I wish I was as witty as Douglas Coupland

Douglas Coupland is one of my favourites.
His books are hilarious parodies of mundane life (the soap operas of Staples employees, the criminal dramas of video-game testers, etc).


So, you can imagine my excitement when Coupland was asked to do the Massey Lectures (a series of lectures for the CBC, usually pertaining to current events).


I heard Coupland interviewed on the CBC after his lectures saying something to the effect that he was not a true academic like the other speakers, so instead he wrote a story. That's my kind o' guy.Instead of writing 5 lectures, Coupland wrote 5 chapters of a novel - which he named Player One.


What a good read. From the jacket - "...set in an airport cocktail lounge during a global disaster. Five disparate people are trapped inside: Karen, a single mother waiting for her online date; Rick, the down-on-his-luck airport lounge bartender; Luke, a pastor on the run; Rachel, a cool Hitchcock blonde incapable of true human contact; and finally a mysterious voice known as player one."


I really enjoyed this book - it is funny whilst being poignant. I think the pastor character is hilarious, but perhaps that has something to do with my personal attachment to one....




Nonetheless, I recommend this book if you like to read satire, like Douglas Coupland, or just want to read his hilarious "Future Glossary" containing such definitions as "Aloneism" (a recognition of the fact that it is a burdensome amount of work to be an individual), "Capillarigenerative Memory" (the tendency of history to remember people who invent new hairstyles: for example, Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles), and "Collapse Attraction" (the situation in which people are usually at their most attractive and interesting shortly before a total personality collapse).


And I am only at C....






Currently Reading: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Up Next: I need to buy some more books....

This Book Never Let Me Go (to Sleep)

I finished this one awhile ago, and again, I am finding it hard to find a book that compares (I am about to start Douglas Coupland's Massey Lectures though, so I am sure that will change).
Never Let Me Go has been made into a movie, so like the true literary snob that I am, I had to read the book first before I could allow myself to darken the theatre doors. And I am glad I did. Word on the street is they have changed the plot of the movie to make it more "intriguing" to viewers from the start. But I think that may lose the plot's charm. 


Kazuo Ishiguro's novel's very structure makes it impossible to put down. He begins each chapter alluding to a nugget of plot he intends to release, but fails to do so through the entirety of the chapter. Then he reveals HALF of it at the end - forcing you to read on. And by no means does he have to push hard - the novel is such an intriguing look at adolescence - it looks at the way in which our relationship to our peers and authority forms our identity - what an awesome book! The sci-fi part of the novel is secondary to the character development, but provides such a great background for the interactions between characters.


And can I say? The thing I love most about this novel is that it does not have a happy ending.
I cannot say more... lest I spoil the fun.


This one comes with a high recommendation, but with a warning of some adult themes and material.




Just Finished - Nothing (bit of a dry spell....I have been playing a lot of Sudoku...)
Currently Reading - Player One by Douglas Coupland
Next Up - ???

The Forgotten Blog...er... Garden

Long time, no update.

I know, I know - no time for excuses.

I have finished so many books, so I thought I would give a quick snapshot, along with a yay or nay for each book, rather than dedicate one post to each book.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I was looking forward to this book - there was a lot of hype. I also love Julia Roberts so I was entertaining visions of loving the book and rushing to see the film - spoiler alert: I have not seen the film.

I didn't like this book. I found it quite bad. I flipped through many a page without reading.

I was really enjoying the Italy part (maybe because it was all about EATING Italian food! - mmmm) and then the rest of the book happened. I found the book self-absorbed and I really struggled to finish it. While I believe we all need to go on a spiritual journey, I believe the point of that journey is to lose ourselves and find God. Not really what happened here....moving on!

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

It is no secret that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mr. Martin's work. It is so emotionally rich, without being sappy or preachy - so perfectly written! That said, this is not his best. The story is good, and there are some tear-jerking moments, but if you are new to Charles, I suggest you start with "The Dead Don't Dance" followed by "Maggi" and then some "When Crickets Cry." I'm just saying.... If you are a tried and true fan, you will probably enjoy the read, but it may leave you feeling disappointed.

Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs

Ms. Jacobs had a two-part series about knitting and I loved both books. They are light-hearted, chic lit, to be sure, but they were about one of my favourite pasttimes. I felt these books made knitting look cool and even included patterns - you can't go wrong!

Comfort Food, like its predecessors, was a light read. It was not as entertaining as the knitting series (it is about an aging TV chef), but still a good beach read (especially if you like cooking shows!)

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

That this woman lived to tell this tale is amazing! The Glass Castle is a biography of Jeannette and her siblings during their struggle to survive while living with their transient parents. While this book is eye-opening, it is also incredibly hard to read. The littany of trials this family goes through, particularly the young children, goes on and on and rarely lets up. I wished Jeannette had expanded more on what happened after the story ends, but definitely a story of human resilience!

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

You may recognize her name as she wrote The Time-Travellers Wife - a book I really loved!

This book is even stranger (hard to imagine) and deals with the after-life (which may be a turn off to many readers). THe ideas were incredibly strange and the characters very strange...but it was an intriguing read. I left the book not really knowing what I thought of it....

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit slow getting into it, but this book spans across three generations, flipping per chapter between them. I love reading a story from multiple perspectives and this was both a character piece, while also being a historical mystery! It is a little slow moving and I predicted the end about 1/2 way through, but I read to the end to see if I was right, so that made it enjoyable.

That's all for now... happy reading! :)

Currently Reading: Blackfly Season by Giles Blunt

Up Next: Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay

The "Steig Larsson" Trilogy (or "The Girl Who Kept Me Up Late Night Reading")

Note: I want to preface this post by adding a caveat of sorts. This trilogy deals with explicit sexuality and violence, particularly sexual violence, which may be offensive to many readers. My suggestion is that if you cannot stomach "Law and Order - SVU," or a show like "Criminal Minds," then these books are definitely not for you.

I loved these books. How can I tell? While reading every book since, I have longed for this trilogy. These books kept me up late into the night, desperate to get through "just one more chapter."

Let me start by saying I LOVE criminal drama. No matter how scared I get after watching "Criminal Minds" alone while my husband is at work, I just can't seem to pull myself away. I have seen so many episodes of Law & Order (all sub-brands included) that I cannot keep the storylines amongst the characters straight. These books satiated this love in me. Instead of catching my regular 7:00 Law & Order episode, I was far more content to open these books. These books are not your regular "detective fiction" or "mystery drama," but more firmly planted in the "criminal drama" genre (if such a genre yet exists in the literary world).

These books were also incredibly well translated. I say translated because I cannot speak to Mr. Larsson's actual writing of the book. I wonder if Steig Larsson's phraseology is as well-executed as it seems in the English translation. Nonetheless, I never found myself detracted from the story by the writing.

Let me also note how interesting it was to be transported to a locale I had neither heard, nor thought, much about. For the most part, all three books take place in Sweden, and while I can't speak to the legitimacy of the representation of the country in the books, the descriptions sure made me want to visit. How refreshing to read through a location other than a large American (or Canadian) city.

All in all, I would highly recommend these books (provided you enjoy the criminal genre and can stomach the sexual violence contained within) - but make sure you are ready to buy all three, or maybe even have all three on hand when you begin. Each book flows seamlessly into the next, and you will find yourself itching to see the plot to resolution.

For me, the only disappointment here is that Mr. Larsson, deceased shortly after submitting these manuscripts, will not be producing any more books in this great genre. 

Just Finished: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin, Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Currently Reading: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Up Next: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Caught in the Web of the Steig Larsson Trilogy

I have been remiss in updating my blog ... but unfortunately after finishing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo I went out and bought The Girl Who Played with Fire. And now that I have finished with that book, I had to buy The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I am about 1/2 way and will update all with my thoughts shortly.

  Buy the trilogy at amazon.com and save some money. Trust me, you  will want all three books.

A Technical Aside...

Thanks to the suggestion of a good friend, I will provide links to the books I am recommending going forward. Please see the links below for the two books reviewed in my previous posts.

 

Read THIS Book - Chapter 1

As mentioned before, I also want to use this blog to highlight books that already have a place on my bookshelf and come with my recommendation. And so... I will start at the beginning.

As a youngster, I can remember my frequent trips to the library. While in the third grade we lived right next door to our public library and I couldn't get enough. Inevitably once a month I would pick up my all-time favourite book - Matilda by Roald Dahl. I think I read this book atleast 10 times that year.

Even though I have long outgrown my desire to be as smart, powerful and well-read as the 5 year old genious, Matilda, I still go back to this book annually and it stands the test of time as a great read. My copy is well-worn and I hope one day it can inspire a love of literature in my own children the way it did for me.

(Editor's Note: Many of Roald Dahl's other books are great - check out "The BFG," for example)

The Almost Moon is Almost Enjoyable

In celebration of my country's birthday, I recently embarked on a camping trip. I was extra jazzed as a fresh shipment of books came in only 4 days prior. Nothing says relaxing like a stack of novels and a hammock.

I had started Alice Sebold's The Almost Moon before leaving for the weekend, but had not really found myself engrossed by the tale. Now, let me start out by saying that although I possess a graduate-level degree in literature, the purposes of this blog are to review from a purely pleasure reading standpoint. However, this book was ripe with rich passages begging to be dissected by any eager second year lit student. Moving on...

This story contains an interesting premise (a woman plagued by her mentally ill mother finally snaps and the book details the next 24 hours with frequent flashbacks filling in the gaps).

I was looking forward to this anything but conventional examination of the mother-daughter relationship. I must say, here the book succeeded. It really demonstrated the way that this relationship can be both one of love, but can also be emotionally crippling in a way that no other relationship can. 

While these insights were profound, and offered a lot of meat to this story, overall this could not carry the story. Oftentimes the inner dialogue of the character was convoluted and I found myself skipping many a paragraph (never a good sign). Similarly, the writing style, while rich, did not lend itself to the more thrilling, leisurely read I had in mind.

So - my final thought here is Literature majors with a need for some meat - Pick this one up. Kelsi on the beach in a hammock - Leave the weighty stuff at home next time.

Currently Reading: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

Just Finished: The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

Up Next: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Introductory Paragraph

To read or not to read?

A question I am constantly asked by friends or colleagues. This prompted my sister and husband to encourage me to blog about the books I am reading, the books I recommend everyone should read and those that would be better left off of your bookshelf. I am going to begin with the books I currently have on my summer reading list, peppering my blog with old favourites that come with strong recommendations.

Enjoy!