All About Books discussion

I'm ready.

Love how we are starting the new year with new books.

Diane S. wrote: "Love how we are starting the new year with new books."

I'm curious too to see the first books of the year of the other members.

1) 4/5

English edition: Cassandra by Christa Wolf

This was a very tough read. I started it two times in order to get into the writing style. This one is really very strange with an "original" punctuation. In addition to this we have a lot of flashbacks who in a first moment aren't in a cronological order. It was very confusing.
The whole book is a monologue by Cassandra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassandra) and she starts it when she knows she is going to die. All the flashbacks refer to her life, Troy, the war with the Greeks but the most important thing is that her monologue refers also, in a more general way, to all human beings, their emotions and feelings, their strenghts and weaknesses, their faith, love, friendship and so on.
It is a very deep book and Wolf is really a great writer because she is able to use words and language masterfully. It is really worth to be read but also to be re-read.

It is a very deep book and Wolf is really a great writer because she is able to use words and language masterfully. It is really worth to be read but also to be re-read.

That is very well said.

I do admit she is not an "easy writer" to read; but especially this one I think is a really great book!

Does she always use this writing style or are her other books written in a different way?

@ dely: The writing style is the same in other books too.

Dhanaraj wrote: "@ dely: The writing style is the same in other books too."

Thanks.

I wish I could get my hands on a book by Christa Wolf. :0(

Christa Wolf is a name I'd not heard of before, but after seeing her mentioned in this group, I'd like to try something too.

Chrissie wrote: "I wish I could get my hands on a book by Christa Wolf. :0("

No audiobooks available?

Pink wrote: "Christa Wolf is a name I'd not heard of before, but after seeing her mentioned in this group, I'd like to try something too."

This is the first book I've read by her but there are other members who have read more books and could recommend you which is the best one to start.

2) 3/5

English edition: Waiting for the Mahatma by R.K. Narayan

Sriram falls in love with Bharati when he sees her the first time at the market. She is a follower of Gandhi and Sriram decides to become a voluteer too in order to stay with her. At some point of the story they must separate because both are imprisoned. They spend some years in jail but their love is strong and Sriram does everything to find Bharati again.
It was both a tender story about love (though the characters had to deal with difficult situations) but also a sad story because the background are the years full of turmoils just before and after the Independece of India.

3) 5/5

English edition: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

There are many reasons why I loved this books: I was totally engrossed by the story, the story is based on true historical events, I felt for the characters and I had a lot of emotions reading it.
Hanna, a restorer of ancient manuscript, has been called because a 500 years old Jewish book, the Haggadah, has been found. In the manuscript she finds some clues (a wine stain, a hair, a wing of insect...) to find out its history.
The reader follows the story of Hanna's researches and these chapters alternate with chapters with the real story of the book, where the reader finds out what really happened.
It was a real pageturner, also full of suspense and it was very interesting to follow the story of this manuscript who had travelled around the world surviving a lot of wars.
It was also a moving story and what touched me the most is that love for art, books and culture goes beyong religions. This Hebrew manuscript has been saved twice by muslim librarians; also when we read about the history of the book, people of different religions are bound by the love of history and culture.
In the afterword there was written which parts of the book are true and which one were fictionalized.

It was fun reading your summary; now I remember more! Ror once a book that stresses that people of different religions can work together.

dely , I read this a while ago and you reminded me how much I liked it . I gave it 4 stars but in retrospect I probably should have given it 5 .

Chrissie wrote: "It was fun reading your summary; now I remember more! Ror once a book that stresses that people of different religions can work together."

Exactly and with what is happening now I think it's an important message.

Angela wrote: "dely , I read this a while ago and you reminded me how much I liked it . I gave it 4 stars but in retrospect I probably should have given it 5 ."

This happens sometimes also to me: I rate a book and after some months I don't know why I rated it so high or so low. There are some books that touch me while I read it but I see that after some months I already forget them; other times a book seems good but I give a low rating but after some weeks or months I see that I still think about that book and that it had a deep impact but in a slow way. But I rarely change my rating.

Everything you say in message 19 is exactly how I see myself behaving too.

dely ,
I won't change my rating but your comments did remind me how much Ioved the book .

I read that one recently and gave it 3 stars, but I think that was heavily influenced by my dislike of the audiobook narrator. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Laurel, what I do is rate the book, not the audio format, and just note how the narration was. It is hard sometimes to JUST listen to the words of the author and not be influenced by the narration. I am so sorry to hear that the narration worsened the book for you.

Laurel wrote: "I read that one recently and gave it 3 stars, but I think that was heavily influenced by my dislike of the audiobook narrator. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

I've read your review. I hadn't problems with the passages from present to past; on the contrary, I liked them. There was a little bit suspense and mystery at the end of the chapter set in the present and everything became clear in the chapter with the past. I liked a lot these connections and had no problems with the print edition. Perhaps it was only fault of the narrator and if he isn't good it isn't easy to like a story.

dely wrote: "3) 5/5

English edition: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

There are many reasons why I loved this books: I was totall..."

I loved it too dely!!! Almost for the same reasons!

4) 2/5

English edition: With Downcast Eyes by Tahar Ben Jelloun

It was so good and interesting at the beginning and till half of the book and suddenly everything changed.
It's the story of Fatima, a Berber girl, who has a very sad childhood and she is obliged to live with a bad aunt. Her father lives in France for work and when she is ten he goes and takes his family away from there leading them to Paris.
It was interesting to read about the difficulties and the feelings an immigrant had. There was a kind of love for the new culture and hate for the poverty and desperation of the native country. However, growing older, Fatima had to deal with her past and, above all, her roots.
Suddenly, in the middle of the book, the real characters mingle with characters from Fatima's dreams and fantasy. I wasn't anymore able to understand what was going on. It was a pity because it is a well written book with a poetic language and good quotes.

5) Savona in Giallo 2/5

No English edition.

It is a collection with seven mystery/thriller stories all set in the city where I live. It was just an ok read, nothing worthy. I must tell the truth, I'm not a mystery/thriller lover and I've read this book only because I received it for Christmas.

Yeah well, it is good you gave it a try. As you know, mystery/thriller are NOT my favorite either. I can like true crime though... It is fun in that the book was set where you live. Check out In Cold Blood. What is bad with me is that I know there are so many exceptions to my own rules.

Chrissie wrote: "Yeah well, it is good you gave it a try. As you know, mystery/thriller are NOT my favorite either. I can like true crime though... It is fun in that the book was set where you live. Check out [book..."

It was a Christmas gift (from my ex husband!) otherwise I would have never bought it.
I think the editor did it by purpose and also the authors are from here or nearby and they aren't famous; perhaps it's also because of this that the stories aren't that good. It's also because of the setting that I was curious to read it.
In Cold Blood is already in my wishlist but I don't know when I will read it.

6) 2,5/5

English edition: Best Cat Stories by Lesley O'Mara

This book has 23 stories about cats written by famous authors. I liked only 5 or 6 by them, the others were pretty boring.

I know to keep away from this one now.

Pink wrote: "I know to keep away from this one now."

In the synopsis there are written the names of famous authors but at the end there are more stories by authors that aren't that famous (at least, I didn't know them). Sometimes there are only excerpts of longer books like Alice in Wonderland.
I have read better books about cats though it isn't easy to find good ones.

7) 4/5

English edition: The Emigrants by W.G. Sebald

It's the first book I read by this author and I liked it. I didn't like only the themes of the book but also his writing style and his language.
The main theme is memory and remembrance and the author talks about them through 4 stories: he meets four different persons who talk with him about their past lives. They are fictional but they seem so real and I really thought they existed! Sebald has added also some photos from the past so the characters and their stories seem real.
He talks also about emigration and the consequent feeling of alienation and loneliness. All the characters are German Jews that go away from Germany and this is another theme of the book.
It is a very deep book, to read slowly because there is really a lot in it.

I am happy that you loved Sebald's work.

Dhanaraj wrote: "I am happy that you loved Sebald's work."

I'm reading the comments about Austerlitz and I don't know if I will pick it up; it seems written in a confusing way. Perhaps one day.

8) The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N. Murari 1/5

I didn't like this book for many reasons.
I add the link to my review (in English): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

9) 5/5

English edition: Youth Without God by Ödön von Horváth

The author is able to talk with an easy and essential language about deep themes: coscience, Truth, live, death, God, faith, redemption.
It's a very short book, less than 150 pages, but it shook me from deep inside. It is a must read.

10) 3/5

English edition: Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant

The book talks about George Duroy, an opportunist, ready to cheat and do everything for money and success. I liked it but I liked much more other books by Maupassant, above all his short stories, where he is more sharp and direct in criticizing society, vices and all the things he didin't like of the people of his time.
Bel-Ami is a good book but I found it pretty repetitive.

I have to ask you, Dely. Were you able to laugh at these despicable people, rather than getting depressed? I could because they all deserved each other. Not everyone seems to reason that way! I liked how Maupassant could make me laugh at horrible things.

Chrissie wrote: "I have to ask you, Dely. Were you able to laugh at these despicable people, rather than getting depressed? I could because they all deserved each other. Not everyone seems to reason that way! I lik..."

No, I didn't laugh. I felt pity for them, it's the kind of people I don't like but this doesn't mean that I find it funny if they cheat or harm each other. I found it sad because there still are people like them.

edit: with "I feel pity" I don't mean that I feel sorry for them but that I pity them. I don't know if the difference is understandable.

I didn't feel close to them, so no emotional empathy for their terrible situation. I think by that you mean pity, right?

I could laugh b/c I felt no empathy and primarily because they all deserved what they got. My reaction does seem very weird.

Chrissie wrote: "I didn't feel close to them, so no emotional empathy for their terrible situation. I think by that you mean pity, right?

I could laugh b/c I felt no empathy and primarily because they all deserved..."

Yes, I pitied them (don't know if I can tell it this way) but I didn't feel empathy because, as you say, I didn't feel close to them. I don't think that my commiseration for them could be called empathy because I didn't feel sorrow for them.
They deserved what they got but I didn't find it funny.

Thanks for explaining.

I am reading Gora now! It is hard listening because the names are difficult to comprehend.

Chrissie wrote: "Thanks for explaining.

I am reading Gora now! It is hard listening because the names are difficult to comprehend."

I hope my explanation was clear but I doubt it, lol.

I'm sure you will get used to the names or write them down.

I am searching for a list on internet. Some I have found but not a complete list. It is hard to guess how to spell them even.

Chrissie wrote: "I am searching for a list on internet. Some I have found but not a complete list. It is hard to guess how to spell them even."

I know, it isn't easy. With the paperback you can underline them and go back and forth to see who is who. With big families sometimes I make a family tree.
I hope you will find a solution with these names.

I have in fact found how to spell the names of the main characters. to make things worse different sites use different spellings and some characters use more than one name. I feel finally that I have conquered this problem and now enjoy very much the content, the lines. Well written. Lots to think about. It is NOT a book of simplifications, but instead a book that gets you thinking. About philosophies and relationships. It is amazing how relevant this book is give n that it was written so long ago.

I want it to stay good.......

Chrissie wrote: "I have in fact found how to spell the names of the main characters. to make things worse different sites use different spellings and some characters use more than one name. I feel finally that I ha..."

I'm sure it will be good till the end and I'm waiting for your opinion. As usual, there are so many books I would like to read but there is never enough time but I hope that Tagore won't stay too long in my wishlist.

Still good.

11) 1/5

English edition: Delhi by Khushwant Singh

I was expecting much more by this book also because I liked the premise (Delhi's history from Mughal Empire to the killing of Indira Gandhi) and I have liked other books by Singh. But I was annoyed from the first to the last page. It's a pity.
Here's my review (also in English) where I explain better what I didn't like: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...