day.

I watched a few interviews online with Wallace and he comes across well spoken and as some sort of genius. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean his writing will translate into a book people want to read. So I suppose the joke is on us. This was mostly a tedious and unrewarding read, not worth the investment in the long run.

That being said, I suppose I can see the appeal of this book to some readers. I am clearly not in this demographic though.
]]> 4.26 1996 Infinite Jest
author: David Foster Wallace
name: Franky
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1996
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/17
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, literary, literary-fiction, american-dream, philosophy, calling-it-a-day, closing-time, lifestooshort, letdown
review:
I’m finding this behemoth of a novel a very difficult one to review.

I’ll give Infinite Jest some credit: it’s different for sure. Different than anything I’ve ever read. It seems to exist in so many genres and subgenres and is has a unique presentation. I had to pull the plug, though, because it was just too much of everything else.

Probably the one thing that this book has going for it is the moments of humor aimed at society. There were a few entertaining segments that are spot on, for instance, that are insightful and predictive of our future (there is a funny chapter dedicated to all of the problems of communication that reminded me quite a bit of the Zoom meetings we were forced to take part in during the 2020 lockdowns for instance). Also, the competitive tennis world scenarios were rather funny as well.

So why 2 stars? Basically, everything else. This book packs in various alternating storylines but within these storylines there is so much filler and superfluous, minute, overabundant nonsense thrown in that I literally had to skim over chapters just to get to something else. Footnotes and endnotes are everywhere as well. Alongside all the extraneous material, there was quite a bit of off-putting and/or depressing subject matter (drug use, mental health, etc.) that I just didn’t want to read about every day.

I stopped around the 400-page mark and it took me a month and a half to get there, and it feels like this book could have been trimmed down significantly. I could only read this book in small mouthfuls, 15 or 20 pages a day.

I watched a few interviews online with Wallace and he comes across well spoken and as some sort of genius. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean his writing will translate into a book people want to read. So I suppose the joke is on us. This was mostly a tedious and unrewarding read, not worth the investment in the long run.

That being said, I suppose I can see the appeal of this book to some readers. I am clearly not in this demographic though.

]]> <![CDATA[Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1)]]> 33998338
The group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain, record all observations of their surroundings and of one anotioner, and, above all, avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.

They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers--they discover a massive topographic anomaly and life forms that surpass understanding--but it's the surprises that came across the border with them and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another that change everything.]]> 197 Jeff VanderMeer 0374537151 Franky 4
This novel almost works like a jigsaw puzzle that the reader, similar to the characters in their explorations, must try to interpret and put together. It’s not an easy novel to give a synopsis for because of its fragmented and unique approach.

At its core, the novel presents four woman—a biologist, an anthropologist, a surveyor, and a psychologist—who explore and investigate a place known as Area X. They are working for a government agency known as Southern Reach, but the agency hasn’t clued them in on various aspects of this search.

There is a mysterious tunnel (tower) that the group come upon in their investigation which makes up the basis for a good deal of the mysterious and unsettling aura of the narrative: “The tower steps kept revealing themselves, those whitish steps like the spiraling teeth of some unfathomable beast…�

With the biologist as our narrator, we see moments from her point of view, and there is a gradual release of information she gives the reader about her past, the prior expeditions into Area X, and what she witnesses as the explorers dig further into this area.

One of the interesting aspects of this novel is how difficult it is to pin down, both in terms of content and genre. As the reader, sometimes we are left trying to grasp onto anything for clues as much as the main character. This novel is defined as “weird� fiction, but it fuses into various forms: science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, thriller, dystopian, etc.

Even at a rather brisk 195 pages, I had to slow down and take my time with this read. There are many deep implications and thought-provoking ideas contained within, and both an uneasiness as well as an undefined aspect exist within this novel. The reader does have to do a little bit of work, but there is a rewarding aspect to try to decipher this literary puzzle and put everything together to form a picture.

The novel ends with enough closure, yet also opens the door to the sequel in the series. This is an engaging and very cerebral experience, and I look forward to part 2!

]]> 3.63 2014 Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1)
author: Jeff VanderMeer
name: Franky
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/20
date added: 2024/10/26
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, dystopian, fantasy, horror, sci-fi
review:
I remember seeing the film adaptation for Annihilation near the time it had come out and I loved it, never realizing it was based on a novel trilogy, the Southern Reach Trilogy.

This novel almost works like a jigsaw puzzle that the reader, similar to the characters in their explorations, must try to interpret and put together. It’s not an easy novel to give a synopsis for because of its fragmented and unique approach.

At its core, the novel presents four woman—a biologist, an anthropologist, a surveyor, and a psychologist—who explore and investigate a place known as Area X. They are working for a government agency known as Southern Reach, but the agency hasn’t clued them in on various aspects of this search.

There is a mysterious tunnel (tower) that the group come upon in their investigation which makes up the basis for a good deal of the mysterious and unsettling aura of the narrative: “The tower steps kept revealing themselves, those whitish steps like the spiraling teeth of some unfathomable beast…�

With the biologist as our narrator, we see moments from her point of view, and there is a gradual release of information she gives the reader about her past, the prior expeditions into Area X, and what she witnesses as the explorers dig further into this area.

One of the interesting aspects of this novel is how difficult it is to pin down, both in terms of content and genre. As the reader, sometimes we are left trying to grasp onto anything for clues as much as the main character. This novel is defined as “weird� fiction, but it fuses into various forms: science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, thriller, dystopian, etc.

Even at a rather brisk 195 pages, I had to slow down and take my time with this read. There are many deep implications and thought-provoking ideas contained within, and both an uneasiness as well as an undefined aspect exist within this novel. The reader does have to do a little bit of work, but there is a rewarding aspect to try to decipher this literary puzzle and put everything together to form a picture.

The novel ends with enough closure, yet also opens the door to the sequel in the series. This is an engaging and very cerebral experience, and I look forward to part 2!


]]> Jamaica Inn 50244 302 Daphne du Maurier 0380725398 Franky 3
This is my third novel I’ve read by Daphne Du Maurier. I really enjoyed Rebecca (5 stars), and My Cousin Rachel (4 stars) was pretty stellar, but Jamaica Inn lacks the qualities that make it as stellar as those two. This novel left me a little underwhelmed.

I would like to begin with the positive. In my opinion, Du Maurier is at her best when she is creating an unsettling or foreboding atmosphere, and she does this somewhat in this novel. Some of the depictions of Mary exploring the moors and confines outside Jamaica Inn are pure dark ambience, and these moments reminded me a little of the tension in Rebecca.

However, one of the problems I had (other than the lackluster characters) is that, for the most part, there is little in the way of subtlety in Jamaica Inn. There are dark elements for sure, but instead of leaving anything to the discretion of the reader’s imagination, it feels like most key elements and revelations are thrust before us to see and witness upfront. It is often what we don’t see or know or hear that is far more suspenseful and tension-filled but Jamaica Inn, once we know the happenings behind the curtain, is fairly transparent and thus, repetitive, as it circles around.

This, in turn, leads me to the other problem I had: the characters. The characters were lacking in the sense that, for the most part, what you see is what you get. Not that we read mysteries or thrillers for deep characterization, but these characters are fairly prototypical and predictable from the overbearing villain on down. (There is something that the readers could see as a “twist� or turn nearing the end, but some readers were able to see through this as well).

Finally--and this is just a personal preference--but this novel just left me cold. It is, by far, the darkest of the novels I’ve read by this author, and I just kind of wanted to be done with it.

I’m hoping this novel is the “exception to the rule� , the outlier, when it comes to this author in terms of being somewhat letdown. That is not to say that there aren’t foreboding moments, or great prose or descriptions that have moments of tension. But, in the end, overall Jamaica Inn was a so-so experience given my expectations.



]]> 3.80 1936 Jamaica Inn
author: Daphne du Maurier
name: Franky
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1936
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/17
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, historical-fiction, mystery, gothic
review:
“There’s things that happen at Jamaica Inn, Mary, that I’ve never dared to breathe. Bad things. Evil things…I dare not even admit them to myself.�

This is my third novel I’ve read by Daphne Du Maurier. I really enjoyed Rebecca (5 stars), and My Cousin Rachel (4 stars) was pretty stellar, but Jamaica Inn lacks the qualities that make it as stellar as those two. This novel left me a little underwhelmed.

I would like to begin with the positive. In my opinion, Du Maurier is at her best when she is creating an unsettling or foreboding atmosphere, and she does this somewhat in this novel. Some of the depictions of Mary exploring the moors and confines outside Jamaica Inn are pure dark ambience, and these moments reminded me a little of the tension in Rebecca.

However, one of the problems I had (other than the lackluster characters) is that, for the most part, there is little in the way of subtlety in Jamaica Inn. There are dark elements for sure, but instead of leaving anything to the discretion of the reader’s imagination, it feels like most key elements and revelations are thrust before us to see and witness upfront. It is often what we don’t see or know or hear that is far more suspenseful and tension-filled but Jamaica Inn, once we know the happenings behind the curtain, is fairly transparent and thus, repetitive, as it circles around.

This, in turn, leads me to the other problem I had: the characters. The characters were lacking in the sense that, for the most part, what you see is what you get. Not that we read mysteries or thrillers for deep characterization, but these characters are fairly prototypical and predictable from the overbearing villain on down. (There is something that the readers could see as a “twist� or turn nearing the end, but some readers were able to see through this as well).

Finally--and this is just a personal preference--but this novel just left me cold. It is, by far, the darkest of the novels I’ve read by this author, and I just kind of wanted to be done with it.

I’m hoping this novel is the “exception to the rule� , the outlier, when it comes to this author in terms of being somewhat letdown. That is not to say that there aren’t foreboding moments, or great prose or descriptions that have moments of tension. But, in the end, overall Jamaica Inn was a so-so experience given my expectations.




]]> A Dark-Adapted Eye 2139951 248 Barbara Vine 0553051431 Franky 3
Our narrator is Faith Severn, niece to Vera Hillyard, who was sentenced and executed for the murder of her sister, Eden. As she learns that Daniel Stevens, a journalist, is to embark on a project to tell Vera’s story, Faith’s narrative sheds light on the timeline of the family history and those closely associated with Vera. As it is 35 years since the murder and Vera’s trial and subsequent hanging, Faith hopes to form a picture of how and why events transpired.

In the present, even though many of the family have tried to separate themselves from Vera and sweep this under the rug, Faith feels as though tracing Vera and the family is unavoidable:

“She has come back into my life after an absence that extends over more than a third of a century. Helen and Daniel Stewart have brought her to me and she is here in the house…�

While the premise of this novel sounds intriguing and gripping, the process for the reader to sort through this book is not.

For one, this book introduces far too many characters in both the family and those associated with the family—some integral to the plot, some not—and it becomes a chore to figure out said person’s context or relation to other characters around them. A few reviewers had suggested that a family tree be inserted in the preface somewhere to give some clarity; I agree wholeheartedly.

Secondly, there are shifts in time back and forth with moments of supposed import, but Faith has a voice that speaks of these events in a same consistent, off-handed, unassuming manner that gives no particular moment a stronger level of significance over another. Because of this, the time delineations are quite confusing because there is little to suggest a shift is coming or that anything in the way of a vital juncture has arrived.

The novel redeems itself somewhat in the final thirty pages or so, which are easily the most impactful and gripping, but it feels like we have to wade through so much to get here. It’s here where the pieces come together and give us a better picture.

At the end of the day, I can only say that the novel was so so, but like I said, some have indicated that this is not one of her better works, so maybe I will look into others.

]]> 3.73 1986 A Dark-Adapted Eye
author: Barbara Vine
name: Franky
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1986
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, crime, historical-fiction, mystery, psychological-thriller
review:
Barbara Vine has quite a following, and given the reviews, whether A Dark-Adapted Eye is one of her better works seems to be a point of contention. This was my first read by this author, and for my money, I felt that the novel had quite a few problems that kept it more in the mediocre range.

Our narrator is Faith Severn, niece to Vera Hillyard, who was sentenced and executed for the murder of her sister, Eden. As she learns that Daniel Stevens, a journalist, is to embark on a project to tell Vera’s story, Faith’s narrative sheds light on the timeline of the family history and those closely associated with Vera. As it is 35 years since the murder and Vera’s trial and subsequent hanging, Faith hopes to form a picture of how and why events transpired.

In the present, even though many of the family have tried to separate themselves from Vera and sweep this under the rug, Faith feels as though tracing Vera and the family is unavoidable:

“She has come back into my life after an absence that extends over more than a third of a century. Helen and Daniel Stewart have brought her to me and she is here in the house…�

While the premise of this novel sounds intriguing and gripping, the process for the reader to sort through this book is not.

For one, this book introduces far too many characters in both the family and those associated with the family—some integral to the plot, some not—and it becomes a chore to figure out said person’s context or relation to other characters around them. A few reviewers had suggested that a family tree be inserted in the preface somewhere to give some clarity; I agree wholeheartedly.

Secondly, there are shifts in time back and forth with moments of supposed import, but Faith has a voice that speaks of these events in a same consistent, off-handed, unassuming manner that gives no particular moment a stronger level of significance over another. Because of this, the time delineations are quite confusing because there is little to suggest a shift is coming or that anything in the way of a vital juncture has arrived.

The novel redeems itself somewhat in the final thirty pages or so, which are easily the most impactful and gripping, but it feels like we have to wade through so much to get here. It’s here where the pieces come together and give us a better picture.

At the end of the day, I can only say that the novel was so so, but like I said, some have indicated that this is not one of her better works, so maybe I will look into others.


]]> The Revenant 24464121 NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A thrilling tale of betrayal and revenge set against the nineteenth-century American frontier, the astonishing story of real-life trapper and frontiersman Hugh Glass

The year is 1823, and the trappers of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company live a brutal frontier life. Hugh Glass is among the company’s finest men, an experienced frontiersman and an expert tracker. But when a scouting mission puts him face-to-face with a grizzly bear, he is viciously mauled and not expected to survive. Two company men are dispatched to stay behind and tend to Glass before he dies. When the men abandon him instead, Glass is driven to survive by one desire: revenge. With shocking grit and determination, Glass sets out, crawling at first, across hundreds of miles of uncharted American frontier. Based on a true story, The Revenant is a remarkable tale of obsession, the human will stretched to its limits, and the lengths that one man will go to for retribution.]]> 262 Michael Punke 1250072689 Franky 4
The term revenant is defined as “one who returns after death,� a fitting title given the predicament and remarkable story of trapper Hugh Glass.

I’m sure all are aware of the Leonardo DiCaprio film from a while back that is the adaptation of this novel, and specifically the famous (infamous) “grizzly bear� scene. I feel as though, while both are powerful stories, the novel gives more emphasis on the psychology of Glass� dire life or death situation and the lengths to which he had to “come back from death.�

The author sets the scene early in the novel. In the early part of the 1800s, the Rocky Mountain Fur Company is in the midst of a brutal and often dangerous mission. One of the more experience of the bunch, Hugh Glass, is preforming a scouting duty when a vicious encounter with a grizzly bear puts him at death’s edge as the rest of men decide how to proceed.

This novel is called a “revenge� novel or “revenge� story, and while revenge is certainly a player and theme—and largely the basis and fuel for the protagonist’s motivations—the survival element was far more important, thought-provoking, and interesting.

And, as a survival story, The Revenant is top notch and engrossing. The author does a superb job placing the reader right square in the point of view from Hugh Glass� perspective after he is abandoned by two of the men in his group, his supplies taken, and his wounds severe and life-threatening. There is a rawness and brutality to the depiction of Glass efforts to go from the brink of death to try to muster up enough energy to go into full survival mode.

I cannot write it without maybe giving away some spoilers, but there is a great quote from one of the characters near the end who basically gives such great insights into his thoughts on Glass� quest for revenge.

In this edition, there is an “Historical Note� from Punke where he details the historical elements and certain fictionalized parts of the novel, and sheds some light on the book itself and gives some context.

The Revenant is a gripping and fascinating historical fiction, looking into one man’s brutal quest to survive and make it to the next day in the harshest of conditions.

Definitely recommended, especially for those who love survival or man vs. nature type stories, or stories of overcoming odds.

]]> 3.98 2002 The Revenant
author: Michael Punke
name: Franky
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/22
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, adventure, historical-fiction, history, survival, western, man-vs-nature
review:
“At the same time, Glass sensed that his body was marshalling itself for another, decisive battle. Not at the surface, but deep within.�

The term revenant is defined as “one who returns after death,� a fitting title given the predicament and remarkable story of trapper Hugh Glass.

I’m sure all are aware of the Leonardo DiCaprio film from a while back that is the adaptation of this novel, and specifically the famous (infamous) “grizzly bear� scene. I feel as though, while both are powerful stories, the novel gives more emphasis on the psychology of Glass� dire life or death situation and the lengths to which he had to “come back from death.�

The author sets the scene early in the novel. In the early part of the 1800s, the Rocky Mountain Fur Company is in the midst of a brutal and often dangerous mission. One of the more experience of the bunch, Hugh Glass, is preforming a scouting duty when a vicious encounter with a grizzly bear puts him at death’s edge as the rest of men decide how to proceed.

This novel is called a “revenge� novel or “revenge� story, and while revenge is certainly a player and theme—and largely the basis and fuel for the protagonist’s motivations—the survival element was far more important, thought-provoking, and interesting.

And, as a survival story, The Revenant is top notch and engrossing. The author does a superb job placing the reader right square in the point of view from Hugh Glass� perspective after he is abandoned by two of the men in his group, his supplies taken, and his wounds severe and life-threatening. There is a rawness and brutality to the depiction of Glass efforts to go from the brink of death to try to muster up enough energy to go into full survival mode.

I cannot write it without maybe giving away some spoilers, but there is a great quote from one of the characters near the end who basically gives such great insights into his thoughts on Glass� quest for revenge.

In this edition, there is an “Historical Note� from Punke where he details the historical elements and certain fictionalized parts of the novel, and sheds some light on the book itself and gives some context.

The Revenant is a gripping and fascinating historical fiction, looking into one man’s brutal quest to survive and make it to the next day in the harshest of conditions.

Definitely recommended, especially for those who love survival or man vs. nature type stories, or stories of overcoming odds.


]]> Ivanhoe 6440 Ivanhoe with his concerns about contemporary events.
Scott drew together the apparently opposing themes of historical reality and chivalric romance, social realism and high adventure, past and present.]]> 496 Walter Scott Franky 4
Obviously, Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe has gained quite a reputation as a solid classic work that is notable for its medieval and high adventure qualities and is the basis for several film adaptations.

I can see why this novel has come into some criticism for both its antiquated viewpoints from several characters and its questionable historical references. I do feel, however, that Scott’s novel is quite compelling in several ways in its storytelling and has relevant themes that give it substance.

This novel is odd in that there is not really one central main conflict, per se, but rather a series of them through various episodes. Perhaps, though, the prevailing conflict comes in the form of the clashing between the Saxons and the Normans.

In my opinion, the best parts of the novel are simply the essentials that make this a great adventure. The battle scenes and spectacle of the tournaments as well as the several moments of peril where a hero must rush in to try to save the day make for a very compelling story. There is quite a bit of “star power� in this one in terms of legendary heroes as well, with Ivanhoe, Robin Hood and King Richard wearing disguises and for a good deal of the plot and then coming in and key points in moment of peril.

There are some very engaging scenes, and this book really has it all when it comes to the staples of this genre: damsels in distress, villainous and dastardly antagonists, compelling combats that leave the audience in awe, wanderings through the forests and castles, romance, a code of chivalry and honorability, and a compelling witch trial.

I did feel, though, that the ending was just a tad anticlimactic and that there were some moments where things dragged a little, mostly due to some character giving a long-winded speech that could have been summed up a little more neatly and quickly.

Overall, though, Ivanhoe is a fun, engaging adventure, and historical fiction. I can see how its classic status has endured for all these years.


]]> 3.76 1819 Ivanhoe
author: Walter Scott
name: Franky
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1819
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/21
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, adventure, classics, history, historical-fiction, kindle, romance
review:
“When the two champions stood opposed to each other at the two extremities of the lists, the public expectation was strained to the highest pitch. Few argued the possibility that the encounter could terminate well for the Disinherited Knight, yet his courage and gallantry secured the general good wishes of the spectators.�

Obviously, Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe has gained quite a reputation as a solid classic work that is notable for its medieval and high adventure qualities and is the basis for several film adaptations.

I can see why this novel has come into some criticism for both its antiquated viewpoints from several characters and its questionable historical references. I do feel, however, that Scott’s novel is quite compelling in several ways in its storytelling and has relevant themes that give it substance.

This novel is odd in that there is not really one central main conflict, per se, but rather a series of them through various episodes. Perhaps, though, the prevailing conflict comes in the form of the clashing between the Saxons and the Normans.

In my opinion, the best parts of the novel are simply the essentials that make this a great adventure. The battle scenes and spectacle of the tournaments as well as the several moments of peril where a hero must rush in to try to save the day make for a very compelling story. There is quite a bit of “star power� in this one in terms of legendary heroes as well, with Ivanhoe, Robin Hood and King Richard wearing disguises and for a good deal of the plot and then coming in and key points in moment of peril.

There are some very engaging scenes, and this book really has it all when it comes to the staples of this genre: damsels in distress, villainous and dastardly antagonists, compelling combats that leave the audience in awe, wanderings through the forests and castles, romance, a code of chivalry and honorability, and a compelling witch trial.

I did feel, though, that the ending was just a tad anticlimactic and that there were some moments where things dragged a little, mostly due to some character giving a long-winded speech that could have been summed up a little more neatly and quickly.

Overall, though, Ivanhoe is a fun, engaging adventure, and historical fiction. I can see how its classic status has endured for all these years.



]]> A Hunger Artist 35076147 27 Franz Kafka 3961890250 Franky 4
This was my first venture into the world of Frank Kafka and, although a small sample size, “A Hunger Artist� has quite a bit going on under the surface that give it a deeper and richer meaning symbolically.

There is something of the spectacle to the hunger artist’s craft as presented in the story. Within the story, we are given a context into how the hunger artist became something of a phenomenon. By fasting for great lengths of time within the confines of a cage, these individuals become something of an attraction for onlookers. One of the interesting dynamics explored and delved into is the relationship between the artist’s motivations for their fast versus the public’s perceptions and skepticisms.

Perhaps more than any story I’ve read, Kafka’s tale lends itself to a deeply allegorical level of interpretation that can go many ways and be examined through many different lenses. Certainly one of the angles is the historical context of hunger artists, but one could also look at the story thematically and moralistically as well as other ways: religiously, examining the roles of artists and their work, etc.

I will freely admit that there is quite a bit to sift through and put together and consider upon reading the final page, but one remarkable feature of Kafka’s story is just that: there is so much room for reflection. Kafka’s tale gives enough to pique one’s interest, but he definitely puts a lot on the reader in terms of trying to unpack and interpret levels of meaning. This, however, is totally fine and makes for a deeper and richer reading experience.

I look forward to reading more longer works from Kafka in the future.

]]> 3.58 1924 A Hunger Artist
author: Franz Kafka
name: Franky
average rating: 3.58
book published: 1924
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/14
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, kindle, philosophy, short-stories, morality
review:
“In the last decades interest in hunger artists has declined considerably. Where in earlier days there was good money to be earned putting on major productions of this sort under one’s management, nowadays that is totally impossible.�

This was my first venture into the world of Frank Kafka and, although a small sample size, “A Hunger Artist� has quite a bit going on under the surface that give it a deeper and richer meaning symbolically.

There is something of the spectacle to the hunger artist’s craft as presented in the story. Within the story, we are given a context into how the hunger artist became something of a phenomenon. By fasting for great lengths of time within the confines of a cage, these individuals become something of an attraction for onlookers. One of the interesting dynamics explored and delved into is the relationship between the artist’s motivations for their fast versus the public’s perceptions and skepticisms.

Perhaps more than any story I’ve read, Kafka’s tale lends itself to a deeply allegorical level of interpretation that can go many ways and be examined through many different lenses. Certainly one of the angles is the historical context of hunger artists, but one could also look at the story thematically and moralistically as well as other ways: religiously, examining the roles of artists and their work, etc.

I will freely admit that there is quite a bit to sift through and put together and consider upon reading the final page, but one remarkable feature of Kafka’s story is just that: there is so much room for reflection. Kafka’s tale gives enough to pique one’s interest, but he definitely puts a lot on the reader in terms of trying to unpack and interpret levels of meaning. This, however, is totally fine and makes for a deeper and richer reading experience.

I look forward to reading more longer works from Kafka in the future.


]]> The Travelling Cat Chronicles 40961230
An instant international bestseller and indie bestseller, The Travelling Cat Chronicles has charmed readers around the world. With simple yet descriptive prose, this novel gives voice to Nana the cat and his owner, Satoru, as they take to the road on a journey with no other purpose than to visit three of Satoru's longtime friends. Or so Nana is led to believe...

With his crooked tail—a sign of good fortune—and adventurous spirit, Nana is the perfect companion for the man who took him in as a stray. And as they travel in a silver van across Japan, with its ever-changing scenery and seasons, they will learn the true meaning of courage and gratitude, of loyalty and love.]]> 281 Hiro Arikawa 0735235244 Franky 3
In the opening segments, a man named Saturo forms a bond with a cat (Nana) who Saturo has rescued from being hit by a car. Saturo eventually helps kitty recover and recuperate and the bond is firmly solidified. However, for reasons that are undiscovered until much later in the novel, Saturo is forced to try to give up and find a suitable owner who will take Nana and care for him. From here, we go from place to place, locale to locale, as Saturo tries to find Nana a place.

As I hinted at earlier, this had all the makings of a book I would like, but it really felt like the book’s title is a massive misnomer since so much of the focus is on human interaction and the behind-the-scenes interactions and so little of it is really about the life of Nana.

Also, the plot jumps around way too much and too randomly without any rhyme or reason, and so there is not much in the way of a deep focus on any one story or moment. It was too scattered, and it feels like it could have been a translation issue. (Also, it was odd how the narrative voice shifted from the sarcastic Nana to a third person narrator on a whim from segment to segment).

The novel heads toward a slightly predictable path in the final parts and just overall has an overly sentimental, saccharine mood that is too heavy handed and obvious. The author lays this on way too thick. Because of this, there is not as much power in the key moments that should have been more of an emotional investment on the part of the reader, and, in general, things fall a little flat.

In the end, I appreciate the kitty and the story of his owner and there is a little charm and thoughtfulness to how it is presented, but it just didn’t entirely work with all the behind-the-scenes family/ human drama.
]]> 4.35 2012 The Travelling Cat Chronicles
author: Hiro Arikawa
name: Franky
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/01
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, animals, contemporary, literary, literary-fiction, japan
review:
I wanted to like this novel. I really did. I mean, cats and everything. But I can only say that I feel lukewarm about the whole experience. This is a read that I thought would be about something else entirely.

In the opening segments, a man named Saturo forms a bond with a cat (Nana) who Saturo has rescued from being hit by a car. Saturo eventually helps kitty recover and recuperate and the bond is firmly solidified. However, for reasons that are undiscovered until much later in the novel, Saturo is forced to try to give up and find a suitable owner who will take Nana and care for him. From here, we go from place to place, locale to locale, as Saturo tries to find Nana a place.

As I hinted at earlier, this had all the makings of a book I would like, but it really felt like the book’s title is a massive misnomer since so much of the focus is on human interaction and the behind-the-scenes interactions and so little of it is really about the life of Nana.

Also, the plot jumps around way too much and too randomly without any rhyme or reason, and so there is not much in the way of a deep focus on any one story or moment. It was too scattered, and it feels like it could have been a translation issue. (Also, it was odd how the narrative voice shifted from the sarcastic Nana to a third person narrator on a whim from segment to segment).

The novel heads toward a slightly predictable path in the final parts and just overall has an overly sentimental, saccharine mood that is too heavy handed and obvious. The author lays this on way too thick. Because of this, there is not as much power in the key moments that should have been more of an emotional investment on the part of the reader, and, in general, things fall a little flat.

In the end, I appreciate the kitty and the story of his owner and there is a little charm and thoughtfulness to how it is presented, but it just didn’t entirely work with all the behind-the-scenes family/ human drama.

]]> Lonesome Dove 7615279 Lonesome Dove, the third book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy, is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America.

Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.]]> 858 Larry McMurtry Franky 4
At its definitive core, Lonesome Dove explores a great many characters—flawed and human—and their perennial and continual search, whether that search be internally or externally. It feels like the characters are always looking for something better and to gain a better meaning or place in life.

In the case of two of our principle characters, Captain Woodrow Call and Augustus “Gus� McRae, this comes in the form of an exodus from the small town of Lonesome Dove across state lines. When the two are not exchanging verbal jabs at each other, Call and Gus are leading members of the Hat Creek Outfit and others across states towards their destination of Montana in the hopes of grander prospects. However, along the way, they encounter conflicts and dangers, trials, and obstacles, from Mother Nature, nefarious individuals, villains, and rogues of all sorts.

I feel like this is a work whose sum and totality are more impactful than some of its smaller parts and episodes. We have various episodic character subplots that are revolving and happening simultaneously, and McMurtry allows these subplots to often converge so seamlessly.

However, I just felt like there were a few character threads that I was less than enthusiastic about (either because the characters were unremarkable or not that impactful for the entirety of the story). I felt like we were zeroing in on these characters too much, and they were getting too much “airtime.� (July’s wife Elmira is one such example.) I felt tempted to skim over these sections because I wasn’t very invested in the characters, or didn’t think these segments were that critical.

That being said, a couple of the characters who I felt were interesting were Newt Dobbs and Joshua Deets. Newt is a young man who joins the trek with others, but his ignorance into this rugged lifestyle is an eye opening, coming of age and sometimes painful experience as he learns many harsh life lessons. Another impactful character in the novel was Deets, who is a lifetime member of the Hat Creek Outfit. As the only Black man who is member of the group, he does face difficulties and unfair treatment at points (which, unfortunately, was a product of the times). He is a strong, principled character who is important to Newt during this journey as well as the others for his knowledge and experience.

In this massive exodus we embark on, Lonesome Dove explores many prevalent themes, including duty and honor, faithfulness, the changing of the guard, romance, coming of age and death. The story and volume of the work is vast in its scope, and it is an enduring and memorable expedition for the characters as well as the readers.]]> 4.68 1985 Lonesome Dove
author: Larry McMurtry
name: Franky
average rating: 4.68
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/26
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, adventure, western, history, historical-fiction
review:
In Larry McMurtry’s 1985 modern classic Lonesome Dove, McMurtry creates a western that is both epic and grand, and that covers quite a bit of ground, both literally and figuratively. I think one of the more remarkable traits is the author’s ability to take so many different individual stories and pack and blend them into one sprawling, long-standing journey.

At its definitive core, Lonesome Dove explores a great many characters—flawed and human—and their perennial and continual search, whether that search be internally or externally. It feels like the characters are always looking for something better and to gain a better meaning or place in life.

In the case of two of our principle characters, Captain Woodrow Call and Augustus “Gus� McRae, this comes in the form of an exodus from the small town of Lonesome Dove across state lines. When the two are not exchanging verbal jabs at each other, Call and Gus are leading members of the Hat Creek Outfit and others across states towards their destination of Montana in the hopes of grander prospects. However, along the way, they encounter conflicts and dangers, trials, and obstacles, from Mother Nature, nefarious individuals, villains, and rogues of all sorts.

I feel like this is a work whose sum and totality are more impactful than some of its smaller parts and episodes. We have various episodic character subplots that are revolving and happening simultaneously, and McMurtry allows these subplots to often converge so seamlessly.

However, I just felt like there were a few character threads that I was less than enthusiastic about (either because the characters were unremarkable or not that impactful for the entirety of the story). I felt like we were zeroing in on these characters too much, and they were getting too much “airtime.� (July’s wife Elmira is one such example.) I felt tempted to skim over these sections because I wasn’t very invested in the characters, or didn’t think these segments were that critical.

That being said, a couple of the characters who I felt were interesting were Newt Dobbs and Joshua Deets. Newt is a young man who joins the trek with others, but his ignorance into this rugged lifestyle is an eye opening, coming of age and sometimes painful experience as he learns many harsh life lessons. Another impactful character in the novel was Deets, who is a lifetime member of the Hat Creek Outfit. As the only Black man who is member of the group, he does face difficulties and unfair treatment at points (which, unfortunately, was a product of the times). He is a strong, principled character who is important to Newt during this journey as well as the others for his knowledge and experience.

In this massive exodus we embark on, Lonesome Dove explores many prevalent themes, including duty and honor, faithfulness, the changing of the guard, romance, coming of age and death. The story and volume of the work is vast in its scope, and it is an enduring and memorable expedition for the characters as well as the readers.
]]> I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) 41804
I, ROBOT

They mustn't harm a human being, they must obey human orders, and they must protect their own existence...but only so long as that doesn't violate rules one and two. With these Three Laws of Robotics, humanity embarked on perhaps its greatest adventure: the invention of the first positronic man. It was a bold new era of evolution that would open up enormous possibilities—and unforeseen risks. For the scientists who invented the earliest robots weren't content that their creations should ' remain programmed helpers, companions, and semisentient worker-machines. And soon the robots themselves; aware of their own intelligence, power, and humanity, aren't either.

As humans and robots struggle to survive together—and sometimes against each other—on earth and in space, the future of both hangs in the balance. Human men and women confront robots gone mad, telepathic robots, robot politicians, and vast robotic intelligences that may already secretly control the world. And both are asking the same questions: What is human? And is humanity obsolete?

In l, Robot Isaac Asimov changes forever our perception of robots, and human beings and updates the timeless myth of man's dream to play god. with all its rewards—and terrors.
--front flap]]> 224 Isaac Asimov 0553803700 Franky 4
I, Robot features a series of loosely connected stories that are framed around an interview with Dr. Susan Calvin, robot psychologist (you heard that right) who is a prominent figure in several of the stories in the collection. Her role as a psychologist comes into prominence in several tales as she has to deconstruct the motivations and behaviors of robots.

Asimov infuses the fundamental Rules of Robotics into the stories and these rules come into play with the robot’s encounters with humans. In general, the stories explore the dynamics of how these rules oftentimes influence behavior and come into conflict when robots interact with humans. As one can imagine, a common theme throughout is human overconfidence in their ability to shape and control robots (and, in general, technology) and how things do not go as swimmingly as expected.

Many of the tales navigate into how problems—some minor, some life-threatening—can occur when humans overestimate their own capabilities.

I thought almost all the stories were quite cerebral and thought-provoking. Clearly Asimov was ahead of his time in many ways. Here are a few of the standouts:

“Robbie� concerns a child (Gloria) who has a robot named Robbie as a playfellow and companion. The story deals with Gloria’s attachment to Robbie and Gloria’s mother’s hope to break this attachment through various means. This was a very human story, powerful and emotional, and it was my favorite of the bunch with its impactful finish.

“Reason� delves into the theme of humans losing control of robots and features Powell and Donovan, two featured characters in a few of the stories. When robot QT-1 goes rogue and follows his own line of orders, Powell and Donovan try to restore him and solve the problem without risking too much.

“Little Lost Robot� explores how a modification of the first law of robotics—that robots cannot harm humans—sets up a dangerous precedent. Pretty interesting story about a robot gone slightly amok because of this modification and how Dr. Calvin tries to solve this puzzling situation before harm comes of it.

In “Escape�, there is a robot named The Brain that U.S. officials hope will help them launch quite an ambitious project. When our duo Powell and Donovan get stuck on a ship, it is up to Dr. Calvin and other humans to try to get them back. This story explores the nature of how innovative technological advancements always come with a price.

Those were some of the notable ones but overall, it is a very worthy collection. These stories pave the way the human/ robot interaction in the subsequent robot novels.
]]> 4.22 1950 I, Robot (Robot, #0.1)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Franky
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1950
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/24
date added: 2024/08/29
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, fantasy, mr-roboto, sci-fi, robots, short-stories, classics
review:
The Caves of Steel was my first introduction to the world of Asimov a few years ago (I am a little late to the Asimov party), and it was quite enjoyable, so I thought I would backtrack and read the story collection that works as the prequel to the Robot series.

I, Robot features a series of loosely connected stories that are framed around an interview with Dr. Susan Calvin, robot psychologist (you heard that right) who is a prominent figure in several of the stories in the collection. Her role as a psychologist comes into prominence in several tales as she has to deconstruct the motivations and behaviors of robots.

Asimov infuses the fundamental Rules of Robotics into the stories and these rules come into play with the robot’s encounters with humans. In general, the stories explore the dynamics of how these rules oftentimes influence behavior and come into conflict when robots interact with humans. As one can imagine, a common theme throughout is human overconfidence in their ability to shape and control robots (and, in general, technology) and how things do not go as swimmingly as expected.

Many of the tales navigate into how problems—some minor, some life-threatening—can occur when humans overestimate their own capabilities.

I thought almost all the stories were quite cerebral and thought-provoking. Clearly Asimov was ahead of his time in many ways. Here are a few of the standouts:

“Robbie� concerns a child (Gloria) who has a robot named Robbie as a playfellow and companion. The story deals with Gloria’s attachment to Robbie and Gloria’s mother’s hope to break this attachment through various means. This was a very human story, powerful and emotional, and it was my favorite of the bunch with its impactful finish.

“Reason� delves into the theme of humans losing control of robots and features Powell and Donovan, two featured characters in a few of the stories. When robot QT-1 goes rogue and follows his own line of orders, Powell and Donovan try to restore him and solve the problem without risking too much.

“Little Lost Robot� explores how a modification of the first law of robotics—that robots cannot harm humans—sets up a dangerous precedent. Pretty interesting story about a robot gone slightly amok because of this modification and how Dr. Calvin tries to solve this puzzling situation before harm comes of it.

In “Escape�, there is a robot named The Brain that U.S. officials hope will help them launch quite an ambitious project. When our duo Powell and Donovan get stuck on a ship, it is up to Dr. Calvin and other humans to try to get them back. This story explores the nature of how innovative technological advancements always come with a price.

Those were some of the notable ones but overall, it is a very worthy collection. These stories pave the way the human/ robot interaction in the subsequent robot novels.

]]> Where the Crawdads Sing 36809135
But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.]]> 384 Delia Owens 0735219117 Franky 4
I am fairly skeptical of those books that are very hyped up to the max and have high ratings galore with the masses singing their praises. I have gone into some of those books and felt quite let down and disappointed by the novel’s end. However, this was not the case at all with Delia Owen’s popular novel Where the Crawdads Sing, a novel that breaches into various genres and themes: coming of age, romance, mystery, courtroom drama.

1969. The quiet, small North Carolina town Barkley Cove is astir and up in arms when one of its popular locals, Chase Andrews, is found dead. Suspected of the crime is Kya Clark, who has been dubbed the “Marsh girl� because she has isolated herself out in the marsh away from the town and the public.

Owens formats this novel so we are constantly shifting around through the past and fast forwarding to various years, and this allows us to “fill in the pieces� of what has taken place in this small community. Through this structure, we get to see Kya’s childhood as well as the communities� reaction to her and the choices she has made along the way.

During the years in the past, we come to know that her mother left her at an early age and never came back, and her abusive father also left her, along with her brother, who joined the military. Left to fend on her own, Kya becomes resourceful and visits Jumpin� and Mabel, a kind couple who own a store and become parental-type figures to help Kya survive and provide help. Kya also comes to know and be involved with two of the boys who are her age, Tate Walker and Chase Andrews, who form a love triangle of sorts and forms the basis for the mystery at hand.

I think this book does have a few flaws, but I tended to forgive them because I just enjoyed pretty much everything else. I love how the author brings in love of the natural world and how Kya so readily identifies with this world as a source of comfort and means to escape. In many ways, the marsh itself becomes a character symbolizing the solace away from the town gossip.

The author also delves into important themes such as isolation and fitting in and finding oneself. I like how she manages to put many of the pieces together to form a picture of the past and present.

Overall, I was fairly pleased with Where the Crawdads Sing and will look into more works from this author. It was a very easy read that just flew by and was quite engaging from beginning to end.]]> 4.35 2018 Where the Crawdads Sing
author: Delia Owens
name: Franky
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/17
date added: 2024/08/24
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, contemporary, historical-fiction, history, mystery, romance, southern, coming-of-age
review:
“Go as far as you can—way out yonder where the crawdads sing.�

I am fairly skeptical of those books that are very hyped up to the max and have high ratings galore with the masses singing their praises. I have gone into some of those books and felt quite let down and disappointed by the novel’s end. However, this was not the case at all with Delia Owen’s popular novel Where the Crawdads Sing, a novel that breaches into various genres and themes: coming of age, romance, mystery, courtroom drama.

1969. The quiet, small North Carolina town Barkley Cove is astir and up in arms when one of its popular locals, Chase Andrews, is found dead. Suspected of the crime is Kya Clark, who has been dubbed the “Marsh girl� because she has isolated herself out in the marsh away from the town and the public.

Owens formats this novel so we are constantly shifting around through the past and fast forwarding to various years, and this allows us to “fill in the pieces� of what has taken place in this small community. Through this structure, we get to see Kya’s childhood as well as the communities� reaction to her and the choices she has made along the way.

During the years in the past, we come to know that her mother left her at an early age and never came back, and her abusive father also left her, along with her brother, who joined the military. Left to fend on her own, Kya becomes resourceful and visits Jumpin� and Mabel, a kind couple who own a store and become parental-type figures to help Kya survive and provide help. Kya also comes to know and be involved with two of the boys who are her age, Tate Walker and Chase Andrews, who form a love triangle of sorts and forms the basis for the mystery at hand.

I think this book does have a few flaws, but I tended to forgive them because I just enjoyed pretty much everything else. I love how the author brings in love of the natural world and how Kya so readily identifies with this world as a source of comfort and means to escape. In many ways, the marsh itself becomes a character symbolizing the solace away from the town gossip.

The author also delves into important themes such as isolation and fitting in and finding oneself. I like how she manages to put many of the pieces together to form a picture of the past and present.

Overall, I was fairly pleased with Where the Crawdads Sing and will look into more works from this author. It was a very easy read that just flew by and was quite engaging from beginning to end.
]]> <![CDATA[The Body in the Library (Miss Marple, #2)]]> 58132562 Now with a beautiful new series look, the iconic Miss Marple must investigate the case of a girl found dead in Agatha Christie's classic mystery.

It's seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing an evening dress and heavy makeup, which is now smeared across her cheeks. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry?

The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple into their home to investigate. Amid rumors of scandal, she baits a clever trap to catch a ruthless killer.]]> 224 Agatha Christie 0063214016 Franky 3
I don’t know if this is a case where the Christie formula is wearing off a bit, but The Body in the Library, while entertaining at points, just doesn’t compare to some of the other Christie novels I’ve read.

The novel opens with a rather bizarre predicament. The Bantrys are in for quite a shock at the outset of the mystery when they come to find that a deceased young lady lay on the floor of their library. This is a woman that no one seems to have any knowledge of, and trying to figure out who she is and why she is in their library will take some investigative work.

The Body in the Library’s investigation takes several individuals to go out and hunt for clues, ask questions of those around, dig into the behind-the-scenes happenings around the residence and community. However, while Miss Marple is there to observe and think and produce theories, she does not have much of a prominent role in the proceedings. Yet, somehow, she is able to pull a rabbit out of the hat and magically piece together everything at the end, putting the pieces together. I didn’t quite buy this.

Which brings me to another grumble I had with this book given the big reveal at the end: the red herrings. Normally I could care less about red herrings in a mystery if they are not that distracting, but given what is explained at the conclusion, it renders a good chunk of the plot a massive distraction.

The more I think about it, I’ve come to realize that when it comes to Christie’s mysteries, I am definitely on the Team Poirot side. He seems to be a more integral and prominent fixture in the plot and ultimately solving the cases. I tend to like his wit and ingenuity in examining clues, witnesses, and evidence and then producing theories.

So, while The Body in the Library is still Agatha Christie, and worthy of a read, I just don’t think this one ranks with some of her better ones.]]> 3.73 1942 The Body in the Library (Miss Marple, #2)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Franky
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1942
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/09
date added: 2024/08/15
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, crime, mystery, thriller
review:
“Downstairs in the lounge, by the third pillar from the left, there sits an old lady with a sweet, placid spinsterish face, and a mind that has plumbed the depths of human iniquity and taken it as in all the day’s work. Her name’s Miss Marple.�

I don’t know if this is a case where the Christie formula is wearing off a bit, but The Body in the Library, while entertaining at points, just doesn’t compare to some of the other Christie novels I’ve read.

The novel opens with a rather bizarre predicament. The Bantrys are in for quite a shock at the outset of the mystery when they come to find that a deceased young lady lay on the floor of their library. This is a woman that no one seems to have any knowledge of, and trying to figure out who she is and why she is in their library will take some investigative work.

The Body in the Library’s investigation takes several individuals to go out and hunt for clues, ask questions of those around, dig into the behind-the-scenes happenings around the residence and community. However, while Miss Marple is there to observe and think and produce theories, she does not have much of a prominent role in the proceedings. Yet, somehow, she is able to pull a rabbit out of the hat and magically piece together everything at the end, putting the pieces together. I didn’t quite buy this.

Which brings me to another grumble I had with this book given the big reveal at the end: the red herrings. Normally I could care less about red herrings in a mystery if they are not that distracting, but given what is explained at the conclusion, it renders a good chunk of the plot a massive distraction.

The more I think about it, I’ve come to realize that when it comes to Christie’s mysteries, I am definitely on the Team Poirot side. He seems to be a more integral and prominent fixture in the plot and ultimately solving the cases. I tend to like his wit and ingenuity in examining clues, witnesses, and evidence and then producing theories.

So, while The Body in the Library is still Agatha Christie, and worthy of a read, I just don’t think this one ranks with some of her better ones.
]]> Planet of the Apes 414895
With these words, Pierre Boulle hurtles the reader onto the Planet of the Apes. In this simian world, civilization is turned upside down: apes are men and men are apes; apes rule and men run wild; apes think, speak, produce, wear clothes, and men are speechless, naked, exhibited at fairs, used for biological research. On the planet of the apes, man, having reached to apotheosis of his genius, has become inert.
To this planet come a journalist and a scientist. The scientist is put into a zoo, the journalist into a laboratory. Only the journalist retains the spiritual strength and creative intelligence to try to save himself, to fight the appalling scourge, to remain a man.
Out of this situation, Pierre Boulle has woven a tale as harrowing, bizarre, and meaningful as any in the brilliant roster of this master storyteller. With his customary wit, irony, and disciplined intellect and style, the author of The Bridge Over the River Kwai tells a swiftly moving story dealing with man's conflicts, and takes the reader into a suspenseful and strangely fascinating orbit.]]> 276 Pierre Boulle 0345447980 Franky 5
One thing readers must know if they happen to have watched the film is that the film and the novel are entirely different animals (if you’ll pardon the poor choice of words). The novel opens with a message in a bottle being found which happens to be written by Ulysse, a man who thus begins his extraordinary narrative of what takes place on the mysterious Betelgeuse, a star 300 light years away from Earth.

“We were launched on an adventure a thousand times more extraordinary than that of the first terrestrial navigators and were preparing ourselves to confront the wonders of interstellar travel that have fired the imaginations of several generations of poets.�

As we all know, soon after arriving on Soror, a shocking truth becomes apparent to the three astronauts: in this society, humans are the animals and beasts, while the apes are intelligent and rule over the humans. Ulysse and his two colleagues are soon captured and separated, and Ulysse, in his captivity, witnesses and experiences the startling and horrifying aspects of this upside-down world.

Many of the apes are researchers and scientists, and the humans their subjects, and this plays a role in Ulysse’s motivations to uncover the truth. Ulysse manages to befriend a woman named Nova and find a few allies in Zira and Cornelius, two apes who work in the research department, but will Ulysse be able to unlock these truths before it is too late?

I think the elements of science fiction, social commentary, and an upside-down dystopian world work so well in tandem together in this novel to not only make a very thought-provoking work, but make for an engaging work to see how things pan out for Ulysse and his fellow astronauts once they arrive on the planet Soror. How does mankind fit into this world and how did they in the past?

The author uses a certain level of irony in creating this world to investigate themes and morality that have deep implications. There are questions this novel asks and delves into: “what is truly civilized? “what is intelligent?� Boulle makes the case that there are factors in intelligence that we should never take for granted.

This book is such an easy to read, digestible, and quite engrossing and introspective work from the beginning to end. It’s definitely has become one of my favorites and I look forward to moving on in the series and reading “Beneath the Planet of the Apes� if I can locate a copy. This is a book that definitely is as good and amazing as the film.]]> 3.95 1963 Planet of the Apes
author: Pierre Boulle
name: Franky
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1963
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/07
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, adventure, classics, fantasy, dystopian, sci-fi, favorites
review:
I am sure many are well-versed with the 1968 classic film with Charlton Heston and that famous line that gets replayed. The basis for that classic, the work that paved the way for so many spinoffs and franchise episodes and adaptations and became a part of pop culture, is Pierre Boulle’s 1963 science fiction original novel Planet of the Apes.

One thing readers must know if they happen to have watched the film is that the film and the novel are entirely different animals (if you’ll pardon the poor choice of words). The novel opens with a message in a bottle being found which happens to be written by Ulysse, a man who thus begins his extraordinary narrative of what takes place on the mysterious Betelgeuse, a star 300 light years away from Earth.

“We were launched on an adventure a thousand times more extraordinary than that of the first terrestrial navigators and were preparing ourselves to confront the wonders of interstellar travel that have fired the imaginations of several generations of poets.�

As we all know, soon after arriving on Soror, a shocking truth becomes apparent to the three astronauts: in this society, humans are the animals and beasts, while the apes are intelligent and rule over the humans. Ulysse and his two colleagues are soon captured and separated, and Ulysse, in his captivity, witnesses and experiences the startling and horrifying aspects of this upside-down world.

Many of the apes are researchers and scientists, and the humans their subjects, and this plays a role in Ulysse’s motivations to uncover the truth. Ulysse manages to befriend a woman named Nova and find a few allies in Zira and Cornelius, two apes who work in the research department, but will Ulysse be able to unlock these truths before it is too late?

I think the elements of science fiction, social commentary, and an upside-down dystopian world work so well in tandem together in this novel to not only make a very thought-provoking work, but make for an engaging work to see how things pan out for Ulysse and his fellow astronauts once they arrive on the planet Soror. How does mankind fit into this world and how did they in the past?

The author uses a certain level of irony in creating this world to investigate themes and morality that have deep implications. There are questions this novel asks and delves into: “what is truly civilized? “what is intelligent?� Boulle makes the case that there are factors in intelligence that we should never take for granted.

This book is such an easy to read, digestible, and quite engrossing and introspective work from the beginning to end. It’s definitely has become one of my favorites and I look forward to moving on in the series and reading “Beneath the Planet of the Apes� if I can locate a copy. This is a book that definitely is as good and amazing as the film.
]]> Checkmate (Pocket Classics) 75979 345 J. Sheridan Le Fanu 0750914696 Franky 3
Checkmate concerns a certain named by the name of Longcluse, who is an acquaintance of Richard Arden. Longcluse comes into the circle of the Arden family. At the beginning of the novel, members of the family and friends are chatting it up about a terrible family incident that took place. This event will play a significant role later on, as well as a murder that takes place in a billiard room.

It's difficult to reveal too much without giving away spoilers, but I think that two of the prominent themes or focuses that come into play are revenge and secrets from the past. As the title signifies, we are trying to figure out who is playing who.

Checkmate has some moments, but overall felt lackluster in long stretches. It feels like the beginning parts were engaging where we are given a little exposition and get a feel for things as well as the concluding section where we are hit with a preponderance of clues and moments. However, there is a long stretch in the middle section where it feels like a whole lot of nothing happens. To be more precise, too much melodrama, characters speaking in circles, and a good deal of long-winded fluff that consumes an extensive portion of the plot. It felt like it took me a long time to get through this. (It could have been trimmed down significantly).

Not to say that there aren’t moments when De Fanu doesn’t churn up the atmosphere:

“Over the melancholy precincts of Mortlake the voiceless darkness of night descends with unmitigated gloom. The centre- the brain of this dark place—is the house: and in a large dim room, near the smoldering fire, sits the image that haunts rather than inhibits it.�

There is a nice little twist near the end that I thought was highly ahead of its time and inventive.

Overall, though, while this book is classified as a horror, I would not say that genre readily applies here. Some intrigue and suspense here and there, but If you are looking for a solid De Fanu read I would go with the aforementioned Uncle Silas or In a Glass Darkly, where the Gothic style and creepy factor are in high gear.]]> 3.63 1871 Checkmate (Pocket Classics)
author: J. Sheridan Le Fanu
name: Franky
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1871
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/27
date added: 2024/08/01
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, gothic, horror, victorian, kindle, rare-books
review:
I have read and enjoyed a couple of Joseph Sheridan De Fanu’s works in the past, two of them being his creepy Gothic novel Uncle Silas as well as his chillingly atmospheric collection of short stories within In a Glass Darkly (which was five stars all the way for me). I preface this because his rather unknown and obscure novel Checkmate jut didn’t have as much going for it, as it lacked that subtle unnerving quality and factor that makes the other works so much more Gothic and suspenseful.

Checkmate concerns a certain named by the name of Longcluse, who is an acquaintance of Richard Arden. Longcluse comes into the circle of the Arden family. At the beginning of the novel, members of the family and friends are chatting it up about a terrible family incident that took place. This event will play a significant role later on, as well as a murder that takes place in a billiard room.

It's difficult to reveal too much without giving away spoilers, but I think that two of the prominent themes or focuses that come into play are revenge and secrets from the past. As the title signifies, we are trying to figure out who is playing who.

Checkmate has some moments, but overall felt lackluster in long stretches. It feels like the beginning parts were engaging where we are given a little exposition and get a feel for things as well as the concluding section where we are hit with a preponderance of clues and moments. However, there is a long stretch in the middle section where it feels like a whole lot of nothing happens. To be more precise, too much melodrama, characters speaking in circles, and a good deal of long-winded fluff that consumes an extensive portion of the plot. It felt like it took me a long time to get through this. (It could have been trimmed down significantly).

Not to say that there aren’t moments when De Fanu doesn’t churn up the atmosphere:

“Over the melancholy precincts of Mortlake the voiceless darkness of night descends with unmitigated gloom. The centre- the brain of this dark place—is the house: and in a large dim room, near the smoldering fire, sits the image that haunts rather than inhibits it.�

There is a nice little twist near the end that I thought was highly ahead of its time and inventive.

Overall, though, while this book is classified as a horror, I would not say that genre readily applies here. Some intrigue and suspense here and there, but If you are looking for a solid De Fanu read I would go with the aforementioned Uncle Silas or In a Glass Darkly, where the Gothic style and creepy factor are in high gear.
]]> The Moviegoer 10739
On the eve of his thirtieth birthday, Binx Bolling is adrift. He occupies himself dallying with his secretaries and going to movies, which provide him with the "treasurable moments" absent from his real life. But one fateful Mardi Gras, Binx embarks on a quest - a harebrained search for authenticity that outrages his family, endangers his fragile cousin Kate, and sends him reeling through the gaudy chaos of the French Quarter. Wry and wrenching, rich in irony and romance, "The Moviegoer" is a genuine American classic.]]> 242 Walker Percy 0375701966 Franky 2
Our focus here is on one Binx Bolling (probably the most unique name in literary history), a 30-year-old man who lives in Gentilly, a suburb of New Orleans as a stock and bond broker. He manages his uncle’s brokerage firm and has a bit of a passion for seeing movies at the cinema and having relationships and flings with his secretaries.

I suppose the best way to depict Binx is use his own words and say that he is “somewhere and not anywhere.� He frequently refers to his idea of “the search,� where he is trying to find his way in life and perhaps search for his identity and life meaning contained within. He is at a proverbial crossroads in life, and having a challenging time escaping the malaise of life:

“…and when I awake, I awake in the grip of everydayness. Everydayness is the enemy. No search is possible.�

This is all deep stuff of course, but the main problem I had with the book was the execution of basically everything else. Oh, I mean, Percy can string a lovely sentence together in genuine prose here and there, but at the same time, this book is just so aimless, rambling, and mundane. (I hate using the “boring� to describe a book because it doesn’t specify or quantify anything, but this is exactly a word fitting for this book).

In other words, this is like philosophy-light, not the type of philosophical read I like at all. With Binx as our narrator, he rambles on and on and about this and that and makes everything try to sound so profound, deep, and self-important, but it just does not have that power at all to make one care one way or another. In other words, this book is as lost as Binx.

I liked the setting itself, I like some aspects here and there, but overall, this one was mostly disappointing.]]> 3.66 1961 The Moviegoer
author: Walker Percy
name: Franky
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1961
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/20
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, philosophy, southern, arewethereyet, to-sell-back, letdown
review:
I was originally going to give this book 3 stars but after thinking about it a few days I realize that this book just got on my nerves quite a bit and I really actually didn’t like it very much or picking it up each night, so I downgraded to 2 stars. Maybe about 2.5 at best.

Our focus here is on one Binx Bolling (probably the most unique name in literary history), a 30-year-old man who lives in Gentilly, a suburb of New Orleans as a stock and bond broker. He manages his uncle’s brokerage firm and has a bit of a passion for seeing movies at the cinema and having relationships and flings with his secretaries.

I suppose the best way to depict Binx is use his own words and say that he is “somewhere and not anywhere.� He frequently refers to his idea of “the search,� where he is trying to find his way in life and perhaps search for his identity and life meaning contained within. He is at a proverbial crossroads in life, and having a challenging time escaping the malaise of life:

“…and when I awake, I awake in the grip of everydayness. Everydayness is the enemy. No search is possible.�

This is all deep stuff of course, but the main problem I had with the book was the execution of basically everything else. Oh, I mean, Percy can string a lovely sentence together in genuine prose here and there, but at the same time, this book is just so aimless, rambling, and mundane. (I hate using the “boring� to describe a book because it doesn’t specify or quantify anything, but this is exactly a word fitting for this book).

In other words, this is like philosophy-light, not the type of philosophical read I like at all. With Binx as our narrator, he rambles on and on and about this and that and makes everything try to sound so profound, deep, and self-important, but it just does not have that power at all to make one care one way or another. In other words, this book is as lost as Binx.

I liked the setting itself, I like some aspects here and there, but overall, this one was mostly disappointing.
]]> Demian 24861 193 Hermann Hesse Franky 4
At the root and core of Demian is the literal and figurative self-awareness and spiritual self-discovery of our protagonist Sinclair through his life journey and struggles.

The book opens by giving background into the childhood days of Sinclair, our narrator. He lives in a religious and respectable family, but he is caught between the two realms that exist in the world—light and darkness. His home is largely a shelter from the ills of the world, but despite this, he falls victim to going against this and at points regrets this and tries to correct:

“But all of it was lost to me now, all of it belonged to the clear, well-lighted world of my father and mother, and I, guiltily and deeply engulfed I an alien world, was entangled in adventures and sin, threated by an enemy—by dangers, fear, and shame.�

After struggling to fit in at school, Sinclair eventually meets a boy named Demian, who helps to get Sinclair out of a major jam with a bully. Demian by parts opens up a new way of looking at the world to Sinclair, and becomes an impressionable person in Sinclair’s life.

In many ways this novel is representative of a search for meaning and identity in one’s life, a self-reflective, introspective look into the soul, an awakening of sorts to a new perspective. Throughout Sinclair’s story he grapples with this inner conflict of trying to understand himself and how he should see the world.

The novel is a mere one hundred fifty pages, but packs so much depth and meaning into such a short span. Demian is a very cerebral, thought-provoking, and spiritual journey and exploration.

If there is one blemish which kept this from being five stars, it is that I just felt like the ending and latter parts left some questions hanging in the balance. I get that it is a philosophical book, and the reader is to make their own judgments and assessments about meaning and interpretation, but the book seemingly just ends rather abruptly after setting up so many questions to be resolved.

This aside, Demian was still a brilliant book, and I will look to read more Hesse in the future.
]]> 4.18 1919 Demian
author: Hermann Hesse
name: Franky
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1919
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/17
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, coming-of-age, literary, literary-fiction, philosophy
review:
Herman Hesse is quickly becoming my “to go� for philosophical reads. This was my third read from him (the others being Siddhartha and Steppenwolf, both very enjoyable), and what I can attest to it that there is always so much food for thought and introspection upon finishing one of his novels, and the semi-autobiographical Demian is no exception.

At the root and core of Demian is the literal and figurative self-awareness and spiritual self-discovery of our protagonist Sinclair through his life journey and struggles.

The book opens by giving background into the childhood days of Sinclair, our narrator. He lives in a religious and respectable family, but he is caught between the two realms that exist in the world—light and darkness. His home is largely a shelter from the ills of the world, but despite this, he falls victim to going against this and at points regrets this and tries to correct:

“But all of it was lost to me now, all of it belonged to the clear, well-lighted world of my father and mother, and I, guiltily and deeply engulfed I an alien world, was entangled in adventures and sin, threated by an enemy—by dangers, fear, and shame.�

After struggling to fit in at school, Sinclair eventually meets a boy named Demian, who helps to get Sinclair out of a major jam with a bully. Demian by parts opens up a new way of looking at the world to Sinclair, and becomes an impressionable person in Sinclair’s life.

In many ways this novel is representative of a search for meaning and identity in one’s life, a self-reflective, introspective look into the soul, an awakening of sorts to a new perspective. Throughout Sinclair’s story he grapples with this inner conflict of trying to understand himself and how he should see the world.

The novel is a mere one hundred fifty pages, but packs so much depth and meaning into such a short span. Demian is a very cerebral, thought-provoking, and spiritual journey and exploration.

If there is one blemish which kept this from being five stars, it is that I just felt like the ending and latter parts left some questions hanging in the balance. I get that it is a philosophical book, and the reader is to make their own judgments and assessments about meaning and interpretation, but the book seemingly just ends rather abruptly after setting up so many questions to be resolved.

This aside, Demian was still a brilliant book, and I will look to read more Hesse in the future.

]]> <![CDATA[Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream]]> 7745 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken.]]> 204 Hunter S. Thompson 0679785892 Franky 1 4.08 1971 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
author: Hunter S. Thompson
name: Franky
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1971
rating: 1
read at: 2024/07/06
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, humor, american-dream, closing-time, calling-it-a-day, overrated
review:
I guess at the end of the day, life is too short to be reading books that you do not like or you find unpleasant. I really feel like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a poster child for The Emperor Has No Clothes, as it seems odd what readers find in it. It had no point whatsoever and came across as pretentious, self-important, sophomoric, and childish. Maybe it is not my kind of humor, but I didn’t find this book funny nor enlightening nor entertaining nor anything pertaining to the American Dream. There are too many pretentious loser types in life already without having to read about them for 200 plus pages . I rarely pull a did not finish, but this is one where I had to pull the plug early. On to the next book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau]]> 34181479 As Manfred cowers beneath Gorski's watchful eye, the dark secrets of his past begin to catch up with him and his carefully crafted veneer of normalcy begins to crack. Graeme Macrae Burnet's masterful play on literary form featuring an unreliable narrator makes for a grimly entertaining psychological thriller that questions if it is possible--or even desirable--to know another man's mind.
]]> 225 Graeme Macrae Burnet 1510723099 Franky 4
Within the confines of Saint-Louis, a small border town situated between Germany and Switzerland, there is a non-descript restaurant named Restaurant de la Cloche, where regulars and outsiders of the small town frequent. This is the central location of Burnet’s crime story.

One of the regulars, Manfred, is a 36-year-old man, socially awkward, clumsy, sort of a loner. Some of the regulars there talk to him, maybe invite him to card night, but he is not “one of the club� and most keep their distance. One day, one of the young waitresses, nineteen-year-old Adele Bedeau goes missing. This is someone who Manfred spent his evenings observing while frequenting the restaurant.

When Adele does not return to the restaurant, an investigation into her disappearance is suddenly launched, and Manfred becomes suspected and a person of inquiry.

This one of those book where certain details inside the book or about the book will lead to possible spoilers so I would some particulars that I really enjoyed. For one, I really enjoyed the writing style by Burnet, who gives the novel a literary quality with his descriptions and digging into the nature of characters.

And by all means this is a clever character study, or should I say character studies, as both leads, Manfred, and Inspector Gorski, are explored at depth. Gorski is the inspector who has worked up the ranks, and takes on the case of Adele, but has failures in the past that haunt him to this day.

Additionally, this novel has deep psychological overtones that really make it work effectively as a mystery or crime novel. The author writes in a manner that is matter of fact, but builds with intensity as revelations come into play.

There is an afterward that gives away quite a bit of the background for the story, and thus reveals major spoilers as to explain its conclusion, so please avoid until finishing this novel.

Overall, this was a very clever psychological ride, and an impressive mystery.]]> 3.85 2014 The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau
author: Graeme Macrae Burnet
name: Franky
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/07
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, crime, historical-fiction, mystery
review:
I had not heard of this author nor this book until it was recently chosen as part of book club discussion this month. I ended up really enjoying this one, and it has a structure, technique and style, and an ultimate twist, which sets it apart from other mysteries or crime novels.

Within the confines of Saint-Louis, a small border town situated between Germany and Switzerland, there is a non-descript restaurant named Restaurant de la Cloche, where regulars and outsiders of the small town frequent. This is the central location of Burnet’s crime story.

One of the regulars, Manfred, is a 36-year-old man, socially awkward, clumsy, sort of a loner. Some of the regulars there talk to him, maybe invite him to card night, but he is not “one of the club� and most keep their distance. One day, one of the young waitresses, nineteen-year-old Adele Bedeau goes missing. This is someone who Manfred spent his evenings observing while frequenting the restaurant.

When Adele does not return to the restaurant, an investigation into her disappearance is suddenly launched, and Manfred becomes suspected and a person of inquiry.

This one of those book where certain details inside the book or about the book will lead to possible spoilers so I would some particulars that I really enjoyed. For one, I really enjoyed the writing style by Burnet, who gives the novel a literary quality with his descriptions and digging into the nature of characters.

And by all means this is a clever character study, or should I say character studies, as both leads, Manfred, and Inspector Gorski, are explored at depth. Gorski is the inspector who has worked up the ranks, and takes on the case of Adele, but has failures in the past that haunt him to this day.

Additionally, this novel has deep psychological overtones that really make it work effectively as a mystery or crime novel. The author writes in a manner that is matter of fact, but builds with intensity as revelations come into play.

There is an afterward that gives away quite a bit of the background for the story, and thus reveals major spoilers as to explain its conclusion, so please avoid until finishing this novel.

Overall, this was a very clever psychological ride, and an impressive mystery.
]]> Green Mansions 817019
First published in 1904 and a bestseller after its reissue a dozen years later, Green Mansions offers its readers a poignant meditation on the loss of wilderness, the dream of a return to nature, and the bitter reality of the encounter between savage and civilized man.]]> 238 William Henry Hudson 0192832883 Franky 4
The basis for the plot is the narrator, Abel, being given a proposal to go to a different setting after fleeing a desperate revolution on an island. He travels though a place named Paraguarí, supposedly notable for its riches, in the hope of changing his fortunes. He later makes friends with one of the tribe and its leader.

Later, upon exploring this location, he finds a forest that is forbidden by the tribe, one where an enchanting and melodious sound enthralls him:

“After that tempest of motion and confused noises the silence of the forest seemed very profound; but before I had been many moments it was broken by a low strain of exquisite bird melody, wonderfully pure and expressive, unlike any musical sound I had ever heard before.�

One enjoyable aspect of the novel is how the author captures the mystery and aura of the forest and nature and its vividness through such lyrical prose. Abel’s quest to identify the source of the harmonious sounds emanating from the forest coincides with the local’s superstitions about a girl who dwells within it and is thought to the “Daughter of the Didi.�

Eventually, Abel discovers a forest girl named Rima, who lives with her “grandfather� and Abel quickly becomes enraptured in the mystery encompassing Rima.

The novel’s title seemingly embodies the majesty and beauty of Abel’s experiences with nature and the forest and with Rima (“…those green mansions where I had found so great a happiness�).

There is a deep conflict, however, between those who had initially taken Abel in in this region and the place with Rima he now call home. Those two forces come into play in the novel’s second half.

The one downside of this novel comes from the rather antiquated viewpoints from our narrator. I suppose these were unfortunately a product of its time.

Overall, however, Green Mansions is a captivating classic story that fuses the genres of fantasy, adventure, and romance. I heard there is a film adaptation out there with Anthony Perkins and Aubrey Hepburn that I might check out.]]> 3.72 1904 Green Mansions
author: William Henry Hudson
name: Franky
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1904
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/03
date added: 2024/07/09
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, fantasy, historical-fiction, history, romance, kindle
review:
This is one of the more unusual fantasy/ historical/ classic type novels one could ever encounter. Set in the exotic forests of Venezuela, it is a unique classic romance and adventure.

The basis for the plot is the narrator, Abel, being given a proposal to go to a different setting after fleeing a desperate revolution on an island. He travels though a place named Paraguarí, supposedly notable for its riches, in the hope of changing his fortunes. He later makes friends with one of the tribe and its leader.

Later, upon exploring this location, he finds a forest that is forbidden by the tribe, one where an enchanting and melodious sound enthralls him:

“After that tempest of motion and confused noises the silence of the forest seemed very profound; but before I had been many moments it was broken by a low strain of exquisite bird melody, wonderfully pure and expressive, unlike any musical sound I had ever heard before.�

One enjoyable aspect of the novel is how the author captures the mystery and aura of the forest and nature and its vividness through such lyrical prose. Abel’s quest to identify the source of the harmonious sounds emanating from the forest coincides with the local’s superstitions about a girl who dwells within it and is thought to the “Daughter of the Didi.�

Eventually, Abel discovers a forest girl named Rima, who lives with her “grandfather� and Abel quickly becomes enraptured in the mystery encompassing Rima.

The novel’s title seemingly embodies the majesty and beauty of Abel’s experiences with nature and the forest and with Rima (“…those green mansions where I had found so great a happiness�).

There is a deep conflict, however, between those who had initially taken Abel in in this region and the place with Rima he now call home. Those two forces come into play in the novel’s second half.

The one downside of this novel comes from the rather antiquated viewpoints from our narrator. I suppose these were unfortunately a product of its time.

Overall, however, Green Mansions is a captivating classic story that fuses the genres of fantasy, adventure, and romance. I heard there is a film adaptation out there with Anthony Perkins and Aubrey Hepburn that I might check out.
]]> <![CDATA[The Wind in the Willows (Signet Classics)]]> 49954 The Wind in the Willows is a classic of magical fancy and enchanting wit. Penned in lyrical prose, the adventures and misadventures of the book’s intrepid quartet of heroes—Mole, Water Rat, Badger, and, of course, the incorrigible Toad—raise fantasy to the level of myth. Reflecting the freshness of childhood wonder, the story still offers adults endless sophistication, substance, and depth. The animals� world embodies the author’s wry, whimsical, and unfailingly inventive imagination. It is a world that succeeding generations of both adult and young readers have found irresistible. But why say more? To use the words of the estimable Mr. Toad himself: “Travel, change, interest, excitement!...Come inside.�

With an Introduction by Luanne Rice
]]> 240 Kenneth Grahame 0451530144 Franky 4
It’s easy to see why Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows has become a revered children’s classic. The introduction to this edition sheds some light into Grahame’s motivation to draft this novel. Grahame experienced personal tragedy early in life when he lost his mother to a severe illness (the same illness that he ended up recovering from at an early age). Later in life, Grahame would read to his son (who had been born prematurely and was nearly blind) stories about animals. This was a sort of catharsis and therapy for Grahame, and, in this way, The Wind in the Willows was created as an inspiration of love.

This novel is a fun and whimsical ride that celebrates nature, adventure and friendships formed. The quartet of memorable characters—Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad—explore the world around them, the secrets and dangers, through various episodes, and this sometimes leads them into trouble. Probably the one most guilty of this is Toad, whose personality often leads his friends having to try to save him from trouble—and himself.

Grahame writes in such a manner to give the novel a magical feeling and atmosphere. And through the animals exploits and living life to its fullest in nature, we see the important themes of camaraderie, love, loyalty, and friendship explored.

I happened to find a nice audiobook recording that I used in conjunction with the reading of this paperback, and it really enhanced the experience. I’m glad to finally have gotten to this wonderful classic.

]]> 3.92 1908 The Wind in the Willows (Signet Classics)
author: Kenneth Grahame
name: Franky
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1908
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/02
date added: 2024/07/04
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, childrens, classics, fantasy, young-adult, animals
review:
“They recalled the languorous siesta of hot mid-day, deep in the undergrowth, the sun striking through in tiny golden shafts and spots; …and the long, cool evening at last, when so many threads were gathered up, so many friendships rounded, and so many adventures planned for the morrow.�

It’s easy to see why Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows has become a revered children’s classic. The introduction to this edition sheds some light into Grahame’s motivation to draft this novel. Grahame experienced personal tragedy early in life when he lost his mother to a severe illness (the same illness that he ended up recovering from at an early age). Later in life, Grahame would read to his son (who had been born prematurely and was nearly blind) stories about animals. This was a sort of catharsis and therapy for Grahame, and, in this way, The Wind in the Willows was created as an inspiration of love.

This novel is a fun and whimsical ride that celebrates nature, adventure and friendships formed. The quartet of memorable characters—Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad—explore the world around them, the secrets and dangers, through various episodes, and this sometimes leads them into trouble. Probably the one most guilty of this is Toad, whose personality often leads his friends having to try to save him from trouble—and himself.

Grahame writes in such a manner to give the novel a magical feeling and atmosphere. And through the animals exploits and living life to its fullest in nature, we see the important themes of camaraderie, love, loyalty, and friendship explored.

I happened to find a nice audiobook recording that I used in conjunction with the reading of this paperback, and it really enhanced the experience. I’m glad to finally have gotten to this wonderful classic.


]]> Sphere 9023471 � Time “Crichton keeps us guessing at every turn in his best work since The Andromeda Strain .�
� Los Angeles Times � Sphere may be Crichton’s best novel, but even if it ranked only second or third, it would be a must for suspense fans.�
� Miami Herald A classic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Crichton, Sphere is a bravura demonstration of what he does better than riveting storytelling that combines frighteningly plausible, cutting edge science and technology with pulse-pounding action and serious chills. The gripping story of a group of American scientists sent to the ocean floor to investigate an alien ship, only to confront a terrifying discovery that defies imagination, Sphere is Crichton prime—truly masterful fiction from the ingenious mind that brought us Prey, State of Fear , and Jurassic Park .]]> 498 Michael Crichton 0061990558 Franky 4
The novel begins with psychologist Norman Johnson getting called away to the South Pacific to lead a group to investigate a mysterious craft that has apparently crashed and is submerged deep below the ocean floor. When the crew go down to explore, it seems that there is a mysterious sphere that is a part of the craft.

I know some of us have had those books that they were lukewarm about, but that they eventually really ended up enjoying by the end, and to me Sphere is that novel. It seems like the novel redeemed itself in the second half when the psychological aspects kick in as we head towards the conclusion. I say this because, well, the characters just grated on my nerves, especially during portions of the first half of the novel. However, despite this, Crichton overcomes all this by creating a compelling and fascinating psychological thriller.

This being my third read from Crichton, it seems that he always brings a cerebral and thought-provoking approach, whether that be in the way of science, technology, or, in this novel, psychology.

One of the fascinating aspects is just digging in to the mystery of the sphere and trying to get a feel for what it is. The question of manifestations comes into play, and the questions become “Who are what is the monster? And what is it after?� We see this play out, especially as havoc is wreaked upon the crew and the psychological damage on board. There is quite a bit of mystery to think about and consider revolving around the sphere and the mysterious spacecraft.

I really thought the slow building and frantic and uneasy tensions in the second half really led to an intense conclusion where we as readers are trying to put all the pieces together. The claustrophobic feel of the characters far under sea and stuck within the confines of the vessel also added to the atmospheric uneasiness and tension as they are dealing with an unknown entity. This really added to the fractured state of mind of the characters and enhanced the tensions.

Overall, this was yet another solid read from Crichton, thought provoking and tapping more into the psychological realm rather than scientific world. I have The Lost World next on my Crichton reading list and look forward to it.


]]> 3.95 1987 Sphere
author: Michael Crichton
name: Franky
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/21
date added: 2024/06/30
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, fantasy, horror, sci-fi, thriller, mystery
review:
I’m probably a little behind the game, but my adventure into the novels of Micheal Crichton started a few years ago with Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain, and it has been an interesting experience so far. It’s weird to go back and realize that he has written so many novels that I’ve already watched the film adaptations of.

The novel begins with psychologist Norman Johnson getting called away to the South Pacific to lead a group to investigate a mysterious craft that has apparently crashed and is submerged deep below the ocean floor. When the crew go down to explore, it seems that there is a mysterious sphere that is a part of the craft.

I know some of us have had those books that they were lukewarm about, but that they eventually really ended up enjoying by the end, and to me Sphere is that novel. It seems like the novel redeemed itself in the second half when the psychological aspects kick in as we head towards the conclusion. I say this because, well, the characters just grated on my nerves, especially during portions of the first half of the novel. However, despite this, Crichton overcomes all this by creating a compelling and fascinating psychological thriller.

This being my third read from Crichton, it seems that he always brings a cerebral and thought-provoking approach, whether that be in the way of science, technology, or, in this novel, psychology.

One of the fascinating aspects is just digging in to the mystery of the sphere and trying to get a feel for what it is. The question of manifestations comes into play, and the questions become “Who are what is the monster? And what is it after?� We see this play out, especially as havoc is wreaked upon the crew and the psychological damage on board. There is quite a bit of mystery to think about and consider revolving around the sphere and the mysterious spacecraft.

I really thought the slow building and frantic and uneasy tensions in the second half really led to an intense conclusion where we as readers are trying to put all the pieces together. The claustrophobic feel of the characters far under sea and stuck within the confines of the vessel also added to the atmospheric uneasiness and tension as they are dealing with an unknown entity. This really added to the fractured state of mind of the characters and enhanced the tensions.

Overall, this was yet another solid read from Crichton, thought provoking and tapping more into the psychological realm rather than scientific world. I have The Lost World next on my Crichton reading list and look forward to it.



]]> From Time to Time (Time, #2) 72694
Simon Morley, whose logic-defying trip to the New York City of the 1880s in Time and Again has enchanted readers for twenty-five years, embarks on another trip across the borders of time. This time Reuben Prien at the secret, government-sponsored Project wants Si to leave his home in the 1880s and visit New York in 1912. Si's mission: to protect a man who is traveling across the Atlantic with vital documents that could avert World War I. So one fateful day in 1912, Si finds himself aboard the world's most famous ship...the Titanic.]]> 304 Jack Finney 0684818442 Franky 3
I consider Jack Finney’s opening novel to this two-part series, Time and Again, to easily be one of my favorite reads from the past few years. It captured the wonder, enchantment, and magic of being transported to the past with Simon (Si) Morley as its protagonist. I preface this because its second half in the series, From Time to Time, just didn’t live up to the billing or power of the first book.

I feel like this book gets a little too confused and “lost in itself� and this results in being uneven and unfocused.

The novel begins with Simon Morley happily living in the 19th century with wife Julia and their child. In the present time, however, a man named Rube wants someone to use the “gateway� (a portal to a different time period) to go back and get Si to prevent World War I.

One thing Finney seems to bring to the table is imaginative and creative scenarios, whether that being time travel or a character out of their element. For example, a regular empty building can seemingly become a portal to another time period. Also, as always, Finney has vivid descriptions of settings in the past and illustrative ways of entering into a new time or place.

That being said, here everything feels “false as advertised� and this becomes glaringly obvious after the first one hundred pages or so. It’s here where the urgency of Si’s quest to find a mysterious guy known as “Z� takes a major shift and detour and becomes unfocused as Si, instead of actively pursuing this individual, gives us a guided tour of New York and its many places and attractions. For example, there is a 20-page description of vaudeville actors going on about their job and performers they know.

All the tension and build up and urgency from the first book is not there. The book stalls and loses momentum. (It’s like Finney had a bad case of writer’s block and just went with whatever came to mind). Too many asides about trivial stuff.

Si does end up meeting a woman who he calls “The Jotta Girl� and they go on a few excursions and meet some people. And I suppose she is somewhat relevant to the plot, but the book mostly becomes a tad of a chore to finish.

There is a blurb on my edition mentioning the Titanic as part of the plot, but this makes up a very tiny section of the novel.

I did like some parts of Finney’s actual writing here, and have loved some of his other works like “The Body Snatchers� as well as the first installment in this series, but From Time to Time, while not entirely bad, was fairly a pedestrian novel.]]> 3.65 1995 From Time to Time (Time, #2)
author: Jack Finney
name: Franky
average rating: 3.65
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/20
date added: 2024/06/23
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, fantasy, historical-fiction, sci-fi, time-travel
review:
An alternative title for this novel could have easily been “Sightseeing and Things to Do in New York When You Are Travelling to the Past While Patiently and Leisurely Waiting to Change the Course of History� (but, for some reason, I don’t think that one would have stuck).

I consider Jack Finney’s opening novel to this two-part series, Time and Again, to easily be one of my favorite reads from the past few years. It captured the wonder, enchantment, and magic of being transported to the past with Simon (Si) Morley as its protagonist. I preface this because its second half in the series, From Time to Time, just didn’t live up to the billing or power of the first book.

I feel like this book gets a little too confused and “lost in itself� and this results in being uneven and unfocused.

The novel begins with Simon Morley happily living in the 19th century with wife Julia and their child. In the present time, however, a man named Rube wants someone to use the “gateway� (a portal to a different time period) to go back and get Si to prevent World War I.

One thing Finney seems to bring to the table is imaginative and creative scenarios, whether that being time travel or a character out of their element. For example, a regular empty building can seemingly become a portal to another time period. Also, as always, Finney has vivid descriptions of settings in the past and illustrative ways of entering into a new time or place.

That being said, here everything feels “false as advertised� and this becomes glaringly obvious after the first one hundred pages or so. It’s here where the urgency of Si’s quest to find a mysterious guy known as “Z� takes a major shift and detour and becomes unfocused as Si, instead of actively pursuing this individual, gives us a guided tour of New York and its many places and attractions. For example, there is a 20-page description of vaudeville actors going on about their job and performers they know.

All the tension and build up and urgency from the first book is not there. The book stalls and loses momentum. (It’s like Finney had a bad case of writer’s block and just went with whatever came to mind). Too many asides about trivial stuff.

Si does end up meeting a woman who he calls “The Jotta Girl� and they go on a few excursions and meet some people. And I suppose she is somewhat relevant to the plot, but the book mostly becomes a tad of a chore to finish.

There is a blurb on my edition mentioning the Titanic as part of the plot, but this makes up a very tiny section of the novel.

I did like some parts of Finney’s actual writing here, and have loved some of his other works like “The Body Snatchers� as well as the first installment in this series, but From Time to Time, while not entirely bad, was fairly a pedestrian novel.
]]> The Visitors 191003 282 Clifford D. Simak 0345007611 Franky 3
It all starts in the quiet town of Lone Pine, Minnesota. It’s when the visitors started showing up. But what were they and what did they want?

So apparently this was a work from grandmaster science fiction novelist Clifford D. Simak at the twilight of his career. I’ve heard some great things about some of his other works like “City� but “The Visitors� I felt pretty much lukewarm about.

One of the more intriguing aspects of the novel is the one-on-one moments where the humans are approaching the visitors. I like aspects also of how Simak creates a small-town alien-encounter kind of ambience, especially in the beginning stages of the novel where Jerry gets abducted. One interesting element to the story is just trying to figure out why the visitors (who are in the shape of a giant black box) are there in the first place

However, there are too many problems with this book.

For one, this book is very dialogue heavy, with far too many unremarkable secondary characters jabbering all the time. The dialogue itself and character interactions are very artificial and wooden feeling. All the behind-the-scenes stuff with all the big wigs and political mumbo-jumbo with various organizations got a little tiresome. A lot of important people sitting around arguing about what they should do with the visitors or bickering about the visitors� intentions.

Also, the novel goes off onto meandering paths sometimes by trying to focus on too many revolving subplots with some characters who just are not that compelling to follow around. And the whole environmental angle to the novel felt very forced/heavy-handed.

I wanted to see how the book finishes with the humans and visitors, but even the conclusion felt a little inconclusive and flat in my opinion.

All this being said, hearing others say that this is not one of Simak’s best encourages me to still try another one of his novels.

Overall, a so-so science fiction experience here.]]> 3.47 1980 The Visitors
author: Clifford D. Simak
name: Franky
average rating: 3.47
book published: 1980
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/11
date added: 2024/06/19
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, aliens, fantasy, sci-fi
review:
“But now, suddenly, a horde of the things had descended on the Earth. Well-behaved, of course, not really causing trouble, but posing an uneasy wonder as to what kinds of things they were…�

It all starts in the quiet town of Lone Pine, Minnesota. It’s when the visitors started showing up. But what were they and what did they want?

So apparently this was a work from grandmaster science fiction novelist Clifford D. Simak at the twilight of his career. I’ve heard some great things about some of his other works like “City� but “The Visitors� I felt pretty much lukewarm about.

One of the more intriguing aspects of the novel is the one-on-one moments where the humans are approaching the visitors. I like aspects also of how Simak creates a small-town alien-encounter kind of ambience, especially in the beginning stages of the novel where Jerry gets abducted. One interesting element to the story is just trying to figure out why the visitors (who are in the shape of a giant black box) are there in the first place

However, there are too many problems with this book.

For one, this book is very dialogue heavy, with far too many unremarkable secondary characters jabbering all the time. The dialogue itself and character interactions are very artificial and wooden feeling. All the behind-the-scenes stuff with all the big wigs and political mumbo-jumbo with various organizations got a little tiresome. A lot of important people sitting around arguing about what they should do with the visitors or bickering about the visitors� intentions.

Also, the novel goes off onto meandering paths sometimes by trying to focus on too many revolving subplots with some characters who just are not that compelling to follow around. And the whole environmental angle to the novel felt very forced/heavy-handed.

I wanted to see how the book finishes with the humans and visitors, but even the conclusion felt a little inconclusive and flat in my opinion.

All this being said, hearing others say that this is not one of Simak’s best encourages me to still try another one of his novels.

Overall, a so-so science fiction experience here.
]]> Everything Is Illuminated 2753504 398 Jonathan Safran Foer 0061686670 Franky 1
I’ll keep this review short, but this one just grated on my nerves in all sorts of ways from the get-go. From the narrative style to the constant profanity, to convoluted story, etc. Honestly, does it really add anything to be overly crude in so many ways? It’s just lazy writing to me.
I pretty much loathed this book and thought “why waste my time on a book I hate?�

I appreciate the art of being able to write a novel, but this one just didn’t work for me at all. I’ve heard terms like “quirky� and “humorous� thrown around when referencing this book, but this book is none of those. It’s pretty much just a mess.
]]> 3.92 2002 Everything Is Illuminated
author: Jonathan Safran Foer
name: Franky
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2002
rating: 1
read at: 2024/06/18
date added: 2024/06/19
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, contemporary, historical-fiction, history, magical-realism, calling-it-a-day, huge-letdown, hated-but-everyone-else-loved, lifestooshort, to-sell-back
review:
Life is very short and there are so many books to get through. So many books, so little time as they say. I tried this one for a while and I’m pretty much a stickler and book completist about finishing books (even ones I hate), but I had to pull the plug about one hundred pages in. (I’m seriously surprised I made it that far).

I’ll keep this review short, but this one just grated on my nerves in all sorts of ways from the get-go. From the narrative style to the constant profanity, to convoluted story, etc. Honestly, does it really add anything to be overly crude in so many ways? It’s just lazy writing to me.
I pretty much loathed this book and thought “why waste my time on a book I hate?�

I appreciate the art of being able to write a novel, but this one just didn’t work for me at all. I’ve heard terms like “quirky� and “humorous� thrown around when referencing this book, but this book is none of those. It’s pretty much just a mess.

]]> The Good Earth 1206058
Hard times come upon Wang Lung and his family when flood and drought force them to seek work in the city. The working people riot, breaking into the homes of the rich and forcing them to flee. When Wang Lung shows mercy to one noble and is rewarded, he begins to rise in the world, even as the House of Hwang falls.]]> 357 Pearl S. Buck 0671035770 Franky 5
There is a sweeping, sprawling, generational quality to this work, zooming in on one family’s plight during this period of pre-revolutionary China. Buck writes in a manner and prose that has a simplistic quality to it, yet there is a deeper level of significance in her glimpse into these characters� lives. It is a moving experience and there are many lessons to be learned through the principal and secondary characters.

One of the prominent themes is the exploration of the rich vs. the poor. There is a vast and disproportionate difference between how one side is treated vs. the other. Main character Wang Lung, at different points in the novel, sits on both sides of the fence and wears both of these hats, and Buck clearly makes the case of how greed corrupts the soul, as evidenced with Wang’s missteps and character change with his “good� fortunes in chasing prosperity.

Speaking of Wang Lung, he is a study of contrasts, going from the honest, hard-working farmer to a rich and powerful man. Yet, there are moments where both of these two selves both exist and struggle against each other in an internal conflict. He is a character who one can feel for and genuinely sympathize with one moment, only to be unsympathetic the next. I think, though, that he is a very realistic and true character because of his flaws.

Obviously one of the most integral characters who shapes the novel is that of O-Lan, Wang Lung’s wife. She is definitely a selfless and sympathetic character who is limited by the confines in this society and the limitations imposed on woman. There are moments of resounding courage, strength, will and independence in her.

“Well, they would go back, if not this year, then next, said Wang Lung to his own heart. As long as there was the land! And the thought of it being there waiting for him, rich with spring rains, filled him with desire.�

As the title suggests, the land itself becomes a major symbol and microcosm of hard work and values, and we see this both in Wang Lung’s struggle to maintain his land as well as the other laborers and farmers obstacles. There were strong overtones and similarities to Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath as the farmers have to overcome famine, drought and terrible obstacles to maintain sustenance in such a difficult time.

In total, The Good Earth is an exceptional read, with transcendent themes, realistic characters, and with an epic, generational, emotional quality packed into three hundred plus pages. I purchased Sons, the sequel in this trilogy, and look forward to it.
]]> 3.92 1931 The Good Earth
author: Pearl S. Buck
name: Franky
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1931
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/09
date added: 2024/06/12
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, asia, historical-fiction
review:
I had Pearl S. Bucks� The Good Earth on my to-read shelf for far too long, and opportunity opened up last month, and this book did not disappoint. There are books that stand the test of time with themes and morals that transcend time periods and places, and I believe Buck’s novel does just that.

There is a sweeping, sprawling, generational quality to this work, zooming in on one family’s plight during this period of pre-revolutionary China. Buck writes in a manner and prose that has a simplistic quality to it, yet there is a deeper level of significance in her glimpse into these characters� lives. It is a moving experience and there are many lessons to be learned through the principal and secondary characters.

One of the prominent themes is the exploration of the rich vs. the poor. There is a vast and disproportionate difference between how one side is treated vs. the other. Main character Wang Lung, at different points in the novel, sits on both sides of the fence and wears both of these hats, and Buck clearly makes the case of how greed corrupts the soul, as evidenced with Wang’s missteps and character change with his “good� fortunes in chasing prosperity.

Speaking of Wang Lung, he is a study of contrasts, going from the honest, hard-working farmer to a rich and powerful man. Yet, there are moments where both of these two selves both exist and struggle against each other in an internal conflict. He is a character who one can feel for and genuinely sympathize with one moment, only to be unsympathetic the next. I think, though, that he is a very realistic and true character because of his flaws.

Obviously one of the most integral characters who shapes the novel is that of O-Lan, Wang Lung’s wife. She is definitely a selfless and sympathetic character who is limited by the confines in this society and the limitations imposed on woman. There are moments of resounding courage, strength, will and independence in her.

“Well, they would go back, if not this year, then next, said Wang Lung to his own heart. As long as there was the land! And the thought of it being there waiting for him, rich with spring rains, filled him with desire.�

As the title suggests, the land itself becomes a major symbol and microcosm of hard work and values, and we see this both in Wang Lung’s struggle to maintain his land as well as the other laborers and farmers obstacles. There were strong overtones and similarities to Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath as the farmers have to overcome famine, drought and terrible obstacles to maintain sustenance in such a difficult time.

In total, The Good Earth is an exceptional read, with transcendent themes, realistic characters, and with an epic, generational, emotional quality packed into three hundred plus pages. I purchased Sons, the sequel in this trilogy, and look forward to it.

]]> The Day of the Locust 36863726 'He began to wonder if he himself didn't suffer from the ingrained, morbid apathy he liked to draw in others.'

Tod Hackett is a brilliant young artist - and a man in danger of losing his heart. Brought to an LA studio as a set-designer, he is soon caught up in a fantasy world where the cult of celebrity rules.

But when he becomes besotted by the beautiful Faye, an aspiring actress and occasional call-girl, his dream rapidly becomes a nightmare. For, with little in the way of looks and no money to buy her time, Tod's desperate passion can only lead to frustration, disillusionment and rage ...

The Penguin English Library - collectable general readers' editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century to the end of the Second World War.]]> 192 Nathanael West 0241341671 Franky 3
However, while some elements were similar, West’s The Day of the Locust is a grim, bleak, almost at times nihilistic and bizarre vehicle for the disillusionment of the American Dream. More specifically, it paints the portrayal of the great Hollywood façade.

Tod is an artist who comes out to Hollywood to gain some inspiration for an illustration he has in the works entitled “The Burning of Los Angeles.� While staying at the local hotel he meets an assortment of characters who fill the basis of the novel: aspiring actress Faye Greener, a dwarf named “Honest� Abe, a suitor of Faye’s named Homer Simpson (not the one you are thinking of), Harry Greener (Faye’s father) and Earl (another acquaintance of Faye’s) among others.

West’s scathing treatment of the Hollywood scene works in a sense, but maybe a little too much. The plot and characters are a train wreck and akin to watching a head-on collision. I’m all for bleak is it is done effectively, but this book was just bleak-bleak, rather depressing. Also, there is just not much of a plot per se, but rather a series of episodes where we follow characters from here to there in an aimless way. (I do suppose this typifies and parallels with the aimlessness of the characters).

At the end of the day, the characters are so shallow and superficial and unlikeable and just a mess, and there are some rather off-putting scenes as well. This book is just generally an unpleasant experience. I suppose that is what West is striving for and par for the course, but I just can’t say I enjoyed picking up this book each night to read.

I do recognize, however, that there is quite a bit going on under the surface and there is a strong existential and literary quality to the writing itself that West brings to the table. The aforementioned canvas that Tod is working on, “The Burning of Los Angeles� seems to have a strong symbolic quality to it that coincides with the fractured nature of these characters and their dashed hopes as well as the finale of the novel.

If one were to take a deeper dive, there would be quite a bit to unpack in The Day of the Locust.

However, if you decide to read this one, kids, please do buckle up: it’s going to be a bumpy ride. This is Hollyweird at its finest.


]]> 3.19 1939 The Day of the Locust
author: Nathanael West
name: Franky
average rating: 3.19
book published: 1939
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/05
date added: 2024/06/11
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, historical-fiction, literary, literary-fiction, american-dream
review:
I read somewhere that Nathaniel West and F. Scott Fitzgerald were friends or acquaintances (and it is evidenced in letters from West to Fitzgerald in this edition), which is fitting because for some odd reason this book has some qualities representative of a Fitzgerald work, a very dark Fitzgerald work. (It is also ironic that both authors died tragically just one day apart at a very young age).

However, while some elements were similar, West’s The Day of the Locust is a grim, bleak, almost at times nihilistic and bizarre vehicle for the disillusionment of the American Dream. More specifically, it paints the portrayal of the great Hollywood façade.

Tod is an artist who comes out to Hollywood to gain some inspiration for an illustration he has in the works entitled “The Burning of Los Angeles.� While staying at the local hotel he meets an assortment of characters who fill the basis of the novel: aspiring actress Faye Greener, a dwarf named “Honest� Abe, a suitor of Faye’s named Homer Simpson (not the one you are thinking of), Harry Greener (Faye’s father) and Earl (another acquaintance of Faye’s) among others.

West’s scathing treatment of the Hollywood scene works in a sense, but maybe a little too much. The plot and characters are a train wreck and akin to watching a head-on collision. I’m all for bleak is it is done effectively, but this book was just bleak-bleak, rather depressing. Also, there is just not much of a plot per se, but rather a series of episodes where we follow characters from here to there in an aimless way. (I do suppose this typifies and parallels with the aimlessness of the characters).

At the end of the day, the characters are so shallow and superficial and unlikeable and just a mess, and there are some rather off-putting scenes as well. This book is just generally an unpleasant experience. I suppose that is what West is striving for and par for the course, but I just can’t say I enjoyed picking up this book each night to read.

I do recognize, however, that there is quite a bit going on under the surface and there is a strong existential and literary quality to the writing itself that West brings to the table. The aforementioned canvas that Tod is working on, “The Burning of Los Angeles� seems to have a strong symbolic quality to it that coincides with the fractured nature of these characters and their dashed hopes as well as the finale of the novel.

If one were to take a deeper dive, there would be quite a bit to unpack in The Day of the Locust.

However, if you decide to read this one, kids, please do buckle up: it’s going to be a bumpy ride. This is Hollyweird at its finest.



]]> <![CDATA[Mary Barton (Everyman's Library Classics)]]> 1030213 390 Elizabeth Gaskell 1857151852 Franky 4
As with North and South, Gaskell taps into relevant timely themes of her day, including the plight of the working class vs. the owners, faithfulness and fidelity, romance and love, the rich vs. the poor, sin and redemption, forgiveness, and the effects of guilt among others. She blends all of these themes into the work as it focuses on a few major conflicts/subplots and also the novel becomes a social commentary as well.

One of the key center conflicts is a love triangle between Mary Barton, daughter of a worker, Harry Carson, the son of a rich owner, and Jem Wilson, a childhood friend of Mary’s. In a pivotal moment, Mary rejects Jem when he declares his love and offers her marriage, and so Jem leaves rejected. Mary soon after realizes her mistake, but could it be too late now? Another key element involves a murder, the search for the true murderer and justice, and a frantic pursuit in the book’s final section.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Gaskell does lay on the Victorian sentiments quite thickly, maybe to a fault. There is quite a bit of sobbing, going into hysterics, pathos, emotion, and a big dose of sentimentalism quite often. However, I read somewhere that Gaskell was writing this novel as sort of a way of getting over the loss of a child as a sort of catharsis, so it’s easy to understand what she was going through during this process.

And there is quite a bit to like about this book. This reminded me quite a bit of a Dickens work in how the class divisions and labor feuds and commentary about the conditions and wages are all focal points and examined. Without giving too much away for fear of spoilers, it also has a bit of a Wilkie Collins in it, in how the plot intertwines and comes together nicely, especially in the book’s final parts, with a frantic pursuit of justice and a trial.

My second read from Gaskell was a winner, and I hope to get to some of her other novels.



]]> 3.55 1848 Mary Barton (Everyman's Library Classics)
author: Elizabeth Gaskell
name: Franky
average rating: 3.55
book published: 1848
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/26
date added: 2024/06/07
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, history, victorian, kindle, romance
review:
After having read North and South a few years back and having somewhat of a lukewarm feeling about it, I decided to give another Gaskell work a try and went with her first novel, Mary Barton. Overall, I felt like the narrative was much smoother and a more enjoyable and powerful book than North and South (although it seems like many reader disagree with me on that point).

As with North and South, Gaskell taps into relevant timely themes of her day, including the plight of the working class vs. the owners, faithfulness and fidelity, romance and love, the rich vs. the poor, sin and redemption, forgiveness, and the effects of guilt among others. She blends all of these themes into the work as it focuses on a few major conflicts/subplots and also the novel becomes a social commentary as well.

One of the key center conflicts is a love triangle between Mary Barton, daughter of a worker, Harry Carson, the son of a rich owner, and Jem Wilson, a childhood friend of Mary’s. In a pivotal moment, Mary rejects Jem when he declares his love and offers her marriage, and so Jem leaves rejected. Mary soon after realizes her mistake, but could it be too late now? Another key element involves a murder, the search for the true murderer and justice, and a frantic pursuit in the book’s final section.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Gaskell does lay on the Victorian sentiments quite thickly, maybe to a fault. There is quite a bit of sobbing, going into hysterics, pathos, emotion, and a big dose of sentimentalism quite often. However, I read somewhere that Gaskell was writing this novel as sort of a way of getting over the loss of a child as a sort of catharsis, so it’s easy to understand what she was going through during this process.

And there is quite a bit to like about this book. This reminded me quite a bit of a Dickens work in how the class divisions and labor feuds and commentary about the conditions and wages are all focal points and examined. Without giving too much away for fear of spoilers, it also has a bit of a Wilkie Collins in it, in how the plot intertwines and comes together nicely, especially in the book’s final parts, with a frantic pursuit of justice and a trial.

My second read from Gaskell was a winner, and I hope to get to some of her other novels.




]]> <![CDATA[At the Earth's Core (Pellucidar #1)]]> 215950
At the Earth's Core is a 1914 fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first in his series about the fictional "hollow earth" land of Pellucidar. It first appeared as a four-part serial in All-Story Weekly from April 4-25, 1914

Excerpt:
But when I saw these sleek, shiny carcasses shimmering in the sunlight as they emerged from the ocean, shaking their giant heads; when I saw the waters roll from their sinuous bodies in miniature waterfalls as they glided hither and thither, now upon the surface, now half submerged; as I saw them meet, open-mouthed, hissing and snorting, in their titanic and interminable warring I realized how futile is man’s poor, week imagination by comparison with Nature’s incredible genius.]]> 180 Edgar Rice Burroughs 0809599783 Franky 4
I’ve read four other novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and they have all been highly entertaining and pure escapism, and At the Earth’s Core, the beginning installment of the Pellucidar series, is no exception.

A young man, David Innes, recalls a rather fantastical tale about an older gentleman named Abner Perry, an inventor who devoted his life to prospecting. David and Perry go on an exploration underground in a vehicle, however, as they progress something falters with the mechanism. After miraculously escaping a dire situation and feeling a bit disoriented about their location, it soon dawns on them they have travelled to inner earth, a place unfamiliar.

It seems that they have travelled to a place named Pellucidar, where various races of creatures and prehistoric humans and animals exist.

The narrative is filled with the various adventures and perilous situations experienced by the two and their encounters with the Sagoths and Mahars, two races within this world. One pivotal moment is when, after being captured early on and enslaved, David meets and accidentally offends Dian the Beautiful, one of the women of this world and then being separated from her (it seemed that he did not understand one of the social codes of Pellicular). David and others form an escape plan, but it seems that there are various wrenches thrown into their plans in the form of the Mahars as well as other foes of this world. A good deal of the plot focuses on David having to try to survive in this strange world, and, after being separated from Perry, trying to reunite with him and others as well as Dian the Beautiful. Another subplot is the search for a “Secret Book� that holds a key component to how this place is governed.

If you have read Burroughs before, you will know that there are some definitive staples of his adventure and fantasy classics. One key trait is having is protagonist “out of his element�, being thrust into a new world and having to be both become accustomed to the new surroundings and find means to escape from dangerous encounters.

It feels like some impending doom is right around the corner quite often for David, and he must be creative in trying to use the resources around him to survive battles with beasts and animals he faces. David meets some allies, but quite a few foes, during his experiences.

The novel ends with a slight cliffhanger, but with enough finish to pave the way for book two in the series, Pellucidar.

While the “romance� is a little silly, and some things work out quite conveniently for our protagonist in some moments, At the Earth’s Core is an imaginative, fun fantasy and adventure and I look forward to continuing on in the series.



]]> 3.76 1914 At the Earth's Core (Pellucidar #1)
author: Edgar Rice Burroughs
name: Franky
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1914
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/27
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, adventure, classics, fantasy, pulp, sci-fi, kindle
review:
“Already I was puzzled to compute the period of time which had elapsed since we broke through the crust of the inner world.�

I’ve read four other novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and they have all been highly entertaining and pure escapism, and At the Earth’s Core, the beginning installment of the Pellucidar series, is no exception.

A young man, David Innes, recalls a rather fantastical tale about an older gentleman named Abner Perry, an inventor who devoted his life to prospecting. David and Perry go on an exploration underground in a vehicle, however, as they progress something falters with the mechanism. After miraculously escaping a dire situation and feeling a bit disoriented about their location, it soon dawns on them they have travelled to inner earth, a place unfamiliar.

It seems that they have travelled to a place named Pellucidar, where various races of creatures and prehistoric humans and animals exist.

The narrative is filled with the various adventures and perilous situations experienced by the two and their encounters with the Sagoths and Mahars, two races within this world. One pivotal moment is when, after being captured early on and enslaved, David meets and accidentally offends Dian the Beautiful, one of the women of this world and then being separated from her (it seemed that he did not understand one of the social codes of Pellicular). David and others form an escape plan, but it seems that there are various wrenches thrown into their plans in the form of the Mahars as well as other foes of this world. A good deal of the plot focuses on David having to try to survive in this strange world, and, after being separated from Perry, trying to reunite with him and others as well as Dian the Beautiful. Another subplot is the search for a “Secret Book� that holds a key component to how this place is governed.

If you have read Burroughs before, you will know that there are some definitive staples of his adventure and fantasy classics. One key trait is having is protagonist “out of his element�, being thrust into a new world and having to be both become accustomed to the new surroundings and find means to escape from dangerous encounters.

It feels like some impending doom is right around the corner quite often for David, and he must be creative in trying to use the resources around him to survive battles with beasts and animals he faces. David meets some allies, but quite a few foes, during his experiences.

The novel ends with a slight cliffhanger, but with enough finish to pave the way for book two in the series, Pellucidar.

While the “romance� is a little silly, and some things work out quite conveniently for our protagonist in some moments, At the Earth’s Core is an imaginative, fun fantasy and adventure and I look forward to continuing on in the series.




]]> <![CDATA[The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Crown Colony, #1)]]> 34838331 First in a delightfully charming crime series set in 1930s Singapore, introducing amateur sleuth SuLin, a local girl stepping in as governess for the Acting Governor of Singapore.

1936 in the Crown Colony of Singapore, and the British abdication crisis and rising Japanese threat seem very far away. When the Irish nanny looking after Acting Governor Palin's daughter dies suddenly - and in mysterious circumstances - mission school-educated local girl Su Lin - an aspiring journalist trying to escape an arranged marriage - is invited to take her place.

But then another murder at the residence occurs and it seems very likely that a killer is stalking the corridors of Government House. It now takes all Su Lin's traditional skills and intelligence to help British-born Chief Inspector Thomas LeFroy solve the murders - and escape with her own life.

]]> 286 Ovidia Yu Franky 4
At the novel’s outset, Chen Su Lin’s family is attempting to have her married off when word comes in about a mysterious, unusual death that has happened at Frangipani Hill at the Governor’s estate. It seems a young Irish nanny, Charity Bryne, has been found dead under a tree after apparently falling to her death. A certain Inspector Thomas Le Froy enters the scene, and he quickly ascertains and deems this death highly suspicious, and it clearly looks like we have a case of foul play.

Being that the Governor’s daughter Deborah now needs a nanny, and given that she instantly takes a liking to Su Lin, Su Lin gets the job at the Governor’s place to care and watch over Deborah. (And this fits right in with Su Lin’s aspiration to being a reporter).

I felt like having Su Lin as our narrator for the majority of the time (a random third person narration breaks in periodically) a very good fit and a plus in technique. It gives the reader a behind-the-scenes look into this mystery and whodunnit. Being that she is saying at the Governor’s place with the Palins, she becomes prime observer and witness to clues into Charity’s death as well as other shenanigans and drama into the household.

Clues, gossip, hidden secrets, and motives all come to the forefront as LeFroy (and Su Lin) try to put all the pieces together for this murder mystery.

I really enjoyed the mood and ambience of the novel. It wasn’t too heavy of a mystery (despite some certain revelations) and having Su Lin as our eyes and ears as we become witnesses too to the happenings. This, along with the time period backdrop, was a nice touch that made for an engaging read.

And I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its novel, but this is such a cool cover, too.

Overall, a very fun mystery, and I look forward to continuing on in the series, and reading the second one, The Betel Nut Tree Mystery.

]]> 3.81 2017 The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Crown Colony, #1)
author: Ovidia Yu
name: Franky
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/19
date added: 2024/05/25
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, mystery, history, historical-fiction
review:
This was my first venture into any of the books by Ovidia Yu and the first in this series was an enjoyable, engaging experience with the backdrop of 1930s Singapore in this murder mystery.

At the novel’s outset, Chen Su Lin’s family is attempting to have her married off when word comes in about a mysterious, unusual death that has happened at Frangipani Hill at the Governor’s estate. It seems a young Irish nanny, Charity Bryne, has been found dead under a tree after apparently falling to her death. A certain Inspector Thomas Le Froy enters the scene, and he quickly ascertains and deems this death highly suspicious, and it clearly looks like we have a case of foul play.

Being that the Governor’s daughter Deborah now needs a nanny, and given that she instantly takes a liking to Su Lin, Su Lin gets the job at the Governor’s place to care and watch over Deborah. (And this fits right in with Su Lin’s aspiration to being a reporter).

I felt like having Su Lin as our narrator for the majority of the time (a random third person narration breaks in periodically) a very good fit and a plus in technique. It gives the reader a behind-the-scenes look into this mystery and whodunnit. Being that she is saying at the Governor’s place with the Palins, she becomes prime observer and witness to clues into Charity’s death as well as other shenanigans and drama into the household.

Clues, gossip, hidden secrets, and motives all come to the forefront as LeFroy (and Su Lin) try to put all the pieces together for this murder mystery.

I really enjoyed the mood and ambience of the novel. It wasn’t too heavy of a mystery (despite some certain revelations) and having Su Lin as our eyes and ears as we become witnesses too to the happenings. This, along with the time period backdrop, was a nice touch that made for an engaging read.

And I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its novel, but this is such a cool cover, too.

Overall, a very fun mystery, and I look forward to continuing on in the series, and reading the second one, The Betel Nut Tree Mystery.


]]> Macbeth 8852
This shocking tragedy - a violent caution to those seeking power for its own sake - is, to this day, one of Shakespeare’s most popular and influential masterpieces.]]> 249 William Shakespeare 0743477103 Franky 3
The dark seeds of ambition are planted in Macbeth’s head early on when he and Banquo have an odd encounter with a trio of witches, who give him some quite stunning revelations about the future. When Macbeth returns to tell his wife of the news, ambitions go quite awry.

I think one of the more interesting aspects of this play is how it explores several themes about life (fate vs free will, the dark side of ambition and greed, corruptibility, etc.) to a tee. Shakespeare is able to create one of the most unlikeable couples in the modern language and pique the reader’s interests. Because, alas, it’s Shakespeare, baby, so we all know things are not going to end well.

And this play produced some of the most memorable and famous soliloquies and monologues ever, and we see this as the couple head for their downfall.

Still, I am of the mind that I prefer a Hamlet, or a King Lear, or an Othello to a Macbeth. I find more threads of moments of compassion within a tragic figure in those aforementioned plays. This play, despite its power, just leaves me cold every time I read it.

There are amazing performances of this and so many different takes and modern adaptations as well, so it’s easy to see why it has remained one of the Bard’s most popular works for sure. I think I like many of Shakespeare’s other tragedies so much better, though.
]]> 3.90 1623 Macbeth
author: William Shakespeare
name: Franky
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1623
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/20
date added: 2024/05/12
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, drama, kindle, reread
review:
For some reason, despite the great lyrical writing from Shakespeare as per usual, this Scottish play of his has never quite resonated with me very much. This dark and bloody play is obviously famous—and also infamous—for various reasons, and has a lesson to tell, but it carries with it such a negative, nihilistic, and bleak atmosphere and vibe, particularly in both its themes and its characters.

The dark seeds of ambition are planted in Macbeth’s head early on when he and Banquo have an odd encounter with a trio of witches, who give him some quite stunning revelations about the future. When Macbeth returns to tell his wife of the news, ambitions go quite awry.

I think one of the more interesting aspects of this play is how it explores several themes about life (fate vs free will, the dark side of ambition and greed, corruptibility, etc.) to a tee. Shakespeare is able to create one of the most unlikeable couples in the modern language and pique the reader’s interests. Because, alas, it’s Shakespeare, baby, so we all know things are not going to end well.

And this play produced some of the most memorable and famous soliloquies and monologues ever, and we see this as the couple head for their downfall.

Still, I am of the mind that I prefer a Hamlet, or a King Lear, or an Othello to a Macbeth. I find more threads of moments of compassion within a tragic figure in those aforementioned plays. This play, despite its power, just leaves me cold every time I read it.

There are amazing performances of this and so many different takes and modern adaptations as well, so it’s easy to see why it has remained one of the Bard’s most popular works for sure. I think I like many of Shakespeare’s other tragedies so much better, though.

]]> <![CDATA[Logan's Run: Vintage Movie Classics (A Vintage Movie Classic)]]> 23885972
In 2116, it is against the law to live beyond the age of twenty-one years. When the crystal flower in the palm of your hand turns from red to black, you have reached your Lastday and you must report to a Sleepshop for processing. But the human will to survive is strong—stronger than any mere law.

Logan 3 is a Sandman, an enforcer who hunts down those Runners who refuse to accept Deep Sleep. The day before Logan’s palmflower shifts to black, a Runner accidentally reveals that he was racing toward a goal: Sanctuary. With this information driving him forward, Logan 3 assumes the role of the hunted and becomes a Runner.]]> 167 William F. Nolan 1101911379 Franky 4
However, as you can imagine, some people will not just accept and go off so easily into the far beyond without some sort of fight. These people who fight the system are Runners, and it is up to Sandmen, enforcers of the system, to take them down.

Initially, there is a little bit of heavy lifting for the reader as we are just randomly thrust into the novel and this world haphazardly and jarringly without much in the way of exposition. However, this is a case where the novel almost works backwards, as we are given more context about the dystopic world individuals live in and how things came to be gradually, especially in the novel’s second half.

I felt like my opinion of this book changed quite dramatically (and favorably) from the initial stages to when we get into the meat of the book, and especially in the later stages.

The basic premise and the novel’s main crux is Logan 3, a DS man (Sandman), getting an epiphany when his unlucky number is called on his twenty-first birthday and deciding to break from society and become a runner himself. When Logan hears one of the runners, a man named Doyle 10, whisper the words “Sanctuary� on his last breath, he becomes intrigued with the mysterious place, and it becomes his quest to find it. He eventually ends up meeting Doyle’s sister, Jess, and eventually winning her trust, and the two try to make their escape.

One of the more distinctive and impressive features of Logan’s Run from the duo of authors is simply creating such a topsy-turvy, futuristic, bizarrely dystopian world. This is most evident when Logan and Jess are in flight and on the run-- in pursuit and quest for Sanctuary--which consumes much of the plot, and is easily the most exciting and engaging parts of the book.

A frantic, energized tempo ensues, especially after they are hit with pitfall after pitfall, danger after danger and villains of all types, from robotic guards sounding the alarm, to psychotic half-man, half-machine artists, to a band of crazed youngsters, etc. It takes on almost a carnivalesque, dystopian dark amusement park with impending doom at every turn as they trek into various futuristic, post-apocalyptic wastelands. (One of the most bizarre points is when Logan and Jess make their escape past a group of androids doing a reenactment of a battle from the Civil War with onlookers).

Additionally, the futuristic, dystopic concepts are quite innovative and impressive considering this book was written in 1967. For example, one of the features of society is an all-consuming artificial intelligence named Thinker, who basically runs the show and keeps everything in order for this upside-down world. There is also a hovercraft of sorts that Logan and others use as a means of transportation. There are so many fascinating (and scary) technological concepts brought forth, and it seems evident that these ideas were likely inspiration for more modern dystopian works.

I guess if there was one drawback is that the world building and character development could have been more flushed out a bit and gone a little deeper. However, at a lean 165 pages, this was difficult to accomplish.

Still, I enjoyed this book thoroughly, and Logan’s Run is a wonderful addition to the science fiction classic collection. I have actually never sat down and watched the classic 1970s film version with Michael York, but that is next on my to-do list.

]]> 3.42 1967 Logan's Run: Vintage Movie Classics (A Vintage Movie Classic)
author: William F. Nolan
name: Franky
average rating: 3.42
book published: 1967
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/04
date added: 2024/05/04
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, adventure, dystopian, fantasy, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, classics
review:
The year is 2116. In order to “solve� the overpopulation, it is required by law for those who turn twenty-one to go into a Deep Sleep (a form of forced suicide). Individuals have a crystal flower inserted into their hands and when it turns from red to black, it is deemed Last Day.

However, as you can imagine, some people will not just accept and go off so easily into the far beyond without some sort of fight. These people who fight the system are Runners, and it is up to Sandmen, enforcers of the system, to take them down.

Initially, there is a little bit of heavy lifting for the reader as we are just randomly thrust into the novel and this world haphazardly and jarringly without much in the way of exposition. However, this is a case where the novel almost works backwards, as we are given more context about the dystopic world individuals live in and how things came to be gradually, especially in the novel’s second half.

I felt like my opinion of this book changed quite dramatically (and favorably) from the initial stages to when we get into the meat of the book, and especially in the later stages.

The basic premise and the novel’s main crux is Logan 3, a DS man (Sandman), getting an epiphany when his unlucky number is called on his twenty-first birthday and deciding to break from society and become a runner himself. When Logan hears one of the runners, a man named Doyle 10, whisper the words “Sanctuary� on his last breath, he becomes intrigued with the mysterious place, and it becomes his quest to find it. He eventually ends up meeting Doyle’s sister, Jess, and eventually winning her trust, and the two try to make their escape.

One of the more distinctive and impressive features of Logan’s Run from the duo of authors is simply creating such a topsy-turvy, futuristic, bizarrely dystopian world. This is most evident when Logan and Jess are in flight and on the run-- in pursuit and quest for Sanctuary--which consumes much of the plot, and is easily the most exciting and engaging parts of the book.

A frantic, energized tempo ensues, especially after they are hit with pitfall after pitfall, danger after danger and villains of all types, from robotic guards sounding the alarm, to psychotic half-man, half-machine artists, to a band of crazed youngsters, etc. It takes on almost a carnivalesque, dystopian dark amusement park with impending doom at every turn as they trek into various futuristic, post-apocalyptic wastelands. (One of the most bizarre points is when Logan and Jess make their escape past a group of androids doing a reenactment of a battle from the Civil War with onlookers).

Additionally, the futuristic, dystopic concepts are quite innovative and impressive considering this book was written in 1967. For example, one of the features of society is an all-consuming artificial intelligence named Thinker, who basically runs the show and keeps everything in order for this upside-down world. There is also a hovercraft of sorts that Logan and others use as a means of transportation. There are so many fascinating (and scary) technological concepts brought forth, and it seems evident that these ideas were likely inspiration for more modern dystopian works.

I guess if there was one drawback is that the world building and character development could have been more flushed out a bit and gone a little deeper. However, at a lean 165 pages, this was difficult to accomplish.

Still, I enjoyed this book thoroughly, and Logan’s Run is a wonderful addition to the science fiction classic collection. I have actually never sat down and watched the classic 1970s film version with Michael York, but that is next on my to-do list.


]]> Middlemarch 398216 827 George Eliot 0679783318 Franky 4
A.S.Byatt, in the introduction, most notably mentions that Eliot’s book is one about life’s “indefiniteness.� This is an apt way to describe the totality of the novel, as it plays out in various forms through the characters as a central theme.

One of the most remarkable features of the novel is simply Eliot putting so many characters� lives within the community of Middlemarch under a proverbial microscope, giving us a glimpse into human nature and the conflicts within individuals� lives.

And these characters are very flawed and human. Through many aspects, Middlemarch’s focus is characters who are either trying to do remarkable and noble things or trying to find life’s successes, but ultimately having many of those quests stifled and stymied. Oftentimes it is because of foolish pride, an unfortunate vice, or any other character flaw of some sort. However, in the same breath, this is noteworthy because these said characters often fight against their own faults, trying in some manner to overcome.

In this manner, it is a fascinating look at characters such as Dorothea or Lydgate, who have romanticized ideas and visions that sometimes end with bitter realities. Yet, they have to grapple with these realities and find solutions because there are no easy answers.

Among other things, the characters are also so well drawn. Eliot spends an extensive amount of time (almost to a fault) letting the reader gets to know these characters and painting a picture of Middlemarch society. I thought that Dorothea was an interesting character in that she sparks quite a bit of polarizing thoughts, both praiseworthy and critical, in reviews and book club discussions. I thought she is definitely a dynamic and well-rounded character, with flaws, sure, but with a character arc and a depth. She has a nobleness and independence in her in not letting others dictate her life that was admirable.

As mentioned before, these characters have battles: in love and marriage, in occupations and aspirations, in politics and community, in their own personal vices, and all under the glare and gossip and scrutiny of an ever-expanding and industrialized Middlemarch community.

Eliot packs so much into this book, the characters� lives, their faults, their struggles, their strengths, their weaknesses, and there is a wholeness to the novel upon finishing the final page. It was a long journey, but a journey I was glad I was on for the full duration.]]> 4.20 1872 Middlemarch
author: George Eliot
name: Franky
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1872
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/12
date added: 2024/04/13
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, historical-fiction, history, victorian, kindle, romance
review:
Make no mistake dear reader: Middlemarch is a slow burn. The prose is dense, it covers a massive amount of ground, and it takes a little bit for the reader to find their footing and understand the setting, exposition and context of the community and its central characters. However, if the patient reader can stick with it, there is quite a remarkable and powerful glimpse into humans contained within the pages.

A.S.Byatt, in the introduction, most notably mentions that Eliot’s book is one about life’s “indefiniteness.� This is an apt way to describe the totality of the novel, as it plays out in various forms through the characters as a central theme.

One of the most remarkable features of the novel is simply Eliot putting so many characters� lives within the community of Middlemarch under a proverbial microscope, giving us a glimpse into human nature and the conflicts within individuals� lives.

And these characters are very flawed and human. Through many aspects, Middlemarch’s focus is characters who are either trying to do remarkable and noble things or trying to find life’s successes, but ultimately having many of those quests stifled and stymied. Oftentimes it is because of foolish pride, an unfortunate vice, or any other character flaw of some sort. However, in the same breath, this is noteworthy because these said characters often fight against their own faults, trying in some manner to overcome.

In this manner, it is a fascinating look at characters such as Dorothea or Lydgate, who have romanticized ideas and visions that sometimes end with bitter realities. Yet, they have to grapple with these realities and find solutions because there are no easy answers.

Among other things, the characters are also so well drawn. Eliot spends an extensive amount of time (almost to a fault) letting the reader gets to know these characters and painting a picture of Middlemarch society. I thought that Dorothea was an interesting character in that she sparks quite a bit of polarizing thoughts, both praiseworthy and critical, in reviews and book club discussions. I thought she is definitely a dynamic and well-rounded character, with flaws, sure, but with a character arc and a depth. She has a nobleness and independence in her in not letting others dictate her life that was admirable.

As mentioned before, these characters have battles: in love and marriage, in occupations and aspirations, in politics and community, in their own personal vices, and all under the glare and gossip and scrutiny of an ever-expanding and industrialized Middlemarch community.

Eliot packs so much into this book, the characters� lives, their faults, their struggles, their strengths, their weaknesses, and there is a wholeness to the novel upon finishing the final page. It was a long journey, but a journey I was glad I was on for the full duration.
]]> The Frozen Deep 1009218
Based on the doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, and originally performed as a play starring both Collins and Dickens, 'The Frozen Deep' is a dramatic tale of vengeance and self-sacrifice which went on to inspire the character of Sydney Carton in Charles Dickens' 'A Tale of Two Cities'.

NB: This is a separate work by Wilkie Collins It is a novel, published serially in 'Temple Bar' between August and October 1874 and then published as a book, and is not the play of the same name that Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins collaborated on in 1856 and that they both appeared in and that was subsequently published in 1857.]]> 106 Wilkie Collins 1843910942 Franky 3
I became hooked on Wilkie Collins about ten years ago when reading The Moonstone for a book club. I went on to read the others of his “big four,� The Woman in White, No Name, and Armadale and really enjoyed all of them. When Collins is on his game, his plots are constructed so cleverly as to give an air of mystery and also put together so many interwoven subplots into a very climactic finish.

Some of Collins� “lesser knowns� are a bit of a mixed bag and hit and miss, and I preface that because I felt like The Frozen Deep was just a bit too melodramatic and didn’t have quite enough “meat on its bones� or punch to be a fully enjoyable experience.

Set historically in the backdrop of the infamous and failed Franklin Expedition, The Frozen Deep’s primary conflict concerns a love triangle between three of its lead characters. One of the interesting wrinkles that Collins throws in at the outset is having the lead female character, Clara, have “second sight.� I think this sort of allows us, as readers, to follow her ominous thoughts of what could possibly happen as the plot unfolds.

We are thrust right into the basis of the pickle right away when we find out that Clara has her sights set on a man named Frank, but that there is another man, Richard, a friend from childhood, who also believes that he will win Clara’s love. Interestingly enough, Richard comes into the scene right as the exploration and its men are getting ready to sail, with Frank being one of the men going on the journey. Clara has premonitions of bad tidings between the two, especially when she learns that the two will both be taking part in the expedition. How will things pan out?

While I will never turn down a Collins read, I just felt like this was a lesser effort and less substantial than his other longer works. I felt like, while not entirely predictable, the plot is set up in a way that can go either one way or another and it becomes fairly obvious to the reader. Moreover, there is really a lack of depth in this book, as it just seems very light and fluffy. For this reason, the intrigue was sort of lacking, and I chugged along to the finish line even though the book was less than one hundred pages.

Serious Collins fans will probably enjoy this one, but it pales in comparison to his longer, more substantial, and tightly constructed longer novels.


]]> 3.42 1857 The Frozen Deep
author: Wilkie Collins
name: Franky
average rating: 3.42
book published: 1857
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/29
date added: 2024/03/31
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, gothic, historical-fiction, history, kindle, novella
review:
Depending on where you search, you will find that The Frozen Deep is either in play or novella format. Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins had quite a writing rivalry/friendship and this novella here is Collins� work taken and adapted from the play. This is important knowing going in to read because the book “almost� reads like a play in how it is stylized and presented.

I became hooked on Wilkie Collins about ten years ago when reading The Moonstone for a book club. I went on to read the others of his “big four,� The Woman in White, No Name, and Armadale and really enjoyed all of them. When Collins is on his game, his plots are constructed so cleverly as to give an air of mystery and also put together so many interwoven subplots into a very climactic finish.

Some of Collins� “lesser knowns� are a bit of a mixed bag and hit and miss, and I preface that because I felt like The Frozen Deep was just a bit too melodramatic and didn’t have quite enough “meat on its bones� or punch to be a fully enjoyable experience.

Set historically in the backdrop of the infamous and failed Franklin Expedition, The Frozen Deep’s primary conflict concerns a love triangle between three of its lead characters. One of the interesting wrinkles that Collins throws in at the outset is having the lead female character, Clara, have “second sight.� I think this sort of allows us, as readers, to follow her ominous thoughts of what could possibly happen as the plot unfolds.

We are thrust right into the basis of the pickle right away when we find out that Clara has her sights set on a man named Frank, but that there is another man, Richard, a friend from childhood, who also believes that he will win Clara’s love. Interestingly enough, Richard comes into the scene right as the exploration and its men are getting ready to sail, with Frank being one of the men going on the journey. Clara has premonitions of bad tidings between the two, especially when she learns that the two will both be taking part in the expedition. How will things pan out?

While I will never turn down a Collins read, I just felt like this was a lesser effort and less substantial than his other longer works. I felt like, while not entirely predictable, the plot is set up in a way that can go either one way or another and it becomes fairly obvious to the reader. Moreover, there is really a lack of depth in this book, as it just seems very light and fluffy. For this reason, the intrigue was sort of lacking, and I chugged along to the finish line even though the book was less than one hundred pages.

Serious Collins fans will probably enjoy this one, but it pales in comparison to his longer, more substantial, and tightly constructed longer novels.



]]> Who Goes There? 6468870 This Wildside Press edition is the only ebook version of this classic story authorized by the Campbell estate.]]> 161 John W. Campbell Jr. 0982332203 Franky 3
Upon finishing, I could not help but being fairly disappointed (despite the novel’s overall relevance). I think this is definitely a case where the idea/premise of the novel is much better than the actual execution of the novel. Thankfully, though, this book did help to inspire what I believe are two epic film adaptations, 1951’s “The Thing From Another World� and John Carpenter’s horror/sci-fi 1982 classic “The Thing.� These two films have a much better flow of storyline than the novel, and this makes the tension and suspense much higher.

There were several problem in the novel. One is the rather scatterbrained and disjointed approach and feel to much of the narrative, and I think this lessens much of the tension and/or power. It feels there is not much of a flow to the plot, but rather dialogue and events and moments are just thrown in happenstance instead of any build up. It feels like so many times we are just thrown into something. Likewise, the characters are largely carbon copies of each other, indistinguishable from each other, flat, and given that this book is dialogue heavy, this made following along quite problematic.

Like I said earlier, the premise seems like a can’t miss: scientists in an isolated, polar location dealing with an inhuman beast. Who wouldn’t want to read about that? Yet, seemingly, it sort of falls flat.

I think that the one thing that the book did have going for it was that it carries this sort of claustrophobic and paranoid atmosphere at points. We, as readers, are along the journey with the group, and feel the tension and horror that they feel at points. Unfortunately, though, these moments are sort of fleeting in the novel.

I appreciate the importance of this novel in how it spawned those aforementioned classic films, and I also appreciate the author’s contributions to the science fiction genre, but the book itself is very mediocre in my estimation.
]]> 3.78 1938 Who Goes There?
author: John W. Campbell Jr.
name: Franky
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1938
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/29
date added: 2024/03/24
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, aliens, classics, fantasy, horror, kindle, sci-fi
review:
Those who have watched two of the classic film adaptations of this novel will be very familiar with this story. In the harsh, bitter cold of the arctic, a group of scientists find a creature of some sort buried in the ice. They try to figure out what to do with the “thing�, but they will come to realize that this creature can exact quite a bit of havoc, both physically and psychologically, on the crew. It eventually becomes a paranoid, frantic all-out struggle as they seemingly have underestimated what they were up against.

Upon finishing, I could not help but being fairly disappointed (despite the novel’s overall relevance). I think this is definitely a case where the idea/premise of the novel is much better than the actual execution of the novel. Thankfully, though, this book did help to inspire what I believe are two epic film adaptations, 1951’s “The Thing From Another World� and John Carpenter’s horror/sci-fi 1982 classic “The Thing.� These two films have a much better flow of storyline than the novel, and this makes the tension and suspense much higher.

There were several problem in the novel. One is the rather scatterbrained and disjointed approach and feel to much of the narrative, and I think this lessens much of the tension and/or power. It feels there is not much of a flow to the plot, but rather dialogue and events and moments are just thrown in happenstance instead of any build up. It feels like so many times we are just thrown into something. Likewise, the characters are largely carbon copies of each other, indistinguishable from each other, flat, and given that this book is dialogue heavy, this made following along quite problematic.

Like I said earlier, the premise seems like a can’t miss: scientists in an isolated, polar location dealing with an inhuman beast. Who wouldn’t want to read about that? Yet, seemingly, it sort of falls flat.

I think that the one thing that the book did have going for it was that it carries this sort of claustrophobic and paranoid atmosphere at points. We, as readers, are along the journey with the group, and feel the tension and horror that they feel at points. Unfortunately, though, these moments are sort of fleeting in the novel.

I appreciate the importance of this novel in how it spawned those aforementioned classic films, and I also appreciate the author’s contributions to the science fiction genre, but the book itself is very mediocre in my estimation.

]]> Life on the Mississippi 99152 The book that earned Mark Twain his first recognition as a serious writer...

Discover the magic of life on the Mississippi.

At once a romantic history of a mighty river, an autobiographical account of Mark Twain's early steamboat days, and a storehouse of humorous anecdotes and sketches, Life on the Mississippi is the raw material from which Twain wrote his finest novel: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn .

"The Lincoln of our literature." (William Dean Howells)]]> 384 Mark Twain 0451528174 Franky 4
I have mixed feelings of travelogues and, in general, memoir type books where an author injects their own views on life and topics. I feel like these type of books can get too preachy, when all I want is to revel in adventurous or entertaining storytelling.

Twain provides such a yarn here, as Life in the Mississippi has all of the author’s trademark storytelling abilities and, as usual, he adds his own unique style of flavor, wit, and humor. As the title indicates, this book centers around his experiences along the great Mississippi River, and branches off into other recollections of life.

He opens with a historical perspective about the river, including LaSalle’s ventures and discoveries, and then ties the river into his early youth. One of the more remarkable attributes to Twain is just how versed he was in occupations and travel, as he wore so many hats in different jobs, and travelled to so many places. All this knowledge helps to add to his narrative, and he also remarks about how industrialization and technology forever changed the landscape of particular jobs along the river, namely the steamboat profession.

I felt like the most engaging anecdotes and bits were the early chapters dedicated to his experiences as a steamboat cub pilot and the rather eccentric types he met along the way. This is when Twain is in top notch form, on top of his game with witticisms and humor.

That being said, the book has an odd blend of humorous chapters juxtaposed with chapters including stories that are dark, grim, and uncomfortable.

Overall, while there were some less-than-engaging chapters, this was a fun experience, and I was fascinated with some of the descriptions and interactions with Twain and others in his adventures. It was good finally getting back to reading Twain, as it had been quite a while, and I do consider him to be one of my favorite classic authors.
]]> 3.86 1883 Life on the Mississippi
author: Mark Twain
name: Franky
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1883
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/18
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, memoir, non-fiction, travel, kindle
review:
“I was a traveler! A word had never tasted so good in my mouth before. I had an exultant sense of being bound for mysterious lands and distant climes which I have never felt so uplifting degree since.�

I have mixed feelings of travelogues and, in general, memoir type books where an author injects their own views on life and topics. I feel like these type of books can get too preachy, when all I want is to revel in adventurous or entertaining storytelling.

Twain provides such a yarn here, as Life in the Mississippi has all of the author’s trademark storytelling abilities and, as usual, he adds his own unique style of flavor, wit, and humor. As the title indicates, this book centers around his experiences along the great Mississippi River, and branches off into other recollections of life.

He opens with a historical perspective about the river, including LaSalle’s ventures and discoveries, and then ties the river into his early youth. One of the more remarkable attributes to Twain is just how versed he was in occupations and travel, as he wore so many hats in different jobs, and travelled to so many places. All this knowledge helps to add to his narrative, and he also remarks about how industrialization and technology forever changed the landscape of particular jobs along the river, namely the steamboat profession.

I felt like the most engaging anecdotes and bits were the early chapters dedicated to his experiences as a steamboat cub pilot and the rather eccentric types he met along the way. This is when Twain is in top notch form, on top of his game with witticisms and humor.

That being said, the book has an odd blend of humorous chapters juxtaposed with chapters including stories that are dark, grim, and uncomfortable.

Overall, while there were some less-than-engaging chapters, this was a fun experience, and I was fascinated with some of the descriptions and interactions with Twain and others in his adventures. It was good finally getting back to reading Twain, as it had been quite a while, and I do consider him to be one of my favorite classic authors.

]]> The Castle of Otranto 53074990 Hours before his wedding, fifteen-year-old Conrad, heir to the house of Otranto, is crushed to death. His father, Manfred, Lord of Otranto, sees only one recourse to protect the family lineage. He will divorce his wife and marry the boy’s bride-to-be. Her wishes be damned.

When the fearful and resistant Isabella takes flight, Manfred follows in mad pursuit. But it is he who must outrun a greater fear: a curse cast on his family generations ago.

In 1764, with its wild-eyed tyrant, virtuous damsel, secret passages, and supernatural omens, The Castle of Otranto ushered in a new literary genre: the gothic novel.

Revised edition: Previously published as The Castle of Otranto, this edition of The Castle of Otranto (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.

]]> 104 Horace Walpole 1542019265 Franky 3
Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto is significant as it was stamped as the first Gothic novel, and so was the first of its kind in an extensive line of this tradition. Yet, the funny thing is that at points this book appears to be a parody or caricature of itself or the genre in general. This is because of the bizarrely “comical� elements and over the top quality to how things are presented.

When you think about the Gothic tradition, this one really has it all. From giant helmets crashing to the earth, portraits moving, gigantic knights appearing, apparitions with dire warnings, prophecies and curses, scheming princes, maidens in peril, noble and honorable peasants, and quite a bit of melodrama, The Castle of Otranto has it covered.

The novel’s main storyline and premise is Prince Manfred’s efforts to retain his reign and avert a curse as he tries to get his son Conrad married to the Marquis� daughter, Isabella. However, things don’t go as planned when a giant helmet comes crashing to the earth, and kills Conrad right before the wedding. Manfred, seeing a vision, and dreading the ancient prophecy, now decided he will take matters into his own hands, and marry Isabella himself. However, Isabella flees and escapes to safer places. From here, we meet a bevy of characters and various situations and conflicts to get through.

I felt like the plot was a little all over the place and muddled, especially in the book’s second half. As stated earlier, there is a campiness to this story and plot that makes even the “scary� parts lack the element of tenseness one might find in similar books. I read somewhere that the author’s inspiration for this book (along with his admiration of Shakespeare’s works) came from a dream he had that had the basic elements that make up this story. This makes sense, given how scatterbrained the story is and the flow of the book feels.

In the end, I appreciate the novel’s relevance and historical significance as a precursor to the Gothic tradition, but one can easily find much better-quality Gothic novel elsewhere. That being said, this was definitely a unique reading experience.]]> 3.27 1764 The Castle of Otranto
author: Horace Walpole
name: Franky
average rating: 3.27
book published: 1764
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/11
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, classics, fantasy, gothic, horror, kindle, mystery
review:
Good gracious, this book is wild. At points reading I didn’t know whether to read it like King Arthur or Monty Python. It presents itself as a Gothic, but there is quite a bit of unintentional (intentional?) humor despite the dark elements.

Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto is significant as it was stamped as the first Gothic novel, and so was the first of its kind in an extensive line of this tradition. Yet, the funny thing is that at points this book appears to be a parody or caricature of itself or the genre in general. This is because of the bizarrely “comical� elements and over the top quality to how things are presented.

When you think about the Gothic tradition, this one really has it all. From giant helmets crashing to the earth, portraits moving, gigantic knights appearing, apparitions with dire warnings, prophecies and curses, scheming princes, maidens in peril, noble and honorable peasants, and quite a bit of melodrama, The Castle of Otranto has it covered.

The novel’s main storyline and premise is Prince Manfred’s efforts to retain his reign and avert a curse as he tries to get his son Conrad married to the Marquis� daughter, Isabella. However, things don’t go as planned when a giant helmet comes crashing to the earth, and kills Conrad right before the wedding. Manfred, seeing a vision, and dreading the ancient prophecy, now decided he will take matters into his own hands, and marry Isabella himself. However, Isabella flees and escapes to safer places. From here, we meet a bevy of characters and various situations and conflicts to get through.

I felt like the plot was a little all over the place and muddled, especially in the book’s second half. As stated earlier, there is a campiness to this story and plot that makes even the “scary� parts lack the element of tenseness one might find in similar books. I read somewhere that the author’s inspiration for this book (along with his admiration of Shakespeare’s works) came from a dream he had that had the basic elements that make up this story. This makes sense, given how scatterbrained the story is and the flow of the book feels.

In the end, I appreciate the novel’s relevance and historical significance as a precursor to the Gothic tradition, but one can easily find much better-quality Gothic novel elsewhere. That being said, this was definitely a unique reading experience.
]]> When We Were Orphans 6641588 The Remains of the Day, which sold over a million copies in English alone and was the basis of a film starring Anthony Hopkins. Now When We Were Orphans, his extraordinary fifth novel, has been called “his fullest achievement yet� (The New York Times Book Review) and placed him again on the Booker shortlist. A complex, intelligent, subtle and restrained psychological novel built along the lines of a detective story, it confirms Ishiguro as one of the most important writers in English today. London’s Sunday Times “You seldom read a novel that so convinces you it is extending the possibilities of fiction.�

The novel takes us to Shanghai in the late 1930s, with English detective Christopher Banks bent on solving the mystery that has plagued him all his the disappearance of his parents when he was eight. By his own account, he is now a celebrated gentleman sleuth, the toast of London society. But as we learn, he is also a solitary figure, his career built on an obsession. Believing his parents may still be held captive, he longs to put right as an adult what he was powerless to change as a child, when he played at being Sherlock Holmes � before both his parents vanished and he was sent to England to be raised by an aunt.

Banks� father was involved in the importation of opium, and solving the mystery means finding that his boyhood was not the innocent, enchanted world he has cherished in memory. The Shanghai he revisits is in the throes of the Sino—Japanese war, an apocalyptic nightmare; he sees the horror of the slums surrounding the international community in “a dreamscape worthy of Borges� (The Independent). “We think that if we can only put something right that went a bit awry, then our lives would be healed and the world would be healed,� says Ishiguro of the illusion under which his hero suffers.

It becomes increasingly clear that Banks is not to be trusted as a narrator. The stiff, elegant voice grows more hysterical, his vision more feverish, as he comes closer to the truth. Like Ryder of The Unconsoled, Ishiguro’s previous novel, Banks is trapped in his boyhood fantasy, and he follows his obsession at the cost of personal happiness. Other characters appear as projections of his fears and desires. All Ishiguro’s novels concern themselves with the past, the consequences of denying it and the unreliability of memory.

It is from Ishiguro’s own family history that the novel takes its setting. Though his family is Japanese, Ishiguro’s father was born in Shanghai’s international community in 1920; his grandfather was sent there to set up a Chinese branch of Toyota, then a textile company. “My father has old pictures of the first Mr. Toyota driving his Rolls-Royce down the Bund.� When the Japanese invaded in 1937, the fighting left the international commune a ghetto, and his family moved back to Nagasaki.

When We Were Orphans raises the bar for the literary mystery. Though more complex than much of Ishiguro’s earlier work, which has led to mixed reactions, it was published internationally (his work has been published in 28 languages) and was a New York Times bestseller.


From the Trade Paperback edition.]]> 352 Kazuo Ishiguro Franky 4
Alongside this, there’s often a question of how much is NOT said from the narrator’s perspective, and this is important because there is at times heavy lifting required from the reader. I think this is fine, however, because there are definitely some holes to fill in or “under the surface� moments that we need to interpret. In short, I appreciate the fact that we have to put some pieces of the puzzle together to form our own perspective.

When We Were Orphans is such a novel that gives the reader quite a bit to sift through and unpack. In its barest form, the book involves narrator Christopher Banks� quest to find his mother and father, who went missing when he was younger. He is now a prominent detective who has made a name for himself, and will eventually revisit Shanghai to finally try to solve the mystery of this disappearance. However, along this journey, Banks is preoccupied with so many recollections of the past, tragedies and momentous events that still haunt him till this day.

This is quite a difficult book to write about in detail without a potential spoiler, but suffice to say, there is a distant, non-linear aspect to aspect to Banks� narration and reflections that might have us question what is real and what is perhaps exaggeration. I felt like this was a novel of many novels, given the several different threads and subplots are opened up and recur throughout. We move back and forth through different moments in Christopher’s life, from his childhood memories with his parents and Uncle Phillips, his friend Akira, his encounters with Sarah Hemmings, and his adopted daughter Jennifer and try to put this fragmented puzzle together.

There is quite a bit to reflect upon after finishing, and I think the title takes on a deeper level of significance looking back. I like the level of ambiguity that the author utilizes to have us fill in some of the missing pieces in this one. Very introspective read, and I look forward to my next read from this author.
]]> 3.69 2000 When We Were Orphans
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Franky
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/17
date added: 2024/01/27
shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, history, contemporary, mystery
review:
This is my third read from Kazuo Ishiguro (the other two being Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day, both of which I enjoyed very much) and one common trait from all three books is the level of sophistication and introspection. This often comes in the form of how thoughts, memories, and time (from the narrator’s point of view) play a key role and mechanism in how events and themes are presented and/or manipulated.

Alongside this, there’s often a question of how much is NOT said from the narrator’s perspective, and this is important because there is at times heavy lifting required from the reader. I think this is fine, however, because there are definitely some holes to fill in or “under the surface� moments that we need to interpret. In short, I appreciate the fact that we have to put some pieces of the puzzle together to form our own perspective.

When We Were Orphans is such a novel that gives the reader quite a bit to sift through and unpack. In its barest form, the book involves narrator Christopher Banks� quest to find his mother and father, who went missing when he was younger. He is now a prominent detective who has made a name for himself, and will eventually revisit Shanghai to finally try to solve the mystery of this disappearance. However, along this journey, Banks is preoccupied with so many recollections of the past, tragedies and momentous events that still haunt him till this day.

This is quite a difficult book to write about in detail without a potential spoiler, but suffice to say, there is a distant, non-linear aspect to aspect to Banks� narration and reflections that might have us question what is real and what is perhaps exaggeration. I felt like this was a novel of many novels, given the several different threads and subplots are opened up and recur throughout. We move back and forth through different moments in Christopher’s life, from his childhood memories with his parents and Uncle Phillips, his friend Akira, his encounters with Sarah Hemmings, and his adopted daughter Jennifer and try to put this fragmented puzzle together.

There is quite a bit to reflect upon after finishing, and I think the title takes on a deeper level of significance looking back. I like the level of ambiguity that the author utilizes to have us fill in some of the missing pieces in this one. Very introspective read, and I look forward to my next read from this author.

]]> <![CDATA[Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)]]> 8127 Anne of Green Gables is also a wonderful portrait of a time, a place, a family� and, most of all, love.

WITH AN AFTERWORD BY JENNIFER LEE CARELL]]> 320 L.M. Montgomery 0451528824 Franky 4
There is a quaint, innocent, and sentimental quality to this classic that is undeniable, so it is easy to see why it became an entire series, and remains quite popular to this day.

Anne’s level of imagination and wonder in seeing the world make her quite an enduring character. Now, Anne is not perfect by any means. She is quite imaginative, maybe a little too imaginative. She is also very talkative, maybe a little too talkative. She also can be stubborn or headstrong. These character traits help her see the world in a creative, interesting way, but they also get her into difficult predicaments at various moments in the novel because she gets her ambitions set high on certain things. Marilla tries to be the corrective adult during these moments, all the while still loving Anne very much.

I think one of the most notable aspects to the novel is how the author brings the world of Prince Edward Island along with its characters to life. The special bond that Anne has with both Marilla and Matthew has a very wholesome and nurturing feeling. I think this works wonderfully because Marilla and Matthew are two very different personalities, Marilla being more outspoken, while Matthew being shy and quiet.

In many ways, also, this novel is not only an orphan story on the level of a Dickens styled tale, but it is a coming-of-age novel where young Anne most learn some difficult life lessons through mistakes in order to come to a richer understanding of how the world works, with life hopes, but also life disappointments as part of the deal.

This Signet Classics version has an excellent afterward by Jennifer Lee Carrell, who sheds light on the popularity of this book, its influence today, its themes, and the series in general.

A very imaginative children’s classic, Anne of Green Gables teaches about the important themes of growing up, family, friendship, religion, hopes and dreams, and the importance of love.


]]> 4.30 1908 Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)
author: L.M. Montgomery
name: Franky
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1908
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/11
date added: 2024/01/18
shelves: childrens, classics, historical-fiction, young-adult, 2024-reading-challenge, adventure, coming-of-age
review:
I had heard quite a bit about this classic before picking it up, with most of it being high praise. L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables lives up to this praise.

There is a quaint, innocent, and sentimental quality to this classic that is undeniable, so it is easy to see why it became an entire series, and remains quite popular to this day.

Anne’s level of imagination and wonder in seeing the world make her quite an enduring character. Now, Anne is not perfect by any means. She is quite imaginative, maybe a little too imaginative. She is also very talkative, maybe a little too talkative. She also can be stubborn or headstrong. These character traits help her see the world in a creative, interesting way, but they also get her into difficult predicaments at various moments in the novel because she gets her ambitions set high on certain things. Marilla tries to be the corrective adult during these moments, all the while still loving Anne very much.

I think one of the most notable aspects to the novel is how the author brings the world of Prince Edward Island along with its characters to life. The special bond that Anne has with both Marilla and Matthew has a very wholesome and nurturing feeling. I think this works wonderfully because Marilla and Matthew are two very different personalities, Marilla being more outspoken, while Matthew being shy and quiet.

In many ways, also, this novel is not only an orphan story on the level of a Dickens styled tale, but it is a coming-of-age novel where young Anne most learn some difficult life lessons through mistakes in order to come to a richer understanding of how the world works, with life hopes, but also life disappointments as part of the deal.

This Signet Classics version has an excellent afterward by Jennifer Lee Carrell, who sheds light on the popularity of this book, its influence today, its themes, and the series in general.

A very imaginative children’s classic, Anne of Green Gables teaches about the important themes of growing up, family, friendship, religion, hopes and dreams, and the importance of love.



]]> The Machine Stops 4711854 The Machine Stops is a science fiction short story (12,300 words) by E. M. Forster. After initial publication in The Oxford and Cambridge Review (November 1909), the story was republished in Forster's The Eternal Moment and Other Stories in 1928.

After being voted one of the best novellas up to 1965, it was included that same year in the populist anthology Modern Short Stories. In 1973 it was also included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two.

The book is particularly notable for predicting new technologies such as instant messaging and the internet.]]> 35 E.M. Forster 140990329X Franky 5
What a great way to start off the year with this brilliant read! E.M Forster’s “The Machine Stops� is a short work that really has some timeless and very sophisticated commentary and thoughts. I almost think that the story works as equally if not even better to be read as an allegory or a metaphor rather than being taken more in a literal sense.

In this futuristic society, people who live underground the Earth are looked after by “the Machine�, a technology that seemingly gives humans all the necessities of life. Humans are dependent on “the machine� and, in fact, strongly discouraged by way of banishment from ever breaking from it.

Society is given artificial forms of entertainment and ways of living via technology from this entity.

The two central characters are Vashti and Kuno, a mother and son, who sit on opposite spectrums of viewing their society. Vasti takes comforts in the Machine, living a blissfully artificial and superficial existence, giving lectures remotely where she elaborates on “ideas.� Keno, on the other hand, is a nonconformist and somewhat of a rebel who sees all the flaws in the current system, a life devoid of true and essential meaning. He wants to challenge this, and break this down, something he tries to articulate to his mother.

The story opens with Vashti getting communication from her son, Kuno. He says that he cannot say what he wants through the machine, and so, reluctantly, Vashti makes a trip to visit him. When she gets there, he reveals some startling revelations.

Thought-provoking read with so many timely and prophetic aspects to our society and depth in terms of relevant thematic issues embedded within the fabric of the plot, one of which is the ills of dependence on technology and the breaking from it. There are many “what ifs� that this work readily addresses, and it is amazing how prophetic some of the things discussed or technological ideas explored have become similar aspects to our society. In many ways this reminded me quite a bit of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Very underrated and ponderous read!]]> 4.06 1909 The Machine Stops
author: E.M. Forster
name: Franky
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1909
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/02
date added: 2024/01/05
shelves: classics, dystopian, kindle, sci-fi, 2024-reading-challenge, short-stories, fantasy
review:
“Cannot you see, cannot all your lecturers see, that it is we who are dying, and that down here the only thing that really lives is the Machine?�

What a great way to start off the year with this brilliant read! E.M Forster’s “The Machine Stops� is a short work that really has some timeless and very sophisticated commentary and thoughts. I almost think that the story works as equally if not even better to be read as an allegory or a metaphor rather than being taken more in a literal sense.

In this futuristic society, people who live underground the Earth are looked after by “the Machine�, a technology that seemingly gives humans all the necessities of life. Humans are dependent on “the machine� and, in fact, strongly discouraged by way of banishment from ever breaking from it.

Society is given artificial forms of entertainment and ways of living via technology from this entity.

The two central characters are Vashti and Kuno, a mother and son, who sit on opposite spectrums of viewing their society. Vasti takes comforts in the Machine, living a blissfully artificial and superficial existence, giving lectures remotely where she elaborates on “ideas.� Keno, on the other hand, is a nonconformist and somewhat of a rebel who sees all the flaws in the current system, a life devoid of true and essential meaning. He wants to challenge this, and break this down, something he tries to articulate to his mother.

The story opens with Vashti getting communication from her son, Kuno. He says that he cannot say what he wants through the machine, and so, reluctantly, Vashti makes a trip to visit him. When she gets there, he reveals some startling revelations.

Thought-provoking read with so many timely and prophetic aspects to our society and depth in terms of relevant thematic issues embedded within the fabric of the plot, one of which is the ills of dependence on technology and the breaking from it. There are many “what ifs� that this work readily addresses, and it is amazing how prophetic some of the things discussed or technological ideas explored have become similar aspects to our society. In many ways this reminded me quite a bit of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Very underrated and ponderous read!
]]>