[eager tortoise]

...so, with that in mind, I've decided to try and keep a record of what I'm reading. Hopefully I'll catch up with myself in due course! Lets see how many I can get through before the end of the summer!

Last book finished: Solace by Belinda McKeon. The parts of the book depicting Celtic Tiger style partying grated on me for some reason, but the key elements of the plot, especially Mark's relationship with his family, were really absorbing. Parts of the book were amazingly written as well - so vivid and sad.

Currently reading two short story collections - Antartica by Claire Keegan and There are Little Kingdoms by Kevin Barry. Two very different and very brilliant books

[eager tortoise]

Finished 'Antartica'. I loved it. Amazingly crafted short stories, so beautiful and complete. My favourites were 'Sisters' and 'Passport Soup'. Oh how I wish I could write stories like these!!

Now back to Kevin Barry to finish his collection

[eager tortoise]

Finished "There are Little Kingdoms" today. Amazing.

Some of the ideas, especially in the disturbing titular story, reminded me of Flann O'Brien (who is also an author of whom I would like to know more)

Favourite stories: Atlantic City, There are Little Kingdoms, The Penguins.

Such lovely writing. I am in awe of what people can do.

"My husband is like one of those second hand books you buy that's got all the wrong bits underlined."

[eager tortoise]

Another one down!

Just finished "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" by Mohsin Hamid. Am still trying to decide what I think of it. I was surprised at the minimalist prose; for some reason I thought a book with such a big title would be more in-depth, more detailled than it is. I suppose that is a reflection of the "fundamentals" with which the book is so preoccupied. The narrator is a great character, and I liked the peripheral characters of Erica and Jim, but I wish their had been a little more of them; likewise, a little more of the narrator's family and friends in Pakistan might have enriched the book. As it is his family are very sketchy, background figures.

I very much liked the device of having the narrator tell his story to an unnamed stranger he meets in a bar. Parts of his life story are extremely vivid and interesting, but the ending felt a little rushed; this was the part that I thought would have needed the most attention - the narrator's rejection of American life - but it was over and done with relatively quickly.

Overall I liked it, but given the material and the author's background I thought it could have gone further in giving a different perspective on the American war on terror.

[eager tortoise]

"Foster" by Claire Keegan

This is a sort of extended short story, published by itself. I was really interested to read it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I wanted to read more by Keegan after enjoying 'Antartica' so much. Secondly, I saw that this book features on the list of possible texts for Leaving Cert English 2014 and I am in the process of finalising the texts I want to do with my 5th years this coming September.

Firstly, Foster is a deceptively simple text. It's short and accessible. The narrator is a young girl, and the book tells the story of a summer she spends on a farm, being cared for by kindly relatives. It's an absorbing story, carefully crafted. By the end, I found myself totally immersed in the world of this family. The ending, though stark and fraught with sadness, was pitch perfect.

This book just seemed to me like a perfect piece of art

Next up: "A Visit From the Goon Squad" - Jennifer Egan