OscarWilde87's reading log 2024

Hi there and a happy new year to all of you!
This is my eleventh year on CR and last year has been my most inactive so far. I just do not find the time to catch up on everything anymore, what with life getting in the way.

So, if you'll still have me here although I'm awfully bad at posting and catching up on others' threads, here's something quick about me and my reading. I'm a teacher of English and mathematics at a German high school, which is a job that I enjoy a lot, but which can also be very time-consuming seeing that you are almost never really off work in this digital day and age.
I tend to read more fiction than non-fiction, but I generally enjoy both. Coming to think about it, I probably also read a lot of non-fiction, but just not in the form of books. I read many news articles and have a subscription of Time Magazine. I guess I'm old-fashioned like that. My reading is generally all over the board and I'm interested in a wide range of topics. You'll find me reading classics as well as popular fiction. This year, I'll just use this post to do exactly what the title says, logging my reading. You're welcome to comment and start discussions anytime you like and I will try to answer everything. But since posting has somehow put a lot of pressure on me in recent years and taken away much of the joy that I usually have in this group, I might just be lurking this year and try to consume as much of your content as possible.

This year, there will also be no reading goals except reading just for the joy of it.

Happy New (reading) Year!

This post will serve as my reading summary and provide some stats about my overall reading.

Currently reading:


__________________________
Finished in 2024
#1: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens ()
#2: The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci ()
#3: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler ()
#4: Sweat by Lynn Nottage ()
#5: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë ()
#6: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan ()
#7: Die Butterbrotbriefe by Carsten Henn ()
#8: Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix ()
#9: Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks ()
#10: Spare by Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex ()
#11: Greetings from Bury Park by Sarfraz Manzoor ()
#12: The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo ()
#13: The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan ()
#14: The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead ()
#15: Walk the Wire by David Baldacci ()
#16: Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett ()
#17: The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck ()
#18: American Gods by Neil Gaiman ()
#19: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov ()
#20: Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead ()
#21: Long Shadows by David Baldacci ()
#22: Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva ()
#23: Our Town and Other Plays by Thornton Wilder ()

__________________________
2024
Books read: 23
Pages read: 9,982

2023
Books read: 20
Pages read: 8,895

2022
Books read: 18
Pages read: 7,873

2021
Books read: 17
Pages read: 6,189

2020
Books read: 18
Pages read: 9,191

2019
Books read: 20
Pages read: 12,414

2018
Books read: 17
Pages read: 9,373

2017
Books read: 18
Pages read: 6,403

2016
Books read: 28
Pages read: 10,426

2015
Books read: 20
Pages read: 8,280

2014
Books read: 27
Pages read: 7,164

2013
Books read: 26
Pages read: 11,618

You’re always welcome. I do hope you can enjoy your reading and feel no pressure from here or elsewhere. Wish you a great year of reading.

>3 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan! Good to see you around!

Welcome back and lurk away! You certainly started the year off with a bang. I've read A Tale of Two Cities at least twice, although most recently decades ago. I can see it being a meaningful first book of the year.

>5 labfs39: I started A Tale of Two Cities shortly after Christmas but only finished it at the beginning of this year. I liked it a lot! Review to follow.

#1: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
(541 pages)

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, ...'. So begins Dickens' novel set in London and Paris at and around the time of the French Revolution. Dr. Alexandre Manette is released from his imprisonment in the Bastille and moves to London to get to know his daughter Lucie, whom he has never met. Manette has a hard time reintegrating into life outside of his prison cell, but finally manages because of the love of and to his daughter. Lucie has two suitors, Sidney Carton and Charles Darnay. The former is a London-based lawyer and the latter is a French aristocrat who comes to London under a different name to hide his relation to the French Marquis St. Evrémonde, who is not liked much in France. Both confess their love to Lucie and she ends up marrying and having a child with Darnay. Upon Darnay's return to France, the Terror is in full reign and he is arrested for emigrating to England and imprisoned immediately. The Manettes travel to France to help Darnay and get him out of prison. I will deliberately not go into further detail here so as not to spoil more of the plot than I have already done. Suffice it to say that as the plot progresses further relations between the characters are revealed and Dickens cleverly works with contrast, as the first sentence of the novel promises.

Approaching A Tale of Two Cities I only knew the famous first sentence and that it is one of the most famous novels ever written. I read the Penguin Classics version with notes in the back and when I first started I was quite taken aback at the amount of notes for only the first few pages. This made it somewhat hard to get into the novel, but once I was a few pages in I was actually gripped with what was happening. Overall, I found the notes quite helpful as they provide interesting background information about certain conventions at the time and historical background about the French Revolution. What I liked most about the novel is how the characters are developed and how the web of entanglement among them is created. My plot summary does not even mention the Defarges, Mr. Lorry and Jerry Cruncher, who are also quite important to the story. I enjoyed this aspect of personal stories and individual fates set against the backdrop of life during the times of the French Revolution very much. 4.5 stars.

#2: The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci
(559 pages)

Travis Devine is a former Army Ranger who had to end his military career and has now started a new life getting a job with a Wall Street firm, Cowl and Comely. As he is at the bottom of the foodchain there he has to start early and work late every day to beat the competitors for the opportunity to stay with the firm. Hence, he takes the 6:20 train to commute to work six days a week. However, Devine is not really into his job and he does not even subscribe to the life of money and splendor that it promises once he has worked his way up the career ladder. When his friend and colleague at the firm is found dead, the NYPD rules out the initially believed suicide it was made to look like and Devine becomes a prime suspect.

I have come to enjoy Baldacci's fiction a lot as it usually makes for some fast-paced and enjoyable reading and taken with the right amount of suspension of disbelief his novels are simply very entertaining. The 6:20 Man is another good example of this and I breezed through the more than 500 pages to find out how the conspiracy is eventually resolved and who of the characters is actually involved in it and why. 4.5 stars.

>7 OscarWilde87: great first book. Like you before you you started, I mainly only know the first line.

>7 OscarWilde87: Madame Defarge is one of my favorite villains.

>10 ELiz_M: I hated her guts, to be honest...

She's certainly memorable. I think of her every time I watch tv while knitting...

#3: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
(251 pages)

The Big Sleep introduces Philip Marlowe, a Los Angeles private detective. Marlowe is hired by General Sternwood who is blackmailed by one Arthur Geiger, but does not want to give in to it. The cause of Sternwood's trouble is always always one of his daughters, as Marlowe is soon to find out. The daughters are quite careless and while one has an alcohol problem the other gambles away the old man Sternwood's fortune. In his investigation of Geiger, Marlowe soon finds people getting murdered. A name that frequently surfaces is Rusty Regan, one of the daughters' husbands who is missing. Although it is not his job, Marlowe investigates his disappearance on the side. The plot develops into an interesting web of connections that Marlowe tries to uncover.

What I liked most about this novel is Chandler's writing style. Chandler is very descriptive and witty ("I didn't know whether it was any good, not being a collector of antiques, except unpaid bills.", p. 22). He constantly uses comparison to create a more vivid picture for his readers and set the scenes in LA in rich detail. Apart from creating an authentic atmosphere the comparisons also provide funny quips and had me laughing time and again ("Blood began to move around in me, like a prospective tenant looking over a house.", p. 209). To me, the book was not so much about the plot itself, although I did not dislike it, but rather about Marlowe ("I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn't care who knew it.", p. 1) and how he deals with the situations he finds himself in. Chandler has done a truly amazing job in crafting his protagonist. I am happy that this is only the first in a series of novels centered around Marlowe and I will surely be reading more of the series. 5 stars.

>13 OscarWilde87: The Big Sleep is a title always tossed around as an American classic, but I have never read it. Your review makes me think for the first time that I am missing out on something. I will add it to the wishlist. Thanks!

>13 OscarWilde87: great review. I haven’t read Chandler. I think these mystery books are all just waiting for me to start trying them.

>14 labfs39: great review. Here’s a good article I just read - https://www.beatdom.com/down-these-mean-streets-raymond-chandlers-l-a/

>16 dianeham: Thanks for the article. I'll see if my library has the book.

>7 OscarWilde87: I don't have too many classics that I feel compelled to read at this point—I will probably never read Proust and that's OK—but A Tale of Two Cities is one. Good to see your positive review!

>14 labfs39: I really liked it and did not find it hard to get in, probably because the language is not too far removed from today's as it is the case with older classics.

>15 dchaikin: Thanks! And it is a really short one that can easily be squeezed in, I guess.

>16 dianeham: Ooh, I really liked this: "Chandler, too saw the potential for character development, crackling dialogue, social commentary, and a centeredness of time and place in the gaudy, rip-roaring world of the pulps."

>18 lisapeet: Thanks! Tell me if you get to it and what you think about it.

Hey, happy belated new year. I always enjoy spending time with Raymond Chandler. And, wow, I haven't read A Tale of Two Cities since high school. That's a long time ago! Glad you enjoyed it.

>23 rocketjk: Happy belated new year to you, too! The other Marlowe novels went right on my wish list and I am thinking about reading one Dickens per year (probably around Christmas).

I read and reread Chandler years ago. Like you I loved his writing and humor. I was not as interested in characters as I am now, but yes his Marlowe is a great one.

A Tale of Two Cities is one if these classics that I started to read a couple of times, more out of a perceived duty than anything. Like Moby Dick, I think somehow those famous first sentences feel too intimidating. Or something. I also had trouble getting into Proust, but when I finally managed it I enjoyed it a lot, so there’s that.

Oops. Sorry for the long personal digression. Happy New Year and thread!

>25 FlorenceArt: I do have a share of classics that I approached because of a perceived duty, too. Reading them was usually not too much fun then, though, which is why I now only read classics if I really want to read them. I have never gotten to Proust at all so far.

Marlowe is really great. I have just seen that there is a movie on Amazon Prime, but it seems to be based on a later novel not written by Chandler. I'll still give it a try some time, I guess.

Happy New Year to you too!

#4: Sweat by Lynn Nottage
(119 pages)

This is actually a re-read. Below you will find the review from when I first read the play.

Lynn Nottage's two-act play Sweat is set in Reading, Pennsylvania, one of the poorest cities in the US. Most of the play is set in 2000 with only a couple of scenes set in 2008 to show what happened to the characters. The cast of nine characters tend to meet in a bar, where they discuss their lives, their jobs and their daily struggle of making a living in an economic crisis. Most of the characters are middle class American citizens from different backgrounds. With some characters being white, some black and one Hispanic character, race is an issue as well. Who is taking away jobs in a city that does not have to offer much in the way of prosperity anyway? Who is willing to accept lower wages? How does NAFTA affect factory workers? Is the American Dream still alive? Among others, these are the questions that are explored in the play.

The play was highly successful and staged on Broadway in 2017. It earned Nottage a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. I liked how Sweat portrays the life on main street and the attainability of key values of the American Dream such as the pursuit of happiness and upward mobility. I would really like to get my hands on a recording of a performance of the play. 4.5 stars.

>27 OscarWilde87: My wife and I saw Sweat on Broadway. It was excellent.

>28 rocketjk: I can imagine. I would really like to see it on stage some time.

Nice review of Sweat; I would also like to see it on stage.

#5: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
(409 pages)

Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights is set in Victorian England and the plot is limited to what happens at two rural houses in the Yorkshire moors, the eponymous Wuthering Heights and nearby Thrushcross Grange. Lockwood is a new tenant at Thrushcross Grange and forced to seek shelter at Wuthering Heights in inclement winter weather. There he meets Catherine Linton and Hareton Earnshaw as well as a servant, Joseph. The mood is gloomy and the tension in the room is palpable. When Lockwood is able to return to Thrushcross Grange he starts to inquire about the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights and this is where his servant's tale, that of Nelly Dean, begins. She relates the family history of the Earnshaws and the Lintons and how a young orphan, Heathcliff, enters their lives. Heathcliff is taken in by the Earnshaws and falls in love with Catherine, the Earnshaw's daughter. Catherine likes Heathcliff a lot, but she also likes Edgar Linton, whom she eventually marries. Heathcliff is highly upset and plots revenge on the lives of both Edgar and Catherine as well as on their families. The novel then relates Heathcliff's way to becoming the owner of Wuthering Heights and the intricate relations between the Linton and Earnshaw families.

The overall story revolves around only few characters. However, because of their names - there are two Catherines (Linton and Earnshaw) in two generations, and there is also a Linton Linton - things can be confusing at times. The characters' lives are deeply interwoven and there are marriages between members of the families and even cousins. I really like the dark setting that is also expressed in the violence and doom that seems to be prevalent in every chapter. Heathcliff's character and his development throughout life are both despicable and relatable at the same time and he serves as a sort of anti-hero in the whole novel who is bent on destruction. Brontë superbly shows that you can craft an enthralling tale with only a small set of characters that have next to no contact to the outside world and never leave their own microcosm of the Heights and the Grange. 4 stars for an overall good read.

I like how you focused on the setting and how it affects the story. This is a book I've read a few times and I always find something new in it.

I haven’t read this, and loved your review. Someday, Emily.

>31 OscarWilde87: Great review. My daughter and I read it a few years ago and then watched several film adaptations. It was interesting to see different takes on it. And of course there is the Kate Bush song.

I loved Wuthering Heights - so evocative of the moors, and the time. And a great character study.

>32 japaul22: >33 dchaikin: >34 labfs39: Thank you all!

>34 labfs39: I haven't seen any movie adaptations yet, but I might want to sometime. Right now, I'll stick with my imagination a little longer.

>35 WelshBookworm: I did like it quite a lot, too. The characters and the setting seem to make most of the novel.

#6: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
(832 pages)

This is the first novel in the The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It is a fantasy novel centered around several main characters that is a good against evil tale. Emond's Field is a small village that does not attract too much attention in the kingdom as it mainly consists of farmers. One night, though, it is invaded by Trollocs, monsters that are bred to be an evil fighting force. There to help the village is a woman who wields a lot of power, a so-called Aes Sedai by the name of Moraine. Together with her Warder Lan, she helps keep the evil forces at bay and prevent total destruction of the town. This begs the questions: Why do evil forces invade such a small and apparently insignificant village? And why does a sorceress come to their help? It is soon revealed that some of the villagers seem to have a special role in the fight against the evil force, the Dark One. Matrim or Mat Cauthon, Perrin Aybara, Rand al'Thor, Egwene al'Vere and Nynaeve al'Meara leave the village with the Aes Sedai to start their quest of fighting against the evil forces. The first novel in the series follows the group along their way through the kingdom and relates the challenges they have to face and the obstacles they have to overcome.

At first, I found the story a bit hard to get into as I had to familiarize myself with all the different characters and the lingo that is special to the Wheel of Time universe (there is a glossary, though). Once I got into the story, it kept me reading and wanting to learn more, both about the characters and about the fight of good versus evil. There is a lot of background that is slowly revealed and at points the motives of the different characters are questioned. I will definitely continue with the series and would recommend it to readers of fantasy fiction. It is no Lord of the Rings (yet?), but it is highly enjoyable. 4 stars.

>37 OscarWilde87: This is a blast from my past.

>37 OscarWilde87: you might already know this, but that’s the book that kicked off my reading habit. I really took to that slow start and all the time Jordan took with his character’s travels and conversations. Enjoyed your review. Are you watching the series? I was mixed and bit underwhelmed by season one, even if I thought the Morraine character was well done. I haven’t checked out season 2 yet.

>39 dchaikin: No, I hadn't known that but I can see how this can kick off a reading habit. Have you read the whole series?
The Prime series is what actually put the books on my radar and after season 1 I stopped watching because I wanted to read some of the books first, so I also have not gotten around to season 2. I think I'll watch it some time soon, maybe I'll read the second book first, though. My mind's not made up yet.

#7: Die Butterbrotbriefe by Carsten Henn
(255 pages)

A woman, Kati, promises to leave everything in her life behind and start fresh somewhere else. Then things start to happen. She sees a man at a lake who seems to be looking at her, then flees the creepy situation. One of the homeless men she gives weekly haircuts to is that same man, only now the situation is not creepy anymore. That man slowly enters her life and they start falling for one another. It turns out that both have a lot of baggage in their lives, but despite twists and turns they cannot seem to escape their mutual attraction. Will she stay for him and scrap her plans to leave everything behind?
Die Butterbrotbriefe would probably translate to 'letters written on sandwich wrapping paper'. As it is usually very thin and transparent in Germany sandwich wrapping paper is also used for arts and crafts purposes and learning how to draw. Now, how does this relate to the plot of the novel? When Kati was young her father collected sandwich wrapping paper (not always unused) and gave his daughter a box of his collection before he died. The purpose: her daughter is supposed to write letters on this paper to deal with people that have shaped her life, both in a good and a bad way. And that is what she does, her plan being that once she has written letters to all those people she can finally start fresh. So, before actually leaving she writes letters to many people, including a friendly cashier in the local supermarket, the local hairdresser who has treated her like a daughter, her ex-husband, her uncle and also her deceased mother. Kati makes it a condition to deliver the letters herself and read them out loud to the person they are addressed to. The letters always end with her saying farewell to that person.

While I liked this novel, I did not find it especially captivating. The story was enjoyable overall, the background stories of the two main characters are interesting enough and the novel is a quick read. Still, I found it to be lacking depth or a more surprising element. 3 stars.

(Note that this book is written in German. Right now I am apparently the only one owning it on LT, but I guess that will change. This book is by the same author as The Door-to-Door Bookstore, which I read and loved last year. The latter has been translated to English in the meantime, so for all of you who cannot read German, it is available in English now.)

#8: Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
(168 pages)

Among the Hidden is part of the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This dystopian novel is set in rural Oklahoma in a time when the government tries to regulate overpopulation by enforcing a law that families are not allowed to have more than two children. Luke, the protagonist in this novel, is the third child in his family. While his older brothers Matthew and Mark are allowed to go outside, he has to hide inside the attic of the house and can only come down for meals with the family when the blinds are drawn. This means that Luke does not know anyone outside his family, cannot go to school or make friends. Basically, he cannot do anything that other kids do. When new houses are built within sight of the family's house, Luke follows the building process as well as the new neighbors' lives by watching them through an air vent in the attic. One day, Luke sees a girl's face in a house where the parents and their two children have just left. Apparently, there are other third children. Eventually, he decides to find out about her and sneaks over to her house. What will happen once they meet? Will Luke finally be able to live a less isolated life?

I breezed through this novel as it does not have that many pages and is an easy read. It has everything a dystopian novel needs and the small set of characters works well to give an impression of the society and to create suspense. The plot fell somewhat short of my expectations, though, as it is pretty linear and the ending, while it was not necessarily to be expected, is also not earth-shaking. What the ending succeeds in, however, is to make you want to continue the series. Maybe the first two novels could have been combined to make one. As I have not read the second novel yet (and am still not decided on whether I will), I cannot really say. 3 stars for this one.

>41 OscarWilde87: Interesting premise, but not enough to encourage me to wait until it's translated.

>42 OscarWilde87: I think this series is popular with the middle school set.

>41 OscarWilde87: I'm bad at keeping up with names in general but I stopped here! I read The Door-to-Door Bookstore this year (January) and has been one of my favourites so far. I guess I'll have to wait.

>43 labfs39: I read Among the Hidden in preparation for a class so that seems to fit quite well.

>44 dicentra8: Hi there! I loved The Door-to-Door Bookstore, too. Maybe that is why my expectations were higher for the next book by the author.

>46 OscarWilde87: I could see that happen to me as well! When I started that book I was ok with reading what seemed like a "nice story", really got more than I was expecting. High expectations always work against us don't they? But I really enjoyed how the author tackled certain things, really took me by surprise.

>40 OscarWilde87: sorry for replying so late. Yes, I read the full series of The Wheel of Time. I started in 1990 and it was i think more than 20 years later before the last book was published. It’s gets better through the 1st six books. Then goes flat for several books (books 7-10). Last three books revive it a bit and the ending is satisfying. I don’t recommend it to anyone these days, but I’m always really charmed to see readers of it.

>48 dchaikin: That is valuable information as I'm steadily working on reducing my physical TBR pile (the TBR list is killing me, though) and I still have books two and three lying around. Maybe the books will get more readers as the Prime series continues.

#9: Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks
(405 pages)

Did you know that Tom Hanks was also a writer? I had not known until I found this gem in a used book store. Uncommon Type contains 17 short stories that can be read on their own. Some are loosely connected through their protagonists and all of them feature a typewriter in some capacity or other. There is the unlikely relationship between a high-energy woman and a laid-back man, there is time traveling, there is the kid growing up after his parents separated, there are war veterans, there is the immigrant to the United States, there is a couple that owns a roadside motel in a deserted area of land, and so much more.

All of the stories provide slices of life that take you in almost instantly and make you turn the pages. I loved the writing, I loved the characters and I loved the plots of the stories. After each story I found myself hoping it would not end so soon and continue just a little more. This, however, does not subtract from the quality of the reading experience. Rather, it makes you wonder and stay in the world that was created in the stories a little longer. I really found myself rooting for some of the characters and have grown quite fond of them. I am really glad that I found this book. 5 stars.

>50 OscarWilde87: Wow, that sounds really great, I’ll wishlist it.

>50 OscarWilde87: Didn't know this. How interesting.

>50 OscarWilde87: I picked up a copy of this last year. Your review make me want to read it right away.

>53 labfs39: Oh, please tell me how you like it. I hope you won't be disappointed now.

#10: Spare by Prince Harry
(410 pages)

This memoir of the first thirty-something years of Prince Harry's life has been widely discussed in the media and there is probably not too much left unsaid about it. In the book, Harry relates memories of his childhood, writes about dealing with the tragic death of his mother, royal life, his time in the military, getting to know Meghan and leaving Britain. First and foremost he writes about his relation with the press and how paparazzi make his life a living hell. While all of this is interesting to read, I found the whole book not as sensational. I knew that as a royal you were constantly subjected to being in the news, but the extent of being photographed every instant of your life and being harassed by paparazzi every step of your way was surprising to me. I would have thought that the palace had more clout in getting some privacy, making stories go away or would at least sue media outlets for libel more often. The one thing that bugged me about the book - but this was to be expected, it being a memoir - is the degree of subjectivity that shines through in various places. Of course, this is a portrayal of Harry's view, but somehow the descriptions feel exceptionally one-sided sometimes. Then again, this puts more urgency behind his call for more privacy. In that sense, I think it is completely fair and everyone knows that this is Harry's opinion. I would not dare to judge what this man has to go through and I found myself really rooting for him. Overall, I did enjoy reading the book. 3.5 stars.

>50 OscarWilde87: I've wonder about how Tom Hanks book came out. I think yours is the first reader review I've read. Very encouraging. Interesting about Spare. I think I'll pass. :)

>56 dchaikin: I read and reviewed the Hanks collection back in 2019. I didn't like the stories as well as OW87 did. C'est la vie! We can't all like the same things.

>56 dchaikin: A student of mine wrote a paper comparing the portrayal of 'Megxit' in the media to that of Prince Harry. That was my main reason for picking the book up now.

>57 rocketjk: This is interesting. I'd like to know your thoughts. Do you have a link to your review? We really cannot all like the same things, I guess. Maybe it was just a matter of perfect timing for me. I do seem to have that with some books.

>58 OscarWilde87: My review is on the book's review page, or you can see it on my Club Read thread from that year: https://www.librarything.com/topic/309495#6934818

Other than two or three individual stories, I just thought that the writing quality was fair but no better. But that's definitely a question of to each his/her/their own.

>50 OscarWilde87: He also narrates the audio version. I listened to it a few years ago and wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and variety of the stories. I don’t think there is anything this man can’t do well.

>59 rocketjk: Thank you for the link to your review. It is interesting how different perceptions of a book can be. That's what I like about this community. :)

>60 Yells: I can imagine that the stories being read in his voice adds to the experience.

>57 rocketjk: well, i probably read this and forgot about it…

>61 OscarWilde87: "It is interesting how different perceptions of a book can be. That's what I like about this community. :)"

Amen, and certainly the majority of reactions to this collection seem to be much more positive than otherwise.

>50 OscarWilde87: I've been curious about the Tom Hanks book since I saw it in the book shop. I'm also wary about books from celebrities in other fields like that since they could easily just be rubbish that the publisher knows will sell anyway because of the name. I did like the sound of it though and I enjoy short stories when they're done well. Your review makes me think I should give it a try.

>55 OscarWilde87: With my opinion of the royals I'll probably give this one a miss though!

>65 valkyrdeath: Do tell me what you think if you get around to reading it!

#11: Greetings from Bury Park by Sarfraz Manzoor
(277 pages)

Sarfraz Manzoor is Pakistani and has been living in England since he was two years old. Now he is a journalist who has worked for the Guardian, among other media outlets. He has also turned this memoir Greetings from Bury Park into a fictionalized screenplay for the movie Blinded by the light. In his book he tells his story: What was it like growing up in England? What was it like living up to his family's values at home and being another self at school? Would he ever find love? What is love anyway? How to cope with the death of his father? All those questions are answered, or at least attempted to, by Manzoor in his short memoir of the first three decades years of his life.

This memoir is not structured chronologically, but rather by different categories that are always prefaced by a song title and lyrics of a Bruce Springsteen song. Why Springsteen? When Manzoor was young he discovered the music of Bruce Springsteen through his best friend Amolak and they have been serious fans from an early age. Manzoor even goes so far as to say that Springsteen's music had the answers about the big questions in life that he could not find anywhere else, neither with friends, nor with family, nor through religion. While teenage life is hard enough as it is, it is even harder for a boy from Pakistan growing up in 1980s England. Personal insecurities are amplified by cultural differences and trying to find his way in life is that much harder for Manzoor than for other teenagers as there are high expectations of his family that are added on top of societal pressures. I liked how Manzoor explores the formation of his identity and his relationship to Britishness. Despite everything that he had to go through growing up he eventually describes England as his land of hope and dreams, in reference to the eponymous Springsteen song.

I read this book because I was intrigued when I first listened to a radio interview while driving through Scotland in the summer of 2019, which was when the movie was published. Note that the movie is only a fictionalized account of Manzoor's life and the book is the actual version. I liked both the book and the movie a lot. 4 stars for the book.

>67 OscarWilde87: Just catching up on your thread and this sounds like a very interesting book. I'm going to pick it up. Great review.

>68 rv1988: Thanks! Please tell me if you like the book.

#12: The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo
(288 pages)

This is a re-read from 2021. Below you will find my 2021 review.

The protagonist Abike Johnson lives in Nigeria's biggest city Lagos and is the seventeen-year-old daughter of the so-called Spider King from the title. She moves in the upper echelons of Lagosian society and there is nothing lacking in her life. One day, in the car on her way to school, she meets a hawker who is trying to sell ice-cream to the passengers in the cars. Abike decides that she wants to get to know him better and the two meet more often. The hawker could not be more different from Abike, though, as he lives in the slums of Lagos. As Abike and the hawker become closer their backgrounds and their past collide and their romance is over soon. As the hawker learns more about the person he is dating, the story takes an unexpected turn.

The Spider King's Daughter brilliantly portrays the disparities in 21st century Nigeria. They serve as the backdrop of a personal story, one of the kind that Onuzo once described in an interview. According to the author, every story, no matter how small, is worth telling. This one definitely is. 4.5 stars.

#13: The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
(680 pages)

The Great Hunt is the second novel in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series and it is probably best to start by saying that to my mind it does not make sense to read this novel without having read the first one. The story is just too complex for that and you will have a really hard time placing the characters and their connections to one another.

The novel follows the main characters on their respective journeys as the group is split up into subgroups in this novel. Moraine, the Aes Sedai, is reduced to a mere background role. The main plot of the novel is finding the Horn of Valere, an ancient artifact from the Age of Legends, that makes the heroes of the Age of Legends reappear when blown. The horn is stolen by Padan Fain who wants to use it for evil and Rand, Mat, Loial and a group of Shienaran soldiers set out to bring it back so that Rand, who is revealed as the Dragon Reborn, can blow it and fight the Dark One. Added to that, Padan Fain has also stolen the dagger from Shayol Ghul that Mat needs so that he can finally be freed from its curse and does not have to die. At the same time the two Emond's Fielders Egwene and Nynaeve, the clairvoyant Min as well as Elayne, the heir to the throne of Andor, are in Tar Valon and are trained to become Aes Sedai. Will the group eventually be able to take back the Horn of Valere and blow it? Will Rand fight Ba'alzamon and save the world? Read the novel to find out.

I liked the novel a lot as the plot was intriguing and kept me turning the pages. I empathized further with the main characters and really wanted to see their mission succeed. I will certainly continue the series. 4.5 stars.

#14: The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
(255 pages)

On first glance The Intuitionist is a story about the female elevator inspector Lila Mae who becomes entangled in the politicking of her higher-ups who compete for the presidency of the Elevator Guild. The story is set in a city with many skyscrapers that while never specifically identified as New York City does certainly remind you of it. From the language one can assume that it takes place in the first half of the 20th century, as Lila Mae is still called 'colored'. Basically, the elevator inspectors in the novel can be subdivided into two factions: empiricists and intuitionists. While the former are very diligent in checking each bolt and nut in their inspections, the latter ride the elevator and intuit how smoothly it runs and whether there is something wrong with it. Lila Mae is an intuitionist and as the competition for the presidency of the Elevator Guild is also a competition between an empiricist and an intuitionist, Lila Mae seems to be the perfect scapegoat when an elevator that she has inspected suddenly crashes down into the ground. The novel then follows Lila Mae in trying to find out why the elevator really crashed, exploring the origin of intuitionism in the process.

On a deeper level, the novel is an exploration of race relations in the US and provides an insight into the lengths people might go to to protect an idea and cover up secrets in order to preserve their own careers. The perceptions of race as shown by the color of one's skin are blurred and there is a deconstruction of a label that seems to have utmost importance but is not more than a simple label that should not bear any relevance at all. Whitehead plays with the notion of credibility being assigned on the basis of race or skin color and superbly shows how this is all just a matter of what people want to believe in the end.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. 4.5 stars.

>72 OscarWilde87: Yours is the first review I've read of this. I'm intrigued and will look for a copy. I enjoyed his Underground Railroad and wanted to read more of his works, but only seemed to come across Nickel Boys, which didn't appeal for some reason.

>73 labfs39: I also read The Underground Railroad and liked it, although I liked The Intuitionist slightly better. At first The Intuitionist did not impress me all too much, but there was this one aspects that changed everything. I cannot really elaborate, without spoiling anything, though.
The Nickel Boys is also on my TBR list, but it just moved a little further down now.

>72 OscarWilde87: Just agreeing with >73 labfs39: that I haven't seen too many reviews of this book. It does sound intriguing!

#15: Walk the Wire by David Baldacci
(589 pages)

Walk the Wire is the sixth novel in David Baldacci's series centered around Amos Decker, an FBI investigator who has total recall after a football injury. In this book, Decker and his partner Alex Jamison are called in to solve a murder in London, North Dakota. The body of a woman is found by a hunter. The odd thing is that an autopsy has apparently already been performed on the body as it shows the typical Y-incision. As the body is found on land next to an Air Force Station, fracking country and a religious community there are many players involved and many secrets to be uncovered. When it becomes clear that the land seems to be a ticking time bomb, a matter of national security is added on top of the murder investigation. Are the two things connected? What is hidden in North Dakota's badlands? Find out in this page-turner.

I really liked the story and its setting. I read and enjoyed every previous book in the series, so this was an easy choice for me. It provided just the summer read that I wanted. As I am invested in the story of Amos Decker I really liked this crime novel and read it in a breeze. 4 stars.

#16: Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett
(1115 pages)

Edge of Eternity is the third and final novel in Follett's century trilogy and it concludes the stories of several families in the US, the former Soviet Union, Wales, England and Germany. This novel starts in 1961 and covers historical events such as the Cold War, Kennedy's assassination, the Civil Rights movement, the Berlin wall and its fall, as well as political power plays in the former Soviet Union and its satellites. Just as in the previous two novels the plot is driven by events in the personal lives of the characters which are connected to actual historical events. One character, for instance, is an aide to Bobby Kennedy, one to Nikita Khrushchev, one becomes a famous rock star whose career starts in a club in Hamburg just like the Beatles' did. This interplay between real events and fictional characters is what I liked about the novel. Although technically not necessary, it is probably best to read the previous novels in the trilogy first. Overall, 3.5 stars for this one, as it was a little long-winded in parts.

#17: The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
(276 pages)

Published in 1961, The Winter of Our Discontent is Steinbeck's last novel before he died in 1968. While literary criticism has been mixed, I have to say that I loved this novel from start to finish. It is set on the East Coast in the fictional New Baytown, New York, where the Hawley family once was wealthy and well-respected. However, the protagonist's father lost the family fortune, which is why Ethan Allen Hawley now works as a clerk in a store the family had once owned. Ethan still lives in the old Hawley house with his wife, Mary, and his two kids, Ethan Allen (Jr.) and Ellen. The course of the novel is probably best described by the Shakespeare quotation from Richard III that the novel draws its title from: "Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this son of York." Ethan's family is not happy with their station in life and they feel looked down on in town because of having only just enough money to get by and Ethan being a mere store clerk. Ethan, who does not seem unhappy, feels his family's as well as the societal pressure from the people around him. On a daily basis he is confronted with aphorisms such as "Money makes money." Only that he does not have any to spare. This eventually leads Ethan to try to turn his luck around and restore the family to its former glory, not so much for himself, but rather for his family.

One aspect that I generally admire about Steinbeck's writing is how he crafts his characters. This is the same for The Winter of Our Discontent where I loved the complexity and depth of Ethan Allen Hawley, especially with regard to his development in the novel until the very last page. I found myself rooting for the upstanding and honest Ethan, and then, when he plots to rob the local bank (planning to take only as much as he needs, mind), I found myself rooting for his success and hoping that he would not be caught. I could really feel how Ethan was torn between sticking to his beliefs and listening to his moral compass and at the same time giving in to societal pressures that he could not push away completely lest he disappoint his family. I attribute this to Steinbeck's skillful writing. In this respect, it is worth mentioning that Steinbeck changes the narrative perspective in the novel. While the largest part is written in first-person perspective from Ethan's point of view, there are also certain parts that are written in third person, both with a limited and an omniscient narrator. To my mind, while seeming odd, this gives the book more depth and helps highlight the general theme of morality in the American society of 1960.

An outstanding novel that is definitely worth reading and does not have to hide behind The Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men. 4.5 stars.

#18: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
(721 pages)

Shadow is soon to be released from prison after having served three years of his six-year sentence. At the beginning you do not know what he was sentenced for, but you get the impression that Shadow seems to regret what he has done and is happy to see his wife again. He is actually released a few days earlier than expected because his wife has died in a car accident. On his way home to find out what really happened to his wife and to make funeral arrangements, Shadow meets a mysterious man who calls himself Wednesday and offers him a job. Having nothing to lose, Shadow takes the job although he does not really know what it entails. This is the beginning of a road trip, where Shadow has to help convince the old gods that they have to join him in a war against the new gods who want to take their place. There is a lot happening on that road trip and Shadow learns a lot about people, himself and the United States of America.

Neil Gaiman's American Gods is a really entertaining read and I really breezed through it. 4 stars.

#19: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
(361 pages)

Reading Nabokov's famous - or infamous - Lolita was not an easy choice for me. While I was always interested in what exactly the story was about, the topic of pedophilia seriously put me off for a while. The novel relates the story of Humbert Humbert, a middle-aged man who has a thing for pubescent girls whom he always refers to as nymphets. When he falls in love with his landlady's daughter Lolita, he tries anything in his power to be with her. He marries his landlady, but soon enough trouble emerges in the marriage when the landlady finds Humbert Humbert's journal. Some day, Lolita's mother runs out of the house and is run over by a car. It is then that Humbert Humbert assumes the guardianship of Lolita and travels through the country with her, stopping at motels whenever they please. An ever stranger relationship oscillating between love and hate on Lolita's part and bordering on insanity on Humbert Humbert's part unfolds. The question arises how far Humbert Humbert will go to keep Lolita at his side forever.

Reading this novel was quite disturbing in parts, especially when it comes to the physical interaction between Lolita and Humbert Humbert (even if only alluded to at points) and the descriptions of the latter's thoughts about young girls and his love for Lolita. Yet, I still wanted to find out what would happen to the two of them at the end and whether Humbert Humbert was to be found out and brought to justice. 3.5 stars for a troubling read.

#20: Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
(320 pages)

Ray Carney owns a furniture store on 125th Street in Harlem, but trying to be an honest furniture salesman barely pays for his living. Carney dreams of personal progress, of finding a bigger apartment for his young family. His cousin Freddie drops into his store sometimes to give Carney a piece of jewellery. The game is that Ray does not ask where it comes from and Freddie does not say. Ray has contacts to sell the jewellery and turn a profit. He does not regard himself as crooked, but rather slightly bent. This will change when Freddie draws him into a jewellery heist. It turns out that the stolen jewellery belongs to an underworld boss who wants it back. Carney has to try and save his as well as his cousin's hide and in the process sets up a connection that might provide him with the cashflow he needs to finally get this bigger apartment and a better life for his family.

I liked this story a lot, although I thought it was a little slow sometimes. Whitehead's writing makes for an entertaining read that is at times both literary and crime fiction. Since I do not like those typical characters who get their family or their friends in trouble, I did not like the Freddie character much. I just cannot help but be annoyed by such characters. On the whole, I liked the novel, although I somehow had higher expectations going into it. 3.5 stars.

#21: Long Shadows by David Baldacci
(576 pages)

Amos Decker works as an FBI investigator and has an almost infallible memory of everything after he suffered a head injury in his first NFL game that rewired his brain way back when. In this installment of Baldacci's Amos Decker series, he is partnered up with Frederica White. The FBI wants to get rid of both and assigns them a case in Florida that is almost sure not to be solved. A judge and her protection detail are killed in her mansion and there are many suspects: her ex-husband, an ex-boyfriend, neighbors, and the somewhat mysterious head of the security firm the protection detail had been working for. At the same time, many things are changing in Amos Decker's life. His former partner Alex Jamison has moved to New York City, his former colleague and friend commits suicide while she is on the phone with him and he receives the most recent test results of his brain scan that show some change. Not the best situation to keep a clear head. Will Decker and his new partner be able to solve the case?

I liked this novel in the series just as much as I enjoyed the previous ones. Amos Decker is a highly relatable character and you will quickly find yourself rooting for him, despite his quirks. If you are looking for a page-turner, look no further. However, while technically not necessary, reading the previous novels in the series will certainly be helpful and add to the story. 4 stars.

#22: Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silver
(319 pages)

Samantha Silva's novel Mr. Dickens and His Carol explores a fictionalized account of how Charles Dickens' famous A Christmas Carol came into being. When his novel Martin Chuzzlewit does not follow the success of his previous novels, Dickens is approached by his publishers and they ask him to write a Christmas book. Otherwise, they will cut his pay. Dickens slowly sees the life he is living fading away and tries to cut expenses wherever he can since he is not willing to write the Christmas book. In doing so, he disgruntles his family and the people around him. When his family leaves him to celebrate Christmas in Scotland, Dickens falls into a funk and eventually tries to write the book he is expected to write. As this does not come easy to him, he returns to his beginnings. Will he be able to finish it? Will his family return for Christmas?

I enjoyed reading this novel, although I have to say that there were parts that just did not catch me. Both, the beginning and the ending make up for this, though, so that it makes for a good Christmas read. 3.5 stars.

#23: Our Town and Other Plays by Thornton Wilder
(256 pages)

This book includes three plays by Thornton Wilder: Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth and The Matchmaker.

Our Town is set in the fictional American town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, where nothing special really happens. The audience is introduced to two families by the stage manager, who can be considered the protagonist of the play, as he drives the story, speaks to the audience and answers questions they might have. The two families - the Webbs and the Gibbses - live next to each other and the play shows scenes from their daily lives. While the first act shows their daily life, the second act focuses on love and marriage and the third act on death and eternity. Wilder gives a glimpse of life and death in an American town at the beginning of the 20th century and intentionally keeps the stage and all dialogue simple and straight to the point. This special style earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
I have recently been to a Broadway performance of the play with Jim Parsons as the stage manager and I can highly recommend seeing this performance if you get the chance.

The second play included in the book, The Skin of Our Teeth, also won Wilder a Pulitzer. It follows George and Mary Antrobus, their children Gladys and George, as well as their maid Sabina. The setting is a mixture of 20th century New Jersey and historical events such as the dawn of the Ice Age, people and animals being saved on Noah's Ark and the Napoleonic Wars. The story of the Antrobus family scraping by by the skin of their teeth is thereby reflected in front of different backgrounds and their conflicts always center on what it means to be human(e).

Lastly, The Matchmaker is about a stingy store owner from Yonkers, Mr Vandergelder, who does not want to allow his niece Ermengarde to marry the artist Ambrose as he thinks that an artist cannot provide for her. The cast also features clerks in Vandergelder's store, the best friend of his late wife and a love interest of his who lives in New York. While the play begins in Yonkers it so happens that all of the characters meet again in New York. The play is a comedy of mistaken identity and the plot revolves around who falls in love with whom and who will end up marrying at the end.

I enjoyed all of the three plays a lot and I can sincerely recommend them all. Seeing Our Town performed on Broadway was obviously my highlight. 4 stars.