5 Books 2014

In August last year, I gave up on my 10 Books project for the year.  Between primary and secondary readings for varsity, I just didn't have the time to get even half way through my list.  Looking at my course options for this year, I think I might just have the time to read for pleasure this year and not just for work.  So after going from 5 Books to 10 Books, I am now back at 5 although I'm obviously hoping for more!  Instead of just recycling last years list, I thought I would switch it up a bit:

1. Imaginary Homelands - Salman Rushdie
2. The Beautiful and The Damned - F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. The Outsiders - S.E Hinton 
4. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage - Haruki Murakami
5. The Circle - Dave Eggers

The English translation of the Murakami novel is only due out in the second half of the year so hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on it before 2014 comes to a close.
Imaginary Homelands isn't a novel but rather a collection of essays that Salman Rushdie wrote while under the fatwa.  He makes plenty of reference to the collection in Joseph Anton so I'm pretty curious about it.  I've already ordered it so I'll keep you all posted (no pun intended).

10 Books Update: Throwing in the Towel

So after 8 months and 2 and a half books, I am calling time on my 10 Books project for this year.  As much as it pains me to call it quits, I am absolutely swamped with varsity reading.  Last semester we did a novel a week plus secondary material and this semester is shaping up to be more of the same.  While I am sad to have less time to read for pure pleasure, I am enjoying the sheer variety of subjects covered by my courses.  

Last semester I did Writing Across Worlds which focused on writers who had left their country of origin either by choice or by force.  This displacement allows them a very unique double perspective on the world and one which is particularly interesting to read.  I enjoyed the course because it not only gave a name to a genre that I particularly enjoy (magical realism) but it also had a particular resonance with the goings on in my family (they are preparing to relocate to France).  This semester I am doing a course called Gender and Writing and although it's still early days, I can already appreciate the opinions and texts that it's exposing me to.  One thing that I can say is that early attitudes to woman are frighteningly ignorant and I am grateful for every inch of freedom that we have today even if things are not quite perfect yet.

Anyway, I haven't given up on my list entirely and I will still try and get through as much as I can before the end of the year.  I think I may have made a mistake when I chose to read Moby Dick third because I have battled to make progress with it.  I think the combination of complicated readings for varsity and a complicated reading for pleasure was not a good one.  Just to recap, here is what was on the list and what I managed to get through:

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
2. Moby Dick - Herman Mellville (Roughly halfway through)
3. Please Kill Me:  The Uncensored Oral History of Punk - Legs McNeil
4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
5. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
6. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami
7. More Baths, Less Talking - Nick Hornby The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
8. Less than Zero - Brett Easton Ellis
9. N.W. - Zadie Smith
10. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

Who knows, maybe I will still finish these before the end of the year but I decided that the pressure to finish them just to write about them was not something that I need right now.  Now, on a lighter note, have any of you guys read anything new and awesome lately?

10 Books Update: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"Charlie's not the biggest geek in high school, but he is by no means popular.  Shy, introspective, intelligent, yet socially awkward, Charlie is a wallflower, standing on the threshold of his life whilst watching everyone live theirs.  As Charlie tries to navigate his way through uncharted territory - the worl of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends - he realises that he can't stay on the sidelines forever.  There comes a time when you have to see what life looks like from the dance floor."

From the Back Cover

I can't even explain to you guys how much I loved this book.  Charlie is so relatable!  I was socially awkward for most of my school career and again at varsity when I suddenly found myself in the uncomfortable position of having to make new friends.  This book made me smile, it made me wish I was younger, it made me wish for one of those epic nights out where it feels like everything is exactly as it should be.  Most of all it was an amazing breath of fresh air after all the heavy postcolonial/postmodern/immigrant writing I have been reading for the last month!  My favourite quotes  are:

“So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be.” 

“And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.” 

“And all the books you've read have been read by other people. And all the songs you've loved have been heard by other people. And that girl that's pretty to you is pretty to other people. and that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you are describing 'unity.”

I wanted to start reading it again almost as soon as I finished.  Most of all, it reminded me that there is nothing wrong with being the quiet one, the awkward one, the wallflower.  As long as you also remember to participate.  Have you read the book?  Or even watched the movie?  What did you think?

10 Books: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

So I started this year's book reading project with Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.  I had seen and loved the movie when it first came out but somehow never got around to reading it.  My friend kindly lent me her complete collection and I got stuck right in.

I definitely enjoyed the first book.  It wasn't as much like the movie as I expected but honestly, that fact should never surprise.  I am a little sad I didn't read the book before the movie though, I'd probably have enjoyed both more.  The edition that I read had a lot of commentary on the movie making process and the struggle they had to get the right script and the right people interested.  It's sad that Douglas Adams didn't get to see the end result.  

My favourite quotes are:

"Don't panic." (of course)

“He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.” 

“I'd far rather be happy than right any day.” 

Now I must be honest, I tried to read the rest of the series and I found them so hard to get through.  Maybe I was tired, maybe it was just bad timing but I finished them more because I felt I should than because I wanted to.  It doesn't change my opinion on the first book in the slightest but my recommendation would probably be read the first one for sure and for the rest, proceed with caution.  Maybe you will love them.  Have any of you read them?  What did you think?

10 Books

So this year I have decided on 10 books rather than 5.  Why?  Because I read a lot more than 5 books last year and it doesn't hurt to plan for more.  Also, I find that if I have some sort of plan, I spend less time re-reading or just reading plain nonsense!  As part of this, I am making a real effort to keep my Goodreads profile up to date.  You can follow along here should you feel so inclined.  Now, onto the books:

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
2. Moby Dick - Herman Mellville
3. Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk - Legs McNeil
4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
5. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
6. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami
7. More Baths, Less Talking - Nick Hornby
8. Less than Zero - Brett Easton Ellis
9. N.W - Zadie Smith
10. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

I have already made a serious dent in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy so expect some feedback soon.  On a side note, I was reading an interview with Art Garfunkel in our local Rolling Stone the other day - do you know that he shelves his books in the order that he reads them?  And he keeps a running catalogue on his website.  I would like to be like that please.

What's on your reading list for 2013?

5 Books Update: 1Q84

So, I have cheated a little bit and swopped South of the Border, West of the Sun with 1Q84.  I just plain ran out of time to order it and decided that, seeing as 1Q84 was going to be on next year's 5 Books and is also by Haruki Murakami, that it was a fair trade!

Moving along, 1Q84 is the story of Aomame, Tengo, a cult, some little people and a world with two moons.  Without giving too much away, Aomame is a very specialised assassin who finds herself in a parallel universe after climbing down a freeway overpass.  Tengo is an aspiring novelist and math's teacher who finds himself ghost writing a story called Air Chrysalis for the very mysterious Fuka-Eri.  Their fates are all intertwined with Murakami's special brand of fantasy to make for a very strange story that touches on the difference between fantasy and reality and the passage of time.  The story, which is actually 3 separate books, alternates between Aomame and Tengo's point of view until the third book where there is an additional voice added and things start to come together.

The reviews that I read for 1Q84 weren't entirely positive.  I read a lot of criticism about the plot, the characters and the progression of the story.  While I did find it a bit slow in parts, I can't say that I agree with the critics.  The story is so unusual that you need to keep reading if only to find out how it ends.  Overall I enjoyed it and I would recommend it anyone who is a Murakami fan.  Here are a few of my favourite quotes to whet your appetite:

"Being alive, if you had to define it, means emitting a variety of smells."

"I'm not afraid to die, Aomame reassured herself.  What I am afraid of is having reality get the better of me, of having reality leave me behind."

"Life is not like water.  Things don't necessarily flow over the shortest possible route."

Have you read 1Q84?  What did you think?

Well, that concludes my 5 must read books for 2012!  If you are interested, you can read the original 5 Books post here and all the 5 Books updates here.  I'll have another list ready in January for 2013:)

5 Books Update: Slaughterhouse-Five

Its weird how different set books are overseas compared to the ones that we have here.  Two books on my list, The Bell Jar and Slaughterhouse-Five, seem to be common set books in schools whereas here, they are not.  I didn't encounter either of them in school or in university despite the fact that I did a course on American Literature.  So instead I find myself reading them now, in my late twenties, wondering what my younger self would've thought.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Slaughterhouse-Five.  Like Brave New World (and plenty of other books I read), I chose it partly based on a quote:

"Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt."

I knew the story had something to do with World War II but always wondered how a quote like that fit in exactly.  For those who don't know, Slaughterhouse-Five is a little autobiographical - Kurt Vonnegut was in Dresden before and after the bombing and he did survive by hiding in an old meat locker.  As he says himself:

"All this happened, more or less."

The phrase "So it goes" appears so many time in the book that I lost count.  Vonnegut uses it everytime there is a death which is a comment on it's inevitability.  For me it was so much more than the inevitability of death.  As much as I like to believe that everything happens for a reason, sometimes things just happen because it's life and that's the way it goes.  So it goes...

Another quote I loved?

"And I asked myself about the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much of it was mine to keep."

Which, as I write this, makes me realise how time and the nature of time seems to be a big theme in the books that I have been reading just recently.  The Great Gatsby, Slaughterhouse-Five and 1Q84 all touch on time and its passage and, in some case, how we can never reclaim it.

If my thoughts seem scattered, feel free to take them with a pinch of salt.  As with every book on my list so far, I already want to reread Slaughterhouse-Five just to see what I missed and what else I can get out of it.

Currently...

Reluctant gym feet and a hamster nap..

I really enjoy the Currently posts over at Sometimes Sweet and, seeing I am about to be another year older, I thought I'd share where I'm at.

Watching:  Deadliest Catch.  This is one of my all-time favourite reality shows and I was over the moon on Monday evening when I saw that the new season had started.  I am really sad to see that the Cornelia Marie isn't involved this season but I am glad to see that the Harris brothers are still crabbing on other boats.  Also, last season Edgar from the North Western left but guess what?  He is back!  

Listening to:  The new Bloc Party album.  Really, really enjoying it.  Right now my favourite song is We're Not Good People.  I have also been listening to the Carnavas album by Silversun Pickups.  I have such strong memories of summer 2007 tied to this album and always find myself listening to it when the weather warms up.

Thinking about:  Sadly right now I am thinking about work tomorrow.  I have so much on my plate at the moment and tomorrow is technically my Friday.  I am busy formulating a plan of attack to get through as much as I possibly can.   

Trying to figure out:  How to get myself out of the rut that I feel like I am in.  I feel frustrated about a lot at the moment and I am trying (still) to work out what is petty, what is justified and what I need to change.  I'll get there.

Looking forward to:  My birthday.  I know I keep mentioning it but I still look forward to my birthday like I did when I was teeny.  Only two more sleeps!

Reading:  Slaughterhouse 5.  At long, long last I have managed to find a copy of this book that doesn't cost a fortune.  One thing that makes me sad about book shops in Durban is the fact they don't keep much more than the most popular reads in stock.  Anyway, that's beside the point.  I am really enjoying Slaughterhouse 5.

Making me happy:  The sound of the rain outside, the fact that tonight was Big Bang Theory night and the cup of coffee on the counter next to me.

Currently...

Loving:  The fact that my birthday is just over a month away.  I unashamedly love my birthday and this year will be my last twenty-something birthday.  I plan to make the most of it!

Reading:  The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.  I’ve wanted to read The Bell Jar for the longest time but just haven’t got around to it.  Earlier this year, I added it to my Five Books list and now I am almost finished it!   

Watching:  Finding Big Foot.  Discovery really has the craziest shows!  Usually my reality TV show of choice is Deadliest Catch but, until the new season starts, Finding Big Foot has plenty to keep me entertained.  The first episode I watched had this clip that was so creepy and honestly couldn't be explained.   

Thinking about:  This crazy rain that is still falling.  Seriously, there is flooding all over Durban and the roads are a big, fat mess.  I can't help wondering if I am going to be able to get to work tomorrow morning...

Surprised by:  The possibility of starting my Honours degree next year.  I have always wanted to do my Honours in English Literature and suddenly, out of nowhere, the opportunity has presented itself!!  There are still some questions to be answered and things to decide but it’s looking pretty positive.  Yay!

Making me sad:  I think what’s really getting me down right now is how self-centred and selfish people can be.  It's like the epidemic of our times.  You see it in the way people drive, the way they interact with others and the worst part is seeing how hurtful it can be in people who should know better!  That said, the irony that I am commenting on self-centredness on my blog, which is all about the things I like, is not lost on me.

Making me happy:  The fact that tomorrow is Friday, Rise Against have confirmed a Durban show for the 15 of March 2013, my new moustache ring, I am warm and dry on a truly miserable evening and Sweet and Sour Chicken with rice.

**This post was inspired by the ones over at Sometimes Sweet.

5 Books Update: Brave New World

Finally!  A Five Books update!  I certainly took my precious time about it didn’t I?  I blame my cheap copy of the Virgin Suicides, a second-hand copy of 1984 and a growing obsession with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for distracting me.  Anyway, I’ve decided to use the same format for all 5 Books posts from here on out.  It’s just easier that way.  So before I ramble for any longer, here’s what I thought about Brave New World:

Why Did I Pick it?

I have heard a lot of good things about Brave New World but ultimately it was this quote that convinced me to read it:

"But I don't want comfort.  I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness.  I want sin."

What Did I Like?

I like how he managed to create a utopia/dystopia that could at first glance be rather nice to live in but that is actually just overwhelmingly creepy.  I’m by no means a traditionalist or even a conservative thinker but the society he creates just feels so wrong.  And twisted really…

My favourite part of the book was near the end where the Savage and Mustapha Mond have a discussion in his office.  Incidentally, it’s where the quote above comes from too.  At the end of the day, I would choose all those things over eternal comfort and stability too.  You have to deal with the uncomfortableness of life to be able to really appreciate the goodness.

What Didn’t I Like?

I wish there more of an explanation for certain things.  For example, what exactly is centrifugal bumble puppy?  And what exactly do they mean when they say pneumatic?  I realize that neither of these are really essential to the story line so it’s a minor criticism.

Anything Else?

Why yes, thanks for asking.  I actually read 1984 shortly after I finished Brave New World and if I found the Brave New World creepy, 1984 was utterly terrifying!!!

Have you read Brave New World?  What did you think?

I’m hoping to track down the Bell Jar or South of the Border, West of the Sun next.  I’ll keep you posted.

Hello June

After reading this post by one of my very favourite bloggers Kyla Roma, I decided to make myself a list of goals for the month of June.  Even though today is the 11th already...better late than never!  Anyway, there is something about making your goals public that makes it easier to achieve them.  I am a lazy person.  Sometimes the only way to get myself to do things is to bribe myself or make myself accountable or sometimes both.  So, here are my not too serious goals:

Use our coffee machine on the weekends instead of resorting to instant coffee while still fuzzy with sleep.

Make red velvet cupcakes. My friend Sam left for London and took her cupcake making skills with her. Now I am left to fend for myself with only her recipe to guide me!! Over dramatic much? Well, I traditionally suck at baking and routinely put the oven onto grill instead of bake or vice versa.

Finish Totoro! He is all in pieces and just needs some stitching.

Spring clean. In winter. With my mom and dad slowly sorting things out to move house, I have the urge to clean out my own cupboards and get rid of a few things. Never mind all my rubbish that is still sitting in their cupboards...

Write more often. Here and on actual paper too.  And stop writing blog posts that are glorified lists...

Learn how to look after Mr Miyagi properly. We bought this awesome little bonsai kit so we’re all sorted.

Finish another book on this list.

Learn some origami!  I found (or rather Jason found) an awesome origami app for iPhone but more on that another time.

Make more effort at gym.  I have been tired and a little stressed and my motivation has taken a knock but it's time to try harder.  Also, I plan on eating a large amount of the above-mentioned red velvet cupcakes.  Unless I make a complete mess of them....

And lastly, I love the sentiment of this quote and I'm making it my mission for the month of June.

source

Wish me luck!  And if you have any goals for this month, feel free to share.