Books Read
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Juliet, Naked
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby Published: 2009 Annie likes the music of obscure 80s rocker Tucker Crowe well enough, but her boyfriend Duncan is absolutely obsessed with him. He runs a fan website, gives lectures on his music, and listens to him constantly, even though Crowe hasn’t been heard from in decades. The novel begins with them away from England on holiday in America to visit important sites in the musician’s lore. They return home from this trip to find he’s finally made contact with the outside world, and this sparks some major changes in all of their lives. The more I read from Hornby, the more of a fan…
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey Published: 1962 Narrated by: John C. Reilly I haven’t seen the film adaptation of this, but I came across the 50th anniversary edition of the book on Audible and decided to give it a try. My knowledge going in: mental ward and Jack Nicholson. Turns out, that is pretty much the gist of it. Loudmouthed Randle McMurphy is brought into the ward and shakes things up for patients and staff alike. Through the eyes of a half Native American psychiatric patient called ‘Chief’ Bromden, we watch as someone new is brought onto the ward – Randle McMurphy. He’s a rebellious gambler…
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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Published: 1886 The classic tale of a man struggling with two sides of himself. Dr. Jeckyll has lived a respectable life, but he’s always felt something wicked lurking very close to the surface. He creates a potion to try and restrict this evil part of himself, but it instead brings that evil to the surface and transforms him, in both mind and body, into Mr. Hyde. This is all pieced together over the course of the novella from the view of a London lawyer, and old friend, named Mr. Utterson. After reading American on Purpose, Craig Ferguson’s…
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The Wee Free Men (Discworld #30)
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett This is the first book in a sub-series of young adult Discworld novels that feature Tiffany Aching, a nine year old farmgirl and granddaughter of a rumoured witch. Her granny has now passed away, and she’s beginning to learn a bit about the craft herself, with the help of a talking toad and a troupe of wee blue men in kilts. Tiffany Aching is just great. I can’t think of a character better suited for a young adult series – the smartest, bravest, most thoughtful kid you’re likely to come across. She’s a good fit for Discworld witches as well, since they rely…
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Redshirts
Redshirts by John Scalzi Published: 2012 Narrated by: Wil Wheaton Andrew Dahl is a new ensign aboard the starship Intrepid, but something strikes him as bizarre during his first week. The other crew members act strangely dramatic at times, senior officers seem to heal a little too fast, junior officers are killed off on away missions a little too often, and the laws of physics don’t seem to be as strict as they really should be. The characters eventually begin to understand the narrative that is driving their universe, and the story turns into the most meta thing ever written. It’s essentially a rant on sloppy science fiction writing with…
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The Hobbit
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Published: 1937 With the movie coming out, I figured I should give The Hobbit another read. It’s my favourite book, more for sentimental reasons than technical, and this is my fourth or fifth time through it. The book has its flaws, but I find them easy to overlook. Some of my earliest memories are of my dad reading this to me as a child. I remember lying in bed every night excited to get back to the adventure. He’d even do the voices and terrify me with Gollum’s riddles. I found out recently that my mom used to stand and listen to him read from…
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The Lost World
The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle Published: 1912 Narrated by: Glen McCready I’ve really enjoyed Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing in the Sherlock novels, and I love a good old-fashioned adventure story, so I’m surprised it took me this long to end up at The Lost World. The story begins with Edward Malone, a young reporter, being friend-zoned by his love interest Gladys Hungerton. In order to win her heart, he must do something great with his life. So when the opportunity presents itself to join an expedition to a hidden land in South America, he doesn’t hesitate. Gladys is mainly a framing device and isn’t much part of the…
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Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy by Isaac Asimov Published: 1993 Every now and then I get a hankering to write some fiction, but writing is hard, so I usually just read a book about writing instead. I have a whole shelf of them, and this time I came across Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy while thumbing through. I bought and read this over ten years ago, but I couldn’t remember a damn thing about it. This is a collection of essays on different aspects of writing, from the fundamentals of plotting and dialogue right up to submitting manuscripts and dealing with editors. Isaac Asimov is listed as the author, but…
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The Book Thief
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Published: 2005 Narrated by: Allan Corduner Liesel Meminger’s mother left her to foster parents in an attempt to separate her from any Communist ties. We hear the story of her life, narrated by Death, as she grows up in the fictional German town of Molching amidst the Second World War. It’s a story about war and the Holocaust, about growing up bewildered in a world gone mad, but it’s also a story about a young girl finding solace and hope in books while learning to read. I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right. I…
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The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Published: 1952 Somehow I went thirty years before I read Hemingway. That is just not right. I’ve been itching to read A Moveable Feast for some time now but figured I should have at least one of his fictional works under my belt before tackling his memoirs, so I picked up what is said to be one of his most loved stories. You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive and you loved him…