January 12th, 2009
The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by Jose Saramago
So, you know how I’m always like “omg Saramago rules!”? Well, this is his VERY BEST BOOK ever. It’s truly amazing. It begins with Mary and Joseph and follows through Jesus’ life. It follows the Biblical gospels pretty closely, but Saramago has imagined really fascinating motivations and reactions for the things the characters do. There’s a conversation Jesus has with God at the end that is full of complexity and ideas. This is the sort of book I wish everyone would read so we could all discuss it. Endlessly awesome!
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
It’s just as brilliantly written as her Pulitzer book, Gilead, but this one is about women rather than men. It’s the story of two girls who are orphaned by a suicide and taken in by their wanderer aunt. The aunt’s influence affects each of the girls differently. There’s not as much historical grounding in this book as in Gilead, but the setting is just as enchanting. It reminded me a little of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which I also loved. I definitely recommend this book. Robinson’s writing is luscious and rich and the characters are beautifully flawed.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow
This is a fun book! Doctorow’s got some cool sci fi ideas (people extending their lives through memory downloads into clones and people receiving food/shelter/material things based on popularity and accomplishment meters) and is set in a future DisneyWorld.
Reading some really cool stuff next…
And you? What are you reading these days?
January 1st, 2009
Sputnik Sweetheart Haruki Murakami
Not my favorite Murakami, but still a really cool book. A woman disappears (like smoke!) in Greece, and her two best friends delve into their own past experiences to discover why. There’s a metaphysical reason, of course. I love the way Murakami draws out the significance of small life events.
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
The writing in this was sparkly, fabulous and engaging, but the story felt… well, I don’t read much YA, so it’s possible I just missed the point (very possible), but it just didn’t seem to go anywhere for me. Also, the anti-feminist worldview made me twitch. I mean, this is about modern teenagers… aren’t teenage girls these days supposed to be more informed and empowered than the previous generation? *twitch* The writing was still was pretty fabo.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
I read this because I *loved* We Have Always Lived In the Castle (which someone on my flist recommended, though I can’t remember who). This one is fun, creepy and charming with well-drawn (albeit strange) characters. There’s irony along with the suspense. It’s a true gothic–a young woman with no past to define her finds an affinity with a haunted house.
The Remains of the Day Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo is my hero!! *dreamy sigh* This is a truly perfect and beautiful book. It took my breath away, especially the ending. It’s full of irony and subtext (oh, the glorious subtext!!) and yearning. The romance was tragic and melty. The writing… wow. Ishiguro is my fave author now. I’m so in love. Note: I watched the movie after reading, and it didn’t in any way capture the humor (the humor!!) or the hopeful sadness of the story. The book is a bajillion times better. I only have 3 more Ishiguro books to read. How sad for me.
The History of the Siege of Lisbon by Jose Saramago
Beauuuutiful book. An unassuming proof-reader changes one important word in a history book then rewrites said story, and his brazen irreverence and creative twisting of history wins him love and happiness. There’s a lot of cool history here about, er, the siege of Lisbon, but the love story is the coolest part.
Anyone else read any of these? Thoughts?