Monday, February 17, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Another week, another book. Or two. This past week I read The Guest Cat, by Takashi Hiraide, a short and poetic book about a Japanese married couple and their relationship with a local cat. It's as much about their relationship with the world, their neighborhood and nature as it is about the one cat, and what they learn about themselves. I finished The Ghost Road, Pat Barker's 1995 Booker winner, with mixed feelings. It was okay. I didn't love it but I want to read the other books in her Regeneration trilogy; this was the third and I think maybe I should read the other two.

I'm about half-way through Nicola Griffith's Hild now and still loving it. Literary fiction readers, please do yourselves a big favor and buy this book now when it's in glorious hardcover. I'm telling you, you won't be sorry.

I also started a new Booker book, J.G. Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur, which won the Booker in 1973. I read his Troubles a while back and that remains one of my favorites; this one displays the same subtlety and dry wit of that book. It focuses on the Indian Mutiny of 1857 though its themes are very modern and current even today.

Finally, I decided to read The Castle of Whispers, by Carole Martinez, as well, and that book about a Frenchwoman who locks herself up in a tower, is interesting and one that I think my college French professor would enjoy.

What about you? See more at BookJourney.wordpress.com.

9 comments:

Sandy Nawrot said...

Hild doesn't really look like my thing but that is a very close-minded reaction isn't it? I have found that you are pretty good for a recommendation, however, so I'm going to add it to my Goodreads :)

I've been listening to Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys, and I'm loving much more than I thought I would. I'm also reading Fight Club, because I love the movie! I think in this case, the movie may be better than the book, which almost never happens.

Mystica said...

I like the colonial background kind of book so the Krishnapur book will hold my interest. Look forward to your thoughts on this one.

Anonymous said...

Over the weekend I finished "The Natural History of Dragons" by Marie Brennan and today in bus, on my way to work, started "The House Of Spirits" by Isabel Allende.

Thank you for mentioning "The Guest Cat" - I will check it out, as it reminds me the cat that visits my parents for many years (it has home, but likes to share its time between two families)

bermudaonion said...

I love looking to see what you're reading because it's generally something I'm not familiar with. These all look interesting to me.

Lindsey said...

Hild is one of those books that I want to push into people's hands. The length makes it seem a bit intimidating, but it is so good! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

moazzam sheikh said...

a while back there was some debate whether siege of krishnapur should've won the booker of the booker award, which, as you know, went to rushdie's midnight's children. what westerners see as a mutiny, south asians see it as their first war of independence, just a little aside :)

R. J. said...

How do you choose the titles you decide to read? I've never heard of most of them. I read ordinary things like One Summer by Bill Bryson or the fiction of Michael Connelly.

Marie Cloutier said...

RJ, a lot of the books I read come from browsing; I have a lot of interests so it's not hard to find things that touch on the things I'm interested in. I have a "bucket list" item of reading every book that won the Booker Prize (which is where I heard of the Farrell book) and I love Europa Editions, the publisher of the Carole Martinez book, and saw that in their catalog. Mostly I just love bookstores and browsing!

Petronela said...

You are an avid reader, indeed you are. I wish I read a tenth of what you read :). Good choices too :).