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This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

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  • Registered Users Posts: 717 ✭✭✭Porkpie


    The Kite Runner was one of my all time favourite books and expectations were high for A Thousand Splendid Suns - too high unfortunately. As one would expect, the story is joyful in parts, and heart wrenchingly sad in others. The plight of the women in the novel is truly awful and the story is depressingly tragic. It gives the reader an interesting insight in to life in Afghanistan during such troubled times. At times the story is compelling and there is no denying Hosseini's impressive writing abilities.

    I found however that the book became tedious after a while as it was very slow moving. As the chapters passed I was losing interest and it took considerable effort to finish reading it. At times the descriptions of the people and countryside are written beautifully but other times they feel very drawn out, with Hosseini dedicating paragraphs to describing characters or background stories that have very little relevance to the story. It's hard not to empathise with the two main characters, Laila and Mariam, who suffer from so much cruelty and oppression. However, I found myself much less absorbed in them compared to Amir and Hassan in TKR. I realise that, from a male perspective my review is more subjective, and I could understand how female readers might take more from the novel. The fact that there is very little light-heartedness in the story and no real sense of adventure, takes from the book. It was a thoroughly depressing read.

    The story is written, for the most part, from the perspective of the two main characters with chapters alternating between Laila and Mariam. This I found unnecessary and confusing, which added to my disappointment. Sometimes it was hard to remember who was who. The book for me was always going to be compared to the Kite Runner. Maybe I expected too much. Educational, yes, enjoyable, not really. 4 out of 10.

    Just started reading Quirkology by Richard Wiseman - a book about quirky scientific experiments in psychology. Funny and interesting so far.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,900 ✭✭✭Quality


    reading the girl who played with fire by stieg laarson enjoying it so far!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 14 qwerty23


    Just finished acidental billionaires by Ben Mezrich, only took a couple of days.

    It is not as good as his others that I have read in my opinion, a bit disappointing.

    Will either start "Ninety Eighty Four" by Orwell next or "A Long Long Way" by Sebastian Barry


  • Registered Users Posts: 91 ✭✭chenguin


    Just finished re-reading to kill a mocking bird. I love this book. So well written.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,682 ✭✭✭✭Busi_Girl08


    Finished Paddy Clarke, I liked it, although I found it ended quite abruptly.

    Next: Animal Farm -George Orwell


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  • Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭wantacookie


    reading 'The time travellers wife' by Audrey Niffenger! its very sweet and is easy to read!

    next i'll be reading 'My sister's keeper' by Jodi Piccoult! its meant to be quite sad tho! :(


  • Registered Users Posts: 517 ✭✭✭lisbon_lions


    Just finished reading "The shadow of the wind" by Carlos Zafon, a very entertaing read with excellent character development. Next up is a toss up between a science read ("pale blue dot" by C Sagan) and general fiction ("My Sisters Keeper" Jodi Picoult). I'll decide at the bookshop :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,682 ✭✭✭✭Busi_Girl08


    Just finished Animal Farm, loved every minute of it. The characters were very intriguing and very well developed, the story and the change of events and tone was fascinating and very well thought out.
    Brilliant portrayal of how thirst for power and greed takes over the thirst for a free world.

    EDIT: Change of plan. 1984 next :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,285 ✭✭✭BanzaiBk


    Just finished Pages for You by Sylvia Brownrigg, just started Running With Scissors by Augesten Burroughs.


  • Registered Users Posts: 45 martoman


    I'm currently reading 'Murphy' by Beckett. Quite interesting, full of bizarre odd characters. At the same time, I find it a challenging read--contains a lot of obscure language. Anyone else have similar experiences?

    Next up: 'The Heart of a Dog' by Bulgakov.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 316 ✭✭Halla Basin


    Just finished Animal Farm, loved every minute of it. The characters were very intriguing and very well developed, the story and the change of events and tone was fascinating and very well thought out.
    Brilliant portrayal of how thirst for power and greed takes over the thirst for a free world.

    EDIT: Change of plan. 1984 next :)

    **** man, did you read Animal Farm in one day?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,445 ✭✭✭Jako8


    Northern Lights by Phillip Pullmann.

    Brilliant so far.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,682 ✭✭✭✭Busi_Girl08


    **** man, did you read Animal Farm in one day?

    I think I had already started it when I posted the one saying I was reading it next.

    I was reading it in college between lectures and stuff, and in fairness, it isn't really the heaviest book around, is it? :p


  • Registered Users Posts: 337 ✭✭Elevelyn


    Just started the Langoliers by Stephen King, good so far.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6 DublinBookClub


    The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

    Really enjoying it. Loads of mystery, can wait to see what happens!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 924 ✭✭✭Elliemental


    I`m about to finish C.J Sanson`s Dissolution, and then I`ll be reading Hilary Mantel`s A Place of Greater Safety. I discovered Mantel after reading her Tudor fiction Wolf Hall. She`s a diamond of a writer!:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 53 ✭✭Sammy Jennings


    I`m about to finish C.J Sanson`s Dissolution, and then I`ll be reading Hilary Mantel`s A Place of Greater Safety. I discovered Mantel after reading her Tudor fiction Wolf Hall. She`s a diamond of a writer!:D

    Hey Ellie, last night I came across this article by Mantel.

    http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n15/mant01_.html

    I'm not particularly interested in the French revolution but she has a great style of writing, no question.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 493 ✭✭trustno1


    Mink wrote: »
    Over 1/2 way through The Brief & Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

    It's absolutely brilliant. Very funny, heartwarming but also harrowing.
    Anyone who is/was a bit of nerdy geek would love this. It's such a mixed bag as you follow different characters in the US & in Dominican Republic over different time periods. There's tons of references to Lord of The Rings as a symbol of the oppression Dominican Republic people went through under their dictator Trujillio. There's a lot of Spanish threaded through & I don't have a clue what some of it means but it fits & adds to the atmosphere.
    I'm really enjoying it. Highly recommended

    Picked this up from your recommendation - nearly finished and have to say that I am really enjoying it, excellent read.. thanks!!..


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,682 ✭✭✭✭Busi_Girl08


    Finished Nineteen Eighty Four, loved every minute of it. A great follow-on from Animal Farm, and the dark tone gave me chills.
    Some plot twists were kind of obvious, but it was still really enjoyable. :)

    NEXT: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 316 ✭✭Halla Basin


    I think I had already started it when I posted the one saying I was reading it next.

    I was reading it in college between lectures and stuff, and in fairness, it isn't really the heaviest book around, is it? :p

    yeah, well, shut up there


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  • Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 9,469 Mod ✭✭✭✭BossArky


    yeah, well, shut up there

    Banned for a week. Please be civil in future.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3 sinead999


    The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,014 ✭✭✭Paddy Samurai


    Shadowfall by James Clemens

    I am enjoying this book more than i thought i would.
    About 60% through,and finding that it gets better with each chapter read.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 603 ✭✭✭BeatNikDub


    Recently discovered Michael Scott and his Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. Found the first one "The Alchemist" for a couple of euro in Shakespeare & Co in Paris last April and just about to start the third!
    They are just fantastic!


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,181 ✭✭✭✭Jim


    Started "Kafka at the Movies" and a few other stories today. Been meaning to read this for quite awhile.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,682 ✭✭✭✭Busi_Girl08


    Finished Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
    Especially after 1984, this was a real pick-me-up, loved every page of the insanity :D

    Next: The Alchemist.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,986 ✭✭✭Red Hand


    House of leaves by Mark Danieliewski. Pretty good so far, I like the pyschedelic format of the page and footnotes and backward writing.

    A novel novel.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 316 ✭✭Halla Basin


    I think I had already started it when I posted the one saying I was reading it next.

    I was reading it in college between lectures and stuff, and in fairness, it isn't really the heaviest book around, is it? :p

    bahaha never mind. I set out to dispel my inferiority complex and finished it before noon on Saturday morning. Falcon pawnch


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2 Camille9


    I've just finished reading Jack Kerouacs, Big Sur. I love his style of writing. It is so easy to read.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,686 ✭✭✭tHE vAGGABOND


    just finished Tip Pat Coogans autobigraphy, not the best book ever written, but very enjoyable...

    Just started Dawkins new one, about darwinism/creationism


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