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June 05, 2006
Books I Read in May
(Total Book Count Since I Began Tracking: 83)
Cloud Atlas
by David Mitchell
From Publishers Weekly: At once audacious, dazzling, pretentious and infuriating, Mitchell's third novel weaves history, science, suspense, humor and pathos through six separate but loosely related narratives. Like Mitchell's previous works, Ghostwritten and number9dream (which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize), this latest foray relies on a kaleidoscopic plot structure that showcases the author's stylistic virtuosity. Each of the narratives is set in a different time and place, each is written in a different prose style, each is broken off mid-action and brought to conclusion in the second half of the book. Among the volume's most engaging story lines is a witty 1930s-era chronicle, via letters, of a young musician's effort to become an amanuensis for a renowned, blind composer and a hilarious account of a modern-day vanity publisher who is institutionalized by a stroke and plans a madcap escape in order to return to his literary empire (such as it is). Mitchell's ability to throw his voice may remind some readers of David Foster Wallace, though the intermittent hollowness of his ventriloquism frustrates. Still, readers who enjoy the "novel as puzzle" will find much to savor in this original and occasionally very entertaining work.
My Review: I listened to this one on audiobook, which had multiple narrators and made the whole book a treat. I love the "novel as puzzle" approach, even if the book did drag in places and took me nearly a month to get through. By the end, though, I was hooked.
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Arsine Lupin, Gentleman Burglar
by Maurice Leblanc
Booklist: Intelligent, daring, but oh what a rogue. Nothing is safe from Arsene Lupin, the intriguing, intrepid thief. Only his good friend Inspector Ganimard has managed to arrest him, but only briefly. Even Sherlock Holmes, who arrives to sort out a complicated burglary is embarrassed by Lupin's much publicized wiles. Good plots, great narration (a super job by Covell) and the wonderful Lupin create an excellent few hours of short stories.
My Review: I'm a sucker for period detective stories, and this was a fun look at the other side high crime. I wish there were sequels.
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Standing Alone: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam
by Asra Nomani
Chicago Sunday Tribune: Asra Nomani’s Standing Alone in Mecca is the ideal introduction to contemporary Islam.
My Review: This was one of the heaviest book club selections ever. While I thought there was genuine merit to her story, I found the author to be a little to self-congratulatory ("hurray, I'm single-handedly changing Islam!") for my taste.
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Jennifer Government
by Max Barry
Publishers Weekly: The most unnerving thing about Max (formerly Maxx) Barry's new novel is that its hyperbolic vision of the not too distant future doesn't seem too far out there at all. The world is run by giant corporations who literally go to war with one another; Australia and the U.K. are annexes of the United States; the police are for sale to the highest bidder; and employees take the last name of their employers. Thus, the cast of characters includes John Nike, Georgia Saints Nike (she volunteers at the Church of Latter-Day Saints), Billy NRA, Buy Mitsui, Hayley McDonalds, and so forth. Jennifer Government, a former advertising executive turned government agent, is hot on the trail of the villainous John Nike for murder. As the mastermind of the latest Nike campaign, he planned the murder of 14 teenagers in order to build up the street reputation for Nike's new $2,500 sneaker, Mercurys. Frederick's reading of this wacked-out morality play is first-rate. His obvious enjoyment of the satire fuels his performance. Especially entertaining are his stereotypical foreign accents, which would seem out of place under most circumstances, but they fit the comic book-type characters waging chaos in this saga like an Aris glove.
My Review: What a fun summer read! I love the whole idea of this book...and I could definitely see a sequel for this one as well!
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Popular Music from Vittula
by Mikael Niemi
From Booklist: When a Beatles record falls into the hands of 11-year-old Matti, neither he nor his home village of Pajala, Sweden, will ever be the same. It is the early 1960s, and both Matti and Pajala are about to enter adolescence. This is a beautiful, poignant, often very funny novel about growing up in a remote area. Niemi writes with real poetry as he strings together the culturally rich vignettes of Matti's experiences, snapshots of childhood that are at the same time intensely personal and universal: the burn of the first alcoholic drink, the thrill of a first kiss, the awe of first sex, the special closeness of a first best friend, the pain of the first real loss--all rendered pure and convincingly as a young boy's perceptions. Niemi also seasons the book well with the mysticism of childhood that suffuses the usually hidden psychological space where the transformation from child to youth occurs. An exquisitely beautiful novel, artfully translated.
My Review: This book haunted me, reminding me of my brief experiences in Northern Sweden and making me want to hop on a plane to relive the 20-hours of sunlight joy of the far north.
Comments
I haven't read 83 books in my whole life. Have you really read these? If so, then Publishers Weekly's reviews put your one sentence summaries to shame. People slaved over these for you!
Posted by: Mr. Bad Apologies at June 5, 2006 04:02 PM
i hate you. you've read more books in the month of may than i've read in 2006. i've been agonizing over the same irish saga for months now. what do you recommend i read next to really kick off my summer reading? ... and it best be fast and fun!
ps: i don't really hate you.
Posted by: amy at June 6, 2006 10:34 PM
i was about to ask where did you get the time to read all those books, then i remembered that it took you less than an hour to read a book that took me one week to finish (!!)... one tiny consolation that i can give to myself is-- english is not my first language. :-P urgh! so lame...
Posted by: siti at June 12, 2006 05:48 AM
You're in luck! There are 21 Arsene Lupin books by Maurice LeBlanc. Several can be found at gutenberg.org, which is where I'm reading them from.
Posted by: shonokin at January 30, 2007 06:35 PM
