We love to read

Luck In The Shadows - Lynn Flewelling [Nightrunner series]

beelikej — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:54:07 GMT

Title: Luck In The Shadows
[Part 1 in the Nightrunner series]
Author: Lynn Flewelling
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Bantam Spectra 1996
Pages: Paperbacks, about 500 pages each
Language: English
Rating: 8/10 over all
Summary: Series of fantasy-books about the adventures of young Alec of Kerry and his mentor Seregil of Rhíminee. They meet in the first book when their world is at the brink of war.

Review of book 1 and 2
Book 1: Luck In The Shadows (1996)
Seventeen year old archer Alec is being tortured in prison. He has already lost all hope for release when a bard is put in his jail cell who helps him escape! It turns out the man is only pretending to be a traveling musician; he is the disguised spy Seregil. After seeing how well Alec handled himself during the escape, Seregil is rather charmed by his innocent determination and offers to tutor him. Together they travel South to inform Seregil's client about the preparations for war he discovered. During their trip Seregil steals a magical relic that causes them a lot of problems; Seregil seems to slowly go mad while Alec tries to get them safely to their destination.

DunnDunnDunnnn...

And? Are you intrigued already? The book is not free from (fantasy) clichés; the bad guys are a bit OTT charicatures, but it's all very exciting and much bloodier than I would have expected. The guys have to fight a lot and they get hurt more every time.
While Seregil is teaching Alec, the reader also gets a lot of information about the background of the brewing war. He tells him (and us;) extensively about the history of the lands and which part each different tribe, such as the magical Aurënfaie people, play in the conflict.
There are also chapters from other point of views, like the old wizard Nysander and Seregil's best friend and fellow nightrunner Micum. What's very cool is that the main society is matriarchal and there are many fascinating women in charge who are essential to the story. This huge universe is quite overwhelming, but very believable and knowing all the rich details gets you really involved in the story.
What got me hooked to this book however were the dialogues between naive, open Alec and the more experienced, ambiguous Seregil. And then came part two....

Book 2: Stalking Darkness (1997)
Alec and Seregil are now working together, although Alec still feels like Seregil doesn't trust him enough to share personal information. The truth is that Seregil finds it harder and harder to hide his more-than-friendly feelings for Alec...

Ooooh, bet you didn't see that coming;) Intrigued now?
I heartly recommend this series *grins*

So far there are six books and a special edition with short stories:
1. Luck in the Shadows (1996)
2. Stalking Darkness (1997)
3. Traitor's Moon (1999)
4. Shadows Return (2008)
5. The White Road (2010)
6. Casket of Souls (2012)
X. Glimpses (2010), a collection of missing scenes or 'timestamps' from different periods in the series, including before the beginning of the story. It's illustrated with fanart.

Flewelling is currently writing part seven \o/ and she keeps us up to date of the process in her livejournal: otterdance. (She recently mentioned there may be a second version of Glimpses!) Start reading the series now and join me in anticipation:)

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

beelikej — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 10:53:17 GMT

Title: Cloud Atlas
Author: David Mitchell
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Sceptre, 2004
Pages: Paperback, 864
Language: English
Rating: 10/10 (yes, you read that correctly)
Summary: Seemingly separate stories about different people in different times.

Review
That summary sounds simple and much like a silly literary device; but Cloud Atlas is really in a league of its own when it comes to connecting stories and people. This is truely a unique book: there are stories inside stories inside stories, all written in a completely different style and tone of voice, yet they are all part of one big story-arch.
It starts with fragments in a diary from the end of the nineteenth century, by a man who's traveling on a ship from Australia to the West-Indies.
The next story contains letters from Belgium in 1931 and at first they don't seem to have anything to do with the diary, until eventually you discover a link.
This happens with every next story; each is set in a different era, in a different part of the world. While reading, you slowly find out what everything and everyone has to do with each other.

I must admit I had quite a hard time getting into the first story, mostly because of the very old fashioned language of that author and his rather boring attitude. But the second story was a delight, because the letter-writer has a very cynical view of life and I was immediately very fond of him.

When I eventually understood the structure of the bigger story, it was a challenge to discover the connections (not unlike the puzzle of time in the film Memento). Each story is a reflection of its time and from the point of view of another person and for me they weren't all easy to read, but every part offers precious information which feeds the need to find out more.

I'm deliberately keeping my summary vague, because I'd love for you to discover each character by yourself. So I'm not revealing names or eras, but I'm convinced there are at least more than a few people and periods that you will love.

Absolutely recommended.

Le Ton beau de Marot - Douglas R. Hofstadter

beelikej — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 11:39:55 GMT

Title: Le Ton beau de Marot - In Praise of the Music of Language
Author: Douglas R. Hofstadter
Genre: Poetry, Language, Translations, Science
Publisher: Basic Books, 1997
Pages: Paperback, ~700 (including poetry)
Language: English
Rating: 8/10
Summary: Hofstadter analyses the art of translation and shows there is more to it than simply transcribing words. Is it possible to truely express the same sentiment in another language? Will a computer ever be able to convert text as a human would?

Review
I've been a fan of Douglas R. Hofstadter ever since I read Gödel Escher Bach and you may remember my emotional review of Metamagical Themes.
Even so, I must admit I was a little apprehensive about Le Ton beau de Marot, seeing as Hofstadter starts off with dissecting poetry and I'm not a fan of that. But he uses the poem as an example through out the book, to explain that understanding the meaning behind the words is one of the keys to a succesful translation.

He makes different versions of a French poem by Clément Marot. He begins with a literal word for word transcription in English and ends with several attempts to capture the spirit of it in other languages. He also lets other people translate this poem to show different interpretations cause different versions that nevertheless all can be qualified as a truthful translation.

As Hofstadter's extensive research and discussions show there is more to translating than transscribing one language into an other, so he argues it is nearly impossible for a computer, a machine without conscious thought, to add an interpretation to the translation and to appreciate the beauty and complexity of language.

What I like about Hofstadter's books is that he often takes a detour into other sciences to compare and check theories. He also uses anekdotes to clarify and sometimes seems to go completely off track with a story before making a point. This book was even more personal because it's dedicated to his wife, who died while he was writing the book.

By writing the book as he did, Hofstadter proves his point about computers even better than by simply (de)constructing the poem in different languages. The connections he makes between different cultures, points of view, or personal baggage that may influence the interpretation of text, seem impossible to imitate by a machine.

Despite the poetry-angle this was probably a subject I could relate to best out of all of his books. As I am writing this review my brain is constantly switching between my own language and English. I started with translating part of a Dutch e-mail I sent to a friend about this book and even that was not easy. Even though I have years of experience and sometimes even think in English, it still takes me a long time before I'm satisfied a post expresses my feelings as it would were it written in Dutch.

I'm fascinated by the way computers translate and learn, but surprisingly not much progress has been made in that area since Hofstadter published his book more than 15 years ago! Just check Google translate and you'll find it still struggles with all the subtle differences between languages.

Definitely read this book if you're bi- or multilingual and give it a try if you ever wondered about people who speak another language than you.

Please feel free to correct me on any word of phrasing. I love to learn:)

Unsorted Booklist

beelikej — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 08:05:59 GMT

This is the bookpile on my table, with books I've read in the last few months. I hope to review all of these this summer;)

Douglas R. Hofstadter - Le Ton beau de Marot - In Praise of the music of Language -->REVIEW!
The Fault In Our Stars - John Green
Heldere Hemel - Tom Lanoye
The Kissing Game - Aidan Chambers
Gaudí in Manhattan - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ - Philip Pullman
NIGHTRUNNER SERIES - Lynn Flewelling
Jacoba, Dochter van Holland - Simone van der Vlugt
Buffy The Vampire Slayer S8 - Joss Whedon et al.
De Droom Van De Leeuw - Arthur Japin
The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
Zomerhuis met zwembad - Herman Koch
The Stranger's Child - Alan Hollinghurst
Fokke & Sukke, Het Afzien van 2010 - Reid, Geleijnse & Van Tol
Jaspers Vlinders - Johan Vandevelde
The Fry Chronicles - Stephen Fry
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchel
De Kraai - Kader Abdolah
Scarlett Thomas - The End Of Mr. Y.
John Green - Papertowns
Abbing & Van Cleeff - De Zwarte Rugzak
Tjibbe Veldkamp & Kees de Boer - Bert en Bart Redden De Wereld
Tim Winton - Cloudstreet
Theo Thijssen - Het Grijze Kind
Astrid Lindgren - De Gebroeders Leeuwenhart
Vamoose - Meg Rosoff
Over het Kanaal - Annelies Beck

ETA:
Found three more books hidden in the pile(s):
John Green - Looking For Alaska
Scarlett Thomas - PopCo
Theo Thijssen - Schoolland

I have Dutch reviews of most of them, just need to translate and organize them;)

Good Luck - Christine Otten & Erik Kessels

beelikej — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:14:23 GMT

Title: Christine Otten & Erik Kessels
Author: Good Luck
Genre: Essay, photos
Publisher: CPNB, 2011
Pages: Hardcover, 144
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7/10
Summary: So-called essay, made for Dutch bookweek 2011, based on the theme 'Written Portraits' (Geschreven portretten). Inspired by old photos Otten & Kessels found of an unknown couple, they made up a family history for the two of them.

Review
What a fun concept! The story reads like a soap-opera about Betty and Pierre Vincent and their 'houseguest', who appears to be more than just a friend to Betty... If you didn't know it was all made up, you'd almost believe it. Just look at those (holiday) snap-shots; you can totally see there's something going on between the three of them. Cute.

You can sample the book online: here!

De Literaire Kring - Marjolein Februari

beelikej — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:41:33 GMT

Title: De Literaire Kring (~The Bookclub)
Author: Marjolein Februari
Genre: Novel
Publisher: Prometheus, 2007
Pages: Hardcover, 253
Language: Dutch
Rating: 5/10
Summary: Thirtysomething Teresa moved back to the town where she grew up. Her wealthy husband has joined the local bookclub that was founded by her father. When Teresa hears that her former classmate Ruth wrote an international bestseller, she invites Ruth to the local bookstore for a signing and lecture. But then Teresa learns that Ruth has uncovered a past that the town would prefer to forget...

Review
I bought this book based on my own Bookweekrules; for that occassion I always pick a hardcover written by a female author and I let myself be surprised by the story. I thought the summary sounded intriguing and apparently a lot of people loved the story, because this book received several awards. As you can tell by my rating I didn't like it at all. Most of the book consists of long conversations about nothing, mostly in a patronizing tone towards the main character, as her father and husband both seem to think Teresa doesn't need to know anything. I found it boring and insulting to my intelligence.

Vaslav - Arthur Japin

beelikej — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:00:27 GMT

Title: Vaslav
Author: Arthur Japin
Including: The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsksi
Genre: Novel, diary, biography
Publisher: Arbeiderspers, 2010
Pages: Hardcover novel, 374; Paperback diary, 224
Language: Dutch
Rating: 8/10
Summary: Inspired by the diary of ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinskiby, this is the fictionalized story of his life, told from three points of view. His wife, his manager (and ex-lover) and his manservant tell what happened leading up to Vaslav's final performance in 1917, when he stopped in mid dance and said he had danced enough. After that Vaslav never danced or spoke again until his death in 1950.

Review
Arthur Japin wrote more novels based on the real lives of forgotten people, (The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi / De Zwarte Met Het Witte Hart) and I've devoured them all, but this was the first time I was also able to read an important part of his source material. That was a treat, because even though Japin paints a pretty extensive portrait of Vaslav through the people who were close to him, obviously Japin had to use his imagination to fill in blanks and create conversations, so it's still a (partly made up) outsider's point of view, twice removed.

The book begins with the point of view of the manservant, who respected Vaslav immensely and this immediately sets the tone for the rest of the story. It made me pick the side of Vaslav in every discussion in the part that is told by his wife, who's mostly angry and dissapointed in Vaslav and desperate for him to act normal again. She accuses manager Sergej of trying to corrupt Vaslav, but of course Sergej tells a different story.

It was a revelation to be able to read the actual diary of Vaslav afterwards and see a glimpse of the man himself. I also got a bit of insight in how Japin build his novel. Vaslav's wife Romola collected the original notebooks and added a foreword to the diary in 1963, so I was also able to read her voice directly. I realized that my opinion on her was already coloured by the novel.

The diary is not a comforting read; it's clearly written by a man who's losing his mind, which also makes Vaslav's account of reality not completely reliable. It did make me understand the difficult position of his wife better. I was most interested in what Vaslav had to say about his relationship with his (former) manager and lover Sergej Diaghilev. As most of his memories are tainted by confusion and anger (and since his wife supervised publication of the diary), I'm not sure if I got a clear picture.

All in all it is a rather bleak story. It was really heartbreaking to see someone slowly slipping away in his own world.

Loesje's view of the year 2011

beelikej — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:03:34 GMT

Title: Als Ik Het Even Niet Meer Weet,
Doe Ik Altijd Een Stapje Vooruit
(When I'm Lost, I Always Take A Step Forward)
Author: Loesje
Genre: Politics
Publisher: A.W. Bruna, 2011
Pages: Paperback, 192
Language: Dutch
Rating: 9/10
Summary: The 2011 collection of posters featuring thoughts and smart arse comments on politics, the economy, the world, love and other important stuff

Two posters on page 102 (from bottom left to top right)
New traffic rule:
in bad weather
cyclists always get
right of way

Getting comfortable
with your book,
turns out your train
is not delayed

On page 103 an explanation about the revolution in Egypt and the protests in Tunesia in february 2011.

Loesje: a writer's collective, a NGO, a creative network, a contagious idea - call it what you want! This invisible girl from the Netherlands has been conquering the world with posters since 1983. I've been a fan from the start:)
For slogans that will make you think, frown or laugh, I recommend following Loesje on her English Twitter: Loesje International or check out the official website: www.loesje.org

(If you want Dutch links, let me know;)

Herman Koch - Het Diner

beelikej — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:50:20 GMT

Title: Het Diner (The Dinner*)
Author: Herman Koch
Genre: Novel
Publisher: Anthos, 2009
Pages: Hardcover, 300
Language: Dutch
Rating: 8.5/10
Summary: Two brothers and their wives have dinner in a fancy restaurant. Their conversations are stilted, because they are trying to avoid talking about their teenage sons. Those boys have done something that could seriously harm everybody's future. Not in the least that of one of them, who's trying to become the new prime minister of the Netherlands.

Review
Author Herman Koch is well known in the Netherlands as part of a satirical comedy group and I didn't know what to expect when I tried this bestselling book (I mostly based my decision to buy on the cool cover;). I was treated to an excellent suspense story!
In between courses, the parents have secret phone-conversations with their children, so slowly we find out what happened and what's going on. What the kids did is surely a hideous thing and the book raises the question if the parents are (partly) responsible for their kids' behavior.
What I loved most about the book were the awkward conversations; it was delicious to experience one of those uncomfortable, 'let's keep things nice, don't cause a scene' situations from an outsider point of view. Even if I couldn't relate to the actual events, the relationships between the parents and their children, and between all the grown ups were awesomely recognizable.

I bought another book of Koch as soon as I finished this one (it also has a cool cover;)

*The Dinner will be available in English in August 2012! (It's already available in German (Angerichtet), Spanish (El sopar), Italian (La cena) and French (Le dîner).
Get it! And then tell me if it's as awesome in translation:)

Blue Grass Liefde + Ons Derde Lichaam - Edward van de Vendel

beelikej — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:47:54 GMT

Two books in one review! First part was written in 1999 and in 2006 there was an unexpected follow up. I read both last year:)

Title: De Dagen Van De Blue Grass Liefde (The Days of Blue Grass Love)
Author: Edward van de Vendel
Genre: Teens
Publisher: Em. Querido, 1999
(my edition is a Wolters-Noordhoff/Jonge Lijsters reprint from 2002*)
Pages: Paperback, 157
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7.5/10
Summary: Dutch Tycho travels to America to work in an international summercamp. He meets Oliver from Norway and they fall in love. What will happen when they return to their every day life in their own countries?

Review
This story reminded me of my own summers in Camp America (a long, long time ago), which added an extra layer of nostalgia to the book. Lovely. I found some events to be a little unbelievable, but maybe that's just because I had a different experience. I did take off half a point for that though. *g*.
Tycho is a wanna-be poet and the book is written from his point of view. I had to get used to his pretentious language but I grew to love him and his emotions. He's head over heals for Oliver, and the feeling is mutual. After they fly back to Europe, Tycho finds out Oliver's friends don't know he's gay. That's when doubts set in; can their relationship survive the long distance between The Netherlands and Norway?

I'm not telling;) But I'm reviewing the follow up book below, so if you don't want to be spoiled, stop reading NOW!

*I borrowed this book from Jelle and it is out of print, but I managed to find a second hand edition for my own collection. Sadly its cover was not as awesome as Jelle's version which design was also used for follow up Ons Derde Lichaam, so now I have two books that don't look like they belong together. (see photo) What? I like my series to match on my bookshelf:(

Blue Grass is available in German.

-------------

Title: Ons Derde Lichaam (Our Third Body)
Author: Edward van de Vendel
Genre: Teens
Publisher: Querido, 2006
Pages: Paperback, 300
Language: Dutch
Rating: 8/10

Summary: After working in an International Summercamp in America and falling in love for the first time, Tycho is back in the Netherlands. He moves into a student-apartment in Rotterdam to study at the writing-academy. He lives with ambitious singer Vonda and student-dancer Moritz. Studentlife is very distracting, but Tycho still can't get his first boyfriend Oliver out of his mind.

Review
Despite this being another book from Tycho's point of view, I was told Ons Derde Lichaam wasn't really a follow up to De Dagen Van De Blue Grass Liefde, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is actually a sequel! Even though the main story is about how Vonda gets to compete for a chance to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest. (She is very nervous about performing, so she asks Tycho and Moritz to support her on stage.)
Obviously Tycho's life has changed greatly after the summer, but his thoughts are still with Oliver all the time and he uses a writing assignment as an excuse to write letters to Oliver. He doesn't post them though, just shares them in this book, in between telling us about his flatmates and their musical adventure.

Ahw, the sweet struggles of first love.

Strangely enough the second book was translated into French under the title All Together Now. How un-French.
It's also available in German: Die langen Nächte der Stille, which sounds rather ominous. The German editions have beautiful covers, for those of you who care about that as much as I do;)

I loved both books and they are available for borrowing from my personal library;)

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time - Mark Haddon

beelikej — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:34:34 GMT

Title: The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon
Genre: Novel, Autism, Family
Publisher: Vintage, 2010
Pages: Hardcover, 272
Language: English
Rating: 8.5/10
Summary: Fifteen year old Christopher has Asperger's (a form of autism) and therefore experiences the world a little differently than other people. One evening he finds his neighbour's dog dead and he decides to be a detective to find out what happened

Review
This was a very popular book that I avoided because of the hype when it came out, I'm stubborn like that. But when I came across it again during the 3 for 2 week at Waterstone's, I couldn't resist the cool design on the cover.
The book is written like Christopher's personal journal and reading it feels very intimate, despite him being quite rational and mostly emotionless about the events. His seemingly detached state somehow makes the story even more heartbreaking, because the things he discovers are quite overwhelming and it almost feels like you as a reader have to take on Christopher's non existent emotions as well. I also liked how he struggles not only with the content, but also with the form of the story (see above image of lay-out of a list of things in his pocket), it's an additional illustration of his inability to process what is happening and his need to organize his thoughts.

I completely understand why this book was such a big hit. Don't be like me and dismiss it because of the simple summary or whatever other reason. It's an amazing story.

Vallende Kwartjes - Ionica Smeets & Bas Haring

beelikej — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:56:20 GMT

Title: Vallende Kwartjes (~"Dropping Pennies")
Author: Ionica Smeets en Bas Haring
Genre: Science, Maths
Publisher: Nijgh & Van Ditmar, 2010
Pages: Paperback, 240
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7/10
Summary: To the point explanations of various scientific topics; from Hubble's constant to imaginary numbers. Mathematician Ionica Smeets and professor Bas Haring (philosophy/artifical intelligence) share their own wonderment about scientific discoveries and use examples from personal experience to show the relevance of this knowledge in real life.

Review
Some of the chapters have been written by both Ionica and Bas, but there are also parts that are the speciality of one of them, with the other merely offering comments. I've been a big fan of Bas Haring ever since I read his first book (Cheese and the Theory of Evolution - 2001) and Ionica Smeets uses the same accessible language to explain potentially complicated subject matter. It's all very entertaining and educational, although I must admit I still don't understand everything. But I was relieved to also discover that I already knew a lot of stuff and I learned quite a few new things. I read the book in one go, but I recommend absorbing it in small doses, to keep the huge variety of topics from getting mixed up.

The Art Of Travel - Alain de Botton

beelikej — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:21:26 GMT

Title: The Art Of Travel
Author: Alain de Botton
Genre: Art, history, poetry.
Publisher: Penguin Non-Fiction, 2002
Pages: 260, Paperback
Language: English
Rating: 8/10
Summary: Alain de Botton reminisces in detail about traveling to foreign places and compares his personal experiences to the (historical) impressions -and expressions- of painters, poets and philosophers

Spoilerfree Review
A delightful travelguide, that doesn't so much tell us what to do when we're away from (the comforts of) our home, but tries to remind us why we left: to explore the world! I found it heartwarming to recognize not only the many moments of wonder while discovering other places, but also the apathy that I experience while traveling.

Three Picturebooks (two children's, one adult:)

beelikej — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:12:44 GMT

Title: Manneken Pis - A Simple Story Of A Boy Who Peed On A War
Author: Vladimir Radunsky
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publisher: Van Goor, 2002
Pages: Hardcover, 26
Language: Dutch (from English)
Rating: 6/10
Summary: The title says it all.
I'm not making this up
You can even read it online!.

Title: Stimmy of Het Oerwoud In De Stad (Stimmy Or The Jungle In The City) Author: Daan Remmerts de Vries & Philip Hopman
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publisher: CPNB/Querido, 2010
Pages: Hardcover, 38
Language: Dutch
Rating: 8/10
Summary: Stimmy is bored in the city and imagines a park to spend the days. One day he runs into a rhino and havoc ensues!
Spoilerfree Review
I bought this special edition for Children's Bookweek, it's a tradition. This year's picture book is really stunning; the combined styles of Daan and Philip look spectactulair: it's a wonderful fusion of drawings and photo-collages. The story is fun to read, but I mostly enjoyed diving into the images.

Title: The Adventuress
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: Visual Novel, Art
Publisher: Jonathan Cape, 2006
Pages: Hardcover, unnumbered
Language: English
Rating: 7/10
Summary: There are a lot of men wooing the daughter of the alchemist, but she has only eyes for Napoleon.
Spoilerfree Review
Just like the characters in The Three Incestuous Sisters the woman in this adventure seems to have trouble connecting with other people, especially men. She suspects Napoleon has mistresses, but because of her hallucinations it's not clear if she's only imagining this. It's is obvious she's going slightly mad.
I love that I now have this book in my collection of Niffeneggers Art-books, even though I prefer her novels. These visual stories are a little akward, both in style and content.

Zeitoun - David Eggers

beelikej — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:44:34 GMT

Title: Zeitoun
Author: Dave Eggers
Genre: (Auto)biographical, non-fiction
Publisher: Penguin Books, 2009
Pages: Paperback, 335
Language: English
Rating: 8/10
Summary: The personal story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a contracter and homeowner in New Orleans, who stayed behind when hurricane Katrina hit the town in 2005, to keep an eye on his properties and tennants while his wife and children found refuge with family up north.

Review
As in What Is The What David Eggers turned a real person's autobiographical story into a novel, based on interviews with the main characters and extensive research of the event.
It's already unreal what Zeitoun experiences after the flood, but his story gets even more unbelievable after government troups finally arrive in New Orleans, presumably to help victims. Zeitoun and his friends however are thought to be terrorists and they are locked up in a -surprisingly fast build- emergency prisoncamp without any explanation.
What happens next is a gruesome account of the horrifying speed with which a society falls into chaos when people fail to communicate.

The attention for religion in this book frustrated me, but whether I like it or not it is a part of society and therefore it serves its purpose not only for Zeitoun and his family, but also for the people in power. Besides that -personal- issue, I highly recommend this, especially since it gives such a harsh look on where mankind is headed if we keep basing our decisions on ignorance and fear instead of common sense.

Herr der Diebe (The Thief Lord) - Cornelia Funke

beelikej — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:25:58 GMT

Title: De Dievenbende Van Scipio
Original Title: Herr der Diebe (In English: The Thief Lord)
Author: Cornelia Funke
Genre: Children's
Publisher: Em. Querido / Libris, 2010 (2000)
Pages: Paperback, 329
Language: Dutch (from German)
Rating: 8/10
Summary: Orphan Prosper and his little brother Bo ran away from home because their aunt and uncle wanted to only adopt Bo and put Prosper in a children's home. The boys hide in Venice but their aunt and uncle are aware of this and hire local detective Victor to find them.

Review
I bought this for Children's Bookweek and thought it would be about Victor chasing the boys through town. The story is told from Prosper and Victor's perspective, but turned out to be much more adventurous than simply getting the kids back to their family.
The boys are living with a gang of streetkids and are protected by young teenager Scipio, who they call "The Lord Of Thiefs". The group is solicited to steal an ancient treasure and that assignment is the cause of a whole chain of unexpected events.

Best about this book are the very natural conversations between not only the children, but also between them and each of the adults. The kids are clearly not dumb and deal with the twists and turns of life much more cleverly than the grown ups. I love the relationships that are build between all of them, but in particular between Prosper and Scipio. We only get the point of view of Prosper, so we never know what's going on inside Scipio's head, but he is definitely one of the most interesting young characters I've read about in a children's book.
Although comparing the book to Harry Potter as is done on the cover, is giving this universe too much credit. The dialogues are just as fun though. Recommended.

Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris

beelikej — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:06:29 GMT

Title: Me Talk Pretty One Day
Author: David Sedaris
Genre: autobiography, humour
Publisher: Abacus, 2000
Pages: Paperback, 272
Language: English
Rating: 7/10
Summary: Autobiographical stories with flashbacks about growing up in the Sedaris family. Special attention to David's present day experiences in France, where he and his partner occasionally live in a house in the countryside.

Spoilerfree Review
I recently watched an interview with David Sedaris on the Daily Show and as it turns out he writes like he talks: very animated. Most of his memories come with a touch of selfpity, but that is quite entertaining, especially in hindsight. Some of the humour seems a bit too rehearsed and a lot of anekdotes sound familiair but all in all it's an entertaining collection of short stories. His experiences in international French classes are absolutely recognizable for everyone who every tried to communicate in another language.

Taal Is Zeg Maar Echt Mijn Ding - Paulien Cornelisse

beelikej — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:15:11 GMT

In case you were wondering what I've been doing while I was away from this community: I've been reading. A LOT. Have also written quite a few reviews, but for the purpose of posting here I still need to translate them... Hope to do at least one every night this week. Just so you know;)

Title: Taal Is Zeg Maar Echt Mijn Ding (~Language is, like, my thing)
Author: Paulien Cornelisse
Genre: language
Publisher: Uitgeverij Contact, 2009
Pages: Paperback, 212
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7/10
Summary: Observations about language in long and short columns previously published in the NRC newspaper.

Spoilerfree Review A fun read; Paulien wonders about the use of language in modern society and in the media. She gives examples from newspapers or tv and from various conversations she heard on the street. She has an adorable way of looking at cutesy new words, but also dissects old sayings. It's not a unique point of view, but it certainly is a book you want to refer to when discussing the good, the bad and the ugly of today's language.

A whole bunch of books by Carry Slee

beelikej — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:48:28 GMT

It's been a while since I updated this community, so to get things going again, I'm spamming you with a big post:)
As I reported before I bought a series of teenbooks by popular Dutch author Carry Slee. The stories are not related, but each book deals with a different group of teenagers and a different 'big issue', such as 'drugs' or 'death'. The first book I read of her was Spijt! (Regret) about bullying. Below is the rest of my reviews.

Title: Afblijven (Don't Touch That)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (1998)
Pages: Hardcover, 255
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7/10
Summary: Jordi doesn't know what to do when he finds out his best friend Melissa is taking (illegal) pills to deal with the pressure of dance auditions.

Spoilerfree Review
A lot of Carry Slee's books are made into films and I had already seen the movie version of Afblijven before I read it. I had picked it because of the cute young actor in the lead, so my opinion on this story is probably slightly distorted. *grins*
It's not a bad book, but not exceptionally special either. I can see why the author is one of the most popular writers in The Netherlands; the story is not a completely impossible adventure for average teenager who dreams of auditioning for a musicvideo and the dialogues and issues sound authentic (as far as I can still judge teenage language).

Go here for my review of the film -in Dutch-

Title: Kappen! (Stop It!)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (1999)
Pages: Hardcover, 238
Language: Dutch
Rating: 6/10
Summary: Sander has a crush on Indra. When he befriends a group of boys who turn out to be into stealing and harrassing people, Indra is the only one who believes Sander wasn't a willing member of the gang. Does that mean she likes him too?

Spoilerfree Review
Another story with a boy in the lead and his love life in shambles because of bad choices and misunderstandings. I'm getting a little fed up with the pattern.

Title: Radeloos (Desperate)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (2003)
Pages: Hardcover, 286
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7/10
Summary: Paco feels responsible for the death of his father and tries to find comfort in beer and a new hangout. He neglects his old friends and doesn't realize his classmate Yara is dealing with a dangerous eatingdisorder.

Spoilerfree Review
I had been a little disappointed by the previous book by Carry Slee, but with this story she is back on track. Paco's thoughts and feelings are well explored and it's painful to read about his efforts to deal with the guilt. This story has almost the same kick in the gut as Carry Slee's first teenbook Spijt (Regret).

Title: Hot Or Not
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (2008)
Pages: Hardcover, 302
Language: Dutch
Rating: 6/10
Summary: Coco wants to be a model and meets a guy on the internet who offers to help her. He turns out to have alterior motives.

Spoilerfree Review
Apparently a very modern day problem, but the story somehow already feels dated. As in all of Carry Slee's books, the main character has a group of friends who notice something is wrong, but there is a lack of communication because of love triangles and highschoolissues. The story has two different endings, depending on whether Coco listens to her friends or not. That was a nice twist to an over all kind of brainless book. (I have trouble understanding gullible people)

Title: Dat Heb Ik Weer (This always happens to me)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (2008)
Pages: Hardcover, 192
Language: Dutch
Rating: 6/10
Summary: Britt and her best friend Noah used to spend a lot of time together, writing popquizes on her blog. But lately Noah seems to like another friend better and Britt feels left out in the cold.

Spoilerfree Review
Although I am aware these problems are real for a lot of teenage girls, it's quite tiresome to read about them. The way Carry Slee portrays Britt's blog doesn't help either. It feels like she doesn't really understand how blogs work. There is also an annoying amount of fangirling about the author herself, because Britt just happens to idolize Carry Slee! At the end of the story this book turns out to be the start of a whole series about Britt and her blog. I won't be buying the rest of it.

Three 10 words review: A woman's touch

beelikej — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:53:03 GMT

STATISTICS:
Title: Yuri Monogatari
Author: Collection of several artists/authors
Genre: Manga (lesbian)
Publisher: ALC Publishing (2004)
Pages: Paperback, 137
Language: English
Rating: 6/10
5 WORDS SUMMARY: Manga comics with lesbian characters

10 WORDS REVIEW
Had expected less cliches and shameful generalisations and better drawings

STATISTICS:
Title: To The Lighthouse
Author: Virginia Woolf
Genre: Novel
Publisher: Wordsworth Classics 2003 (1927)
Pages: Paperback 154
Language: English
Rating: 6/10
5 WORDS SUMMARY: Observations of family visiting beachhouse

10 WORDS REVIEW
Lacks plot, instead confusing overdose of characters with internal monologues.

Also see longer review about Woolf's debut Mrs Dalloway.

STATISTICS:
Title: Yesterday's Weather
Author: Anne Enright
Genre: Short stories
Publisher: Vintage Random House 2009
Pages: 306
Language: English
Rating: 7/10
5 WORDS SUMMARY: Separate stories about various women

10 WORDS REVIEW
Emotional peek into the different lives of every day women

Series review: Emily the Strange

beelikej — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 19:43:25 GMT

Series: Emily the Strange
Book 1: Emily's Book of Strange
Book 2: Emily the Strange - Seeing Is Deceiving
Author: Rob Reger & Buzz Parker
Genre: graphic novella
Publisher: Chronicle Books 2001/2003
Pages: Hardcover 32
Language: English
Rating: 8/10
Summary: Images in black, white and red with glossy highlights show cartoongirl Emily giving her point of view on life

Spoilerfree Review
I'm of course years behind discovering Emily the Strange, I understand she was all the rage in the nineties (of the last century;) I did see her around on buttons and shirts, but wasn't aware there were books. When I saw these books in the bargain bin I was intrigued by the awesome graphic design. The use of colour and space is amazing and more interesting than the so called insights in text. But because I love seeing series on my bookshelfs, I'll probably add other parts if I find them.

Review: The Three Incestuous Sisters - Audrey Niffenegger

beelikej — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:12:21 GMT

Title: The Three Incestuous Sisters
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: Visual Novel (art)
Publisher: Random House (2004)
Pages: Hardcover, 176
Language: English
Rating: 8/10
Summary: A novel in pictures about three sisters and their complicated relationship with each other and the man that shows up in their lives.

Review
Now Audrey Niffenegger is worldfamous for her novel The Time Traveler's Wife, but before she wrote that, she designed this huge artbook with a story, that she made and published with her friends. It's been rereleased after her breakthrough, but still hard to find. I'm glad I found it in a bookstore while I was in Iceland.
The illustrations cover the whole of the right page, while on the left are a few lines of text. The paintings have a primitive style and limited colours, which add to the gloom and doom of the story about the three sisters who fight to the death after a man comes into their lives.
I didn't catch the incestuous part of the title, but it is a rather messy story. All in all it fits with the Niffenegger books I already owned; stories about women who know what they want.
I like it.

Review: The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom

beelikej — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 12:59:59 GMT

Title: The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Author: Mitch Albom
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Sphere, 2003
Pages: Paperback, 208
Language: English
Rating: 8/10
Summary: Eighty-three year old Eddie dies and ends up in heaven, which is quite different from what he imagined.

Spoilerfree Review
In August I reviewed Mitch Albom's autobiographical debut Tuesdays with Morrie and you may remember that didn't really appeal to me. But at the end of that book there was a preview of the first chapter of his first novel and I was charmed by that, so I decided to give the author another chance.
The Five People You Meet In Heaven begins with the tragic death of Eddie, the mechanic of a small amusement park on a pier. He wakes up in heaven, where he -indeed- meets five people. Each one of them has an explanation for him how to move forward. I found this idea a beautiful concept and Albom's execution is even better than I had expected. Very touching.

Review: Mrs Dalloway - Virginia Woolf

beelikej — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 12:13:12 GMT

Title: Mrs Dalloway
Author: Virginia Woolf
Genre: Novel
Publisher: Wordsworth Classics 2003 (1925)
Pages: Paperback, 141
Language: English
Rating: 6/10
Summary: The 1920's: a day in the life of middle aged Clarrisa Dalloway, who's hosting a party tonight.

Spoilerfree Review
I noticed the lack of female authors on my readinglist and asked for recommendations online; more than one person mentioned Virginia Woolf and when I found a whole series of her books with delightful covers, I bought four of her classics. I decided to read them chronologically, so I started with Mrs Dalloway which was first published in 1925.

It's the story of the middle aged Clarissa Dalloway who is getting ready to host an informal party at her house. While she is fixing her dress and keeping an eye on the staff's preparations, she reminisces about her childhood and thinks about how she met her husband.
In the mean time we also meet and follow a couple of other people, who are in one way or another involved with Mrs Dalloway, either in the past or present.
Each new scene is from another person's perspective and written in 'monologue interieur' or interior perspective. With twenty people walking around in London, all of them with their own -confused- thoughts, it got rather crowded in my brain.
The book is very well written and quite obviously a classic, but I found it very exhausting to read. There is no exterior explanation or description of any of the people and it's sometimes hard to distinguish between their thoughts. I did love the dialogues and it's good to read people basically have the same struggles with life, but I was very tired when I finished it.

Review: The Greatest Show On Earth - Richard Dawkins

beelikej — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 11:52:15 GMT

Title: The Greatest Show On Earth
Author: Richard Dawkins
Genre: Religion, Science
Publisher: Black Swan 2010 (2009)
Pages: Paperback, 445
Language: English
Rating: 9/10
Summary: Richard Dawkins explains the evidence in favor of the Theory of Evolution

Review
After reading The Devil's Chaplain and especially The God Delusion I'm a fan of Richard Dawkins. His background in biology is impressive and it serves him well in his explanations about evolution, but I mostly love him for his fight against religion and its dubious consequences.

In The Greatest Show On Earth Dawkins offers a whole lot of evidence for the Theory of Evolution. He explains how available fossils prove beyond doubt how life evolved, but he also shows that even if we didn't have fossils, there is enough other scientific material to give us information about the development of life.
The missing link is not an argument against it, no matter how much creationists would like it to be.
A must read for everyone who wants to know more about life's history or those who love to get their points of view affirmed with a healthy dose of cynicism.