Bernard Jan's Blog - Posts Tagged "karen-thompson-walker"
The Ager of Miracles Review
Doba čuda by Karen Thompson WalkerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I never thought I would see the beauty in the dying of our planet, a slow extinguishing of life on it. First the birds, then the whole flocks of birds, then the grass, plants, trees, whales, other animals.
As days and nights become longer due to the slower rotation of the earth and 24-hour days are more a habit of living than a natural exchange of day and night, people become divided: the great majority returns to the old measuring of time, others opt to follow the extending course of nature and group themselves into new communities.
Gravity and magnetic fields are affected, solar super storms arise, the radiation showers through the damaged ozone layer. Daylight becomes too dangerous, forcing everyone to seek escape and life at nighttime.
People suffer from symptoms, plants can grow only in protected greenhouses, the polar light is painting the Californian sky followed by the first snow. The Sun brings death instead of life, fires are lightening up the horizon, people are moving from their homes or locking themselves in their houses and underground shelters. And the days are still getting longer and the planet is spinning slower and slower.
As the world as we know it is approaching to its catastrophe, there is an unnatural and quiet beauty in the irrevocable changes that are happening all over the planet, witnessed through the—a little too matured—eyes of an 11-year-old girl. Yet, some things don't change despite the omnipresent devastation—the expectations and pain of first love, losing friends, the test of her parents' marriage, all the little aspects of coming of age—as life is slowly extinguished day by day. People seem to be the only living creatures who adjusted and survived on the scorched earth and in an environment-turning-hostile. No one knows for how long though.
Destruction of our planet has never been so gentle, charming, calming and poetic as in The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker.
BJ
www.bernardjan.com
View all my reviews
Bernard Jan
My Book Recommendations
It's been a long and exciting year and we are all sorting our impressions at the eve of the new year. Some of us are relaxing, others are sick and trying to get better (like my parents), but we all wish for the smooth transition from the old to the new year.
Whatever our plans are for these last days of 2017, it's always good to spend time with our best friends—books! Here I have made a list for you, a few suggestions of the books I enjoyed and loved reading in 2017.
This list is reduced because I couldn't list all the authors and books I loved reading, so I hope they will forgive me for that. Some of them I have already recommended in my earlier post In the Making and Out Now, others I will mention in my future posts.
Without further ado, here are my book recommendations. I start with my favorite book I read in 2017 and continue in random order.
Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman
Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents' cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. Each is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when, during the restless summer weeks, unrelenting currents of obsession, fascination, and desire intensify their passion and test the charged ground between them. Recklessly, the two verge toward the one thing both fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy. It is an instant classic and one of the great love stories of our time.
Hounded by Ellie Douglas
When Calloway Foster woke up that morning, he never expected it to be a deathblow to life on earth. Nothing can prepare him for one of the world's most loved species to turn into the undead. Four-legged zombies now run rampant-hungry and intelligent, they are merciless to those still struggling to survive. Will he find his twin brother in time? Can he keep his family safe? A terrifying surprise twist will test the survivors to the brink of humanity’s very existence.
Innocence Taken by Victoria M. Patton
A young girl’s dismembered body is found on the side of the road in rural Illinois with no ID or clues left with the body. Who could do this to a beautiful young girl? Lt. Damien Kaine, the recently promoted head of the Vicious Crimes Unit out of Division Central in Chicago, and his partner Detective Joe Hagan are assigned to the case. When the little evidence they have leads to the possibility that more girls have gone missing over the last ten years, and one of their own is being stalked by the killer, Profiler FBI Special Agent McGrath is brought in to assist. Having to work with the FBI agent and deal with his personal demons waging battle against him, the already stressful case, is almost unbearable for Kaine.
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, 11-year-old Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ever-shifting landscape, Julia is also coping with the normal disasters of everyday life. As Julia adjusts to the new normal, the slowing inexorably continues.
Rusticles by Rebecca Gransden
In Hilligoss, a tired man searches for a son, a flamingo enthrals the night, and fireworks light up the lost. In these stories and more, Rusticles offers a meandering tour through backroads bathed in half light, where shadows play along the verges and whispers of the past assault daydreams of the present. Walk the worn pathways of Hilligoss.
The Stars Just Watch by Jonathan Hill
Tonight four sit round a table playing cards. Tomorrow two leave to fight. Over an evening already fraught with tension, emotions run deep and life-shattering secrets threaten to escape. A powerful novella from the author of FAG, Pride and Not Just a Boy. This is a new version of the story previously released under the title Is it Her?.
Holy Cow by David Duchovny
Elsie Bovary is a cow and a pretty happy one at that. Until one night, Elsie sneaks out of the pasture and finds herself drawn to the farmhouse. Through the window, she sees the farmer's family gathered around a bright Box God—and what the Box God reveals about something called an 'industrial meat farm' shakes Elsie's understanding of her world to its core. The only solution? To escape to a better, safer world. And so a motley crew is formed: Elsie; Shalom, a grumpy pig who's recently converted to Judaism; and Tom, a suave turkey who can't fly, but can work an iPhone with his beak. Toting stolen passports and slapdash human disguises, they head for the airport...
The Last Night at Tremore Beach: A Novel by Mikel Santiago
Recently divorced and in the middle of a creative crisis, Peter Harper decides to take shelter on the scenic and isolated Tremore Beach in Ireland. But one stormy night he is struck by lightning and, as a result, begins experiencing terrible headaches and strange dreams. As the line between his dreams and reality begin to blur, Peter realizes that his bizarre visions may be a warning of horror still to come...
As you can see, I didn't list one particular book that is special to me and that is my novella A World Without Color, a true story of the last three days I spent with my cat Marcel. Despite that, I hope you will get the chance to read it and get back to me with your thoughts, if nothing else than in a form of your honest review.
Happy reading, hope you enjoy the books from my post too!
Best wishes for a great new year full of amazing books and stories!
BJ
www.bernardjan.com
Join my mailing list, subscribe to blog Muse!
Bernard Jan
Whatever our plans are for these last days of 2017, it's always good to spend time with our best friends—books! Here I have made a list for you, a few suggestions of the books I enjoyed and loved reading in 2017.
This list is reduced because I couldn't list all the authors and books I loved reading, so I hope they will forgive me for that. Some of them I have already recommended in my earlier post In the Making and Out Now, others I will mention in my future posts.
Without further ado, here are my book recommendations. I start with my favorite book I read in 2017 and continue in random order.
Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman
Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents' cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. Each is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when, during the restless summer weeks, unrelenting currents of obsession, fascination, and desire intensify their passion and test the charged ground between them. Recklessly, the two verge toward the one thing both fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy. It is an instant classic and one of the great love stories of our time.
Hounded by Ellie Douglas
When Calloway Foster woke up that morning, he never expected it to be a deathblow to life on earth. Nothing can prepare him for one of the world's most loved species to turn into the undead. Four-legged zombies now run rampant-hungry and intelligent, they are merciless to those still struggling to survive. Will he find his twin brother in time? Can he keep his family safe? A terrifying surprise twist will test the survivors to the brink of humanity’s very existence.
Innocence Taken by Victoria M. Patton
A young girl’s dismembered body is found on the side of the road in rural Illinois with no ID or clues left with the body. Who could do this to a beautiful young girl? Lt. Damien Kaine, the recently promoted head of the Vicious Crimes Unit out of Division Central in Chicago, and his partner Detective Joe Hagan are assigned to the case. When the little evidence they have leads to the possibility that more girls have gone missing over the last ten years, and one of their own is being stalked by the killer, Profiler FBI Special Agent McGrath is brought in to assist. Having to work with the FBI agent and deal with his personal demons waging battle against him, the already stressful case, is almost unbearable for Kaine.
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, 11-year-old Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ever-shifting landscape, Julia is also coping with the normal disasters of everyday life. As Julia adjusts to the new normal, the slowing inexorably continues.
Rusticles by Rebecca Gransden
In Hilligoss, a tired man searches for a son, a flamingo enthrals the night, and fireworks light up the lost. In these stories and more, Rusticles offers a meandering tour through backroads bathed in half light, where shadows play along the verges and whispers of the past assault daydreams of the present. Walk the worn pathways of Hilligoss.
The Stars Just Watch by Jonathan Hill
Tonight four sit round a table playing cards. Tomorrow two leave to fight. Over an evening already fraught with tension, emotions run deep and life-shattering secrets threaten to escape. A powerful novella from the author of FAG, Pride and Not Just a Boy. This is a new version of the story previously released under the title Is it Her?.
Holy Cow by David Duchovny
Elsie Bovary is a cow and a pretty happy one at that. Until one night, Elsie sneaks out of the pasture and finds herself drawn to the farmhouse. Through the window, she sees the farmer's family gathered around a bright Box God—and what the Box God reveals about something called an 'industrial meat farm' shakes Elsie's understanding of her world to its core. The only solution? To escape to a better, safer world. And so a motley crew is formed: Elsie; Shalom, a grumpy pig who's recently converted to Judaism; and Tom, a suave turkey who can't fly, but can work an iPhone with his beak. Toting stolen passports and slapdash human disguises, they head for the airport...
The Last Night at Tremore Beach: A Novel by Mikel Santiago
Recently divorced and in the middle of a creative crisis, Peter Harper decides to take shelter on the scenic and isolated Tremore Beach in Ireland. But one stormy night he is struck by lightning and, as a result, begins experiencing terrible headaches and strange dreams. As the line between his dreams and reality begin to blur, Peter realizes that his bizarre visions may be a warning of horror still to come...
As you can see, I didn't list one particular book that is special to me and that is my novella A World Without Color, a true story of the last three days I spent with my cat Marcel. Despite that, I hope you will get the chance to read it and get back to me with your thoughts, if nothing else than in a form of your honest review.
Happy reading, hope you enjoy the books from my post too!
Best wishes for a great new year full of amazing books and stories!
BJ
www.bernardjan.com
Join my mailing list, subscribe to blog Muse!
Bernard Jan
