Just Ice, big po-leess-maan!

Or Justice, which the Goblins are referring to when they encounter the main character: Commander sir Samuel Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork city watch in the book Snuff written by Terry Pratchett.

Snuff is a Discworld novel. In my view the Discworld novels belong to the most relevant and humoristic fantasies of all time. Because Terry Pratchett makes editorial comments about social and political issues through a beautiful fantasy world. In Snuff the goblins, the outcasts, are in the spotlight. The book shows how a humans,trolls and dwarfs have prejudices about the goblins due to their weird habits and that they are feeling uncomfortable around them. But Vimes proves that although the goblins make shiny pots of snot and sometimes eat their new-born child’s, they aren’t less important than all the other races.

The book starts at Ankh-Morpork, a big city, Where Vimes is a copper. The city is full of crime and Vimes is making a living solving them. He is married to Lady Sybil, she’s of noble family. Vimes makes clear in the book that he doesn’t like people who think they stand above another. But marrying lady Sybil made him noble. Sometimes he has to meet other noble descendants. These meetings finish hilariously most of the time.

Vimes is going to their house in the countryside for a two-week holiday. It would be important for young Sam, his son, and arguing with his wife is pointless. Because, I quote:” even if you thought you’d won, it would turn out, by some magic unavailable to husbands, that you had, in fact, been totally misinformed”.

He is an urban cop in the middle of peasants who don’t care about all the other people in the world. During the holiday Vimes only has to open his closet to find his first corpse and you will be taken through a stunning journey about murder mystery and the liberation of slavery and trafficking of goblins. What I find interesting that even Vimes has prejudices about the goblins. But during the story when he meets a goblin girl harpist who can play beautiful and speak English he realizes that she and her music had crossed the cultural barrier.

Pratchett describes situations with a lot of simplicity and cynical humour. The only way for me to read the book is with a big smile on my face.

Terry Pratchett’s first Discworld novel, the colour of magic, was published in 1983. In December 2007 he announced that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, he even filmed his experiences with the disease for the BBC. In June 2011 he presented a BBC documentary entitled Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die, it’s about assisted death. But what really amazed me is that he wrote Snuff dictating it to Rob Wilkins,who wrote it down, while suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.I find that a great accomplishment.

I really enjoyed this book and I will absolutely read more Discworld novels in the future.

Just ice was done! reading this as a true fantasy fan.

“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart.”

At the end of World War II, a plane full of schoolboys crashes on a deserted island. They are all around the age of eight, Ralph and Jack being the eldest and a bunch of four year olds, the so-called ‘littluns’, being the youngest. Ralph is wisest of them all, and therefore taking charge of the rest. But Jack doesn’t agree. Ralph and his companions Piggy and Simon truly believe they will be rescued very soon, whereas Jack and his hunters have accepted the fact that they might be stuck on the island forever. As Jack’s tribe starts to kill wild animals more and more, the boys become some kind of savages apart from Ralph, Piggy, Simon and the twins Sam and Eric, or ‘Samneric’. When rumours about a dangerous beast on the island arise, things really start to get out of hand…

There is a reason the story takes place at the end of World War II. A lot of people – including the writer of this book, William Golding – believed that after World War I, there would be no more wars like this ever again. But World War II proved those people wrong. They became aware of the fact that humans all have some kind of savagery inside of them and under certain circumstances, their savagery can come out. This is exactly what happens in ‘Lord of the Flies’. The book was published in 1954, after the World Wars, and you can see those wars have changed William Goldings view of the world.

Considering the violent period in which this story takes place, I think you can call the adventure on the island some kind of World War III. Ralph stands for civilization and reasoning, he is the first leader of the group. He sets rules, like ‘you only have the right to speak if you are holding the conch’. In the beginning, it keeps everyone from panicking. And then there’s Jack, a typical antagonist. At first he cooperates with everything Ralph says, but as the story proceeds, he and a couple of his choir members revolt. So I believe Jack symbolizes the savagery that lives in every person. If you can’t cope with it, it comes out in a very wrong way. This is what happened to Jack. Also, peer pressure plays a major role in this book. The ‘littluns’ are for example very insecure and afraid, so they are very persuadable. At last there is Simon, a dreamy little boy, with whom it doesn’t end well. It shows that life is unfair: even though Simon hasn’t done anything wrong, he doesn’t make the end of the story. Which is a shame, I think.

I would recommend this book, but only to people that are good at English and have a large vocabulary. It’s readable, but I had to look up a word in the dictionary quite a few times. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you have to do it too many times it becomes annoying. The book has won the Nobel Prize for Literature and I think this is only fair. There has also been made a movie about this story, which came out in 1990.

The Jane Austen Book Club: A literal romantic comedy?

“Seldom, very does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken”
A line written by Jane Austen from the classic Emma, used by Karen Fowler as epigraph. It’s also the most important sentence of the whole book, because it describes the situation Jocelyn, the main character, is in.

Karen Fowler’s book is based on Jane Austen’s books. Jocelyn is the organizer of the book club. She has friends who have the same passion for Jane Austen as she. That’s why this book club would become a success. First she invites Sylvia. She is breaking up with her husband Daniel with whom she has lived for the last thirty years. That’s why Jocelyn invited Grigg. Jocelyn and the other book club members try to match Sylvia and Grigg. He is a handsome bachelor. Another member is Allegra, Sylvia’s daughter. She is an artist and likes scary things. There’s also Prudie, who is a French teacher at a high school. She’s an attractive, married woman and she begins to realize her attractiveness when one of the students starts flirting with her. At last there’s Bernadette who lives like a loose cannon and even tough she’s the eldest, she’s the most satisfied with herself. They’ve all chosen a book from Jane Austen to talk about. Every month they come together to discuss if the characters and the storylines have similarities in their lives. Jocelyn chose Emma in which Emma wants to match others, until she fell in love herself. Grigg chose Northanger Abbey in which he’s the attractive bachelor who seduces the women. You can guess what will happen.

From the above you can assume that it’s a predictable book, I can tell: it centainly is at some points. If you haven’t read a Jane Austen, it’s a difficult book to read. You wouldn’t make the connection between the characters Fowler describes and the characters of Austen’s books. I recommend to read at least two books written by Jane Austen, because it will not only be a lot more easy to understand the stories, but it will also be more fun to read. I’ve only read Pride and Prejudice  and the chapter about Pride and Prejudice and Bernadette was by far the nicest part to read. All the characters have such an extraordinary personality. It’s really special Fowler is capable of doing that, creating those characters. The characters have all similarities with the characters from Austen’s books. That made it hard to really get into the story. It’s a difficult book to read. Karen Fowler shows that Jane Austen isn’t only a model for her, but unaware for many more.

That’s why I share an opinion from a recensist from the guardian, John Mullan. He is not sure he cares to hear what Karen Fowler has to say about a great novelist. It is a romantic comedy about famous books in the english literature, but does that make the book a literal or is it indeed just Fowler’s opinion? I don’t know. The book may be a little soft, but it’s definately original. You should read the book yourself to judge. I liked reading it and maybe I will read it again if I’ve read another Jane Austen.

‘One flew over the cuckoo’s nest’ by Ken Kesey

McMurphy gets again in trouble with the law for the umpteenth time, he pretends that he is mentally ill and gets sent of to a metal hospital. But is wasn’t what he had expected. He hoped it would be better than prison and in the beginning he tries to get some off his ideas into the hospital, but he can’t rule the place. Through the book he starts to live a bit more according to the rules of the hospital.

The book is told by a Indian man  Chief Bromden who has made up that his is deaf . Nobody pays attention to him when they are talking. Because of this he hears more than the other patients. He observes a lot and in the book he describes everything with lots of details. It is not easy to understand with him telling the story. He has hallucinations and is paranoia. Sometimes you don’t know if it is the reality or his perspective. It gets sometimes misty in front of his eyes. He also sees sometimes fogs who aren’t there. I really like the way he tells the story because you see it  from the perspective of the patient who has metal problem and not form the main character who is a ‘normal’ man. If the story was told by a third person you wouldn’t see the hospital through the eyes of a patient.

In the book McMurphy gets an electric shock throw his head as a punishment. The hospital hopes that he will get quiet and stops making trouble. I found on the internet that this treatment does get used for real with mentally sick patient, The shock treatments helps  people with severe depression.

During the time Ken Kesey was working in a mental hospital he got the idea of writing the story. He not only spoke and witnessed the working of the hospital, but he also used psychoactive drugs as part of the Project MKUltra. After this he got sympathy for the patients. In the book you can read about the authorities used in the hospitals. 

Some people say  “One flew over the Cuchoo’s nest”  is one of the best books of al time. I think this book never gets out of date.

There is also a film made based on the story in 1975. Like the novel this film also was a very big hit. There are some difference between the novel and the film. The mean difference is that Chief Bromden tells the story in the book and in the film you see everything in the perspective of McMurphy. I prefer the end of the novel more then in the film. When i watched the movie i didn’t liked and understand the end of the film. Since reading the novel i understand it and really like it. In the novel Chief Bromden has a greater role in the novel then in the film. In the novel he also tells about his past and is more of a role then in the film.

‘Everything Is Illuminated’ by Jonathan Safran Foer

“All is for Sasha and Iggy, Jonathan. Do you understand? I would give everything for them to live without violence. Peace. That is all I would ever want for them. Not money and not even love. It is still possible.”

Jonathan Safran Foer‘s first novel, “Everything Is Illuminated“, tells the story of a young American writer named Jonathan who goes to Ukraine to look for the origins of his family. When all he has is a photograph of the woman he thinks saved his grandfather from the nazis, he drives all around the country to find her and her village. Together with his translator, Alex, and his grantfather he tries to unravel the mystery that revolves around this woman.

The book can ben divided into three parts. The first is the one where Alex tells about the search. He describes the journey in the best English he is able to do, but being Ukrainian it isn’t easy for him. At first this broken English might be annoying, but later on in the book it definetly adds something to the story. It creates  not just hillarious, but also extremely moving situations. In the second part Foer describes the tale of a little village called Trachimbrod. In the book this is the novel the American writer is making. He finds a way of creating an almost magical atmosphere around this little town and, at the same time, he teaches us all something about the history of the former Soviet Union. The third and last part consists of letters Alex writes to Jonathan. In these letters he gives his opinion on the novel and he says what he would like to see differently.

“I have given abnormally many thoughts to altering residences to America when I am more aged. They have many superior schools for accounting, I know.”

Even though the three different storylines  in one novel could be quite confusing from time to time, I was completely captured by this book.  The enchanting style of writing makes you want to read page after page, chapter after chapter. Looking at the cover which says: “Winner of Guardian first book award 2002” I thought I probably was not the only one who feels this way. And I am not. When it came out it got all the credit it, according to me, deserves.

“‘Everything Is Illuminated’ is endearing, accomplished — and (to quote Alex one last time) definitely premium.”

Jonathan Safran Foer

Lately the book has been criticized for not being veracious. Apparently the way Foer described the Holocaust in Trachimbrod did not resemble the way it happened in real life, but does this make the book less good? I don’t think so. For me this book was perfect.  Not only did it make me laugh out loud half of the time, I was also very affected by the story. It made me think about love and what I would and wouldn’t do for the people I care about the most. I think Jonathan Safran Foer is, despite his young age and lack of experience, an absolutely amazing writer. Not just this book, but also his second novel, “Extremely Loud an Incredibly Close“, left a very deep impression on me.

“Say it again.
I won’t leave you alone.
Say it again.
I won’t leave you alone.
Again.
I won’t.
Won’t what?
Leave you alone.”

I think this book is the perfect example of what a good novel is supposed to be like. It made me laugh, it made me cry and most of all, it made me think. Maybe not everything is based on reality, but I really don’t care. For me it was everything I expected and more.

Trailer of the movie “Everything is Illuminated” that came out in 2005 starring Elijah Wood and Eugene Hütz.

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

When we all go to sleep, we wake up the next day knowing what day it is, how old we are, where we are, and most important: who we are. But when Christine Lucas, the protagonist in the book, wakes up, she doesn’t know any of these things. A lot of things go through her mind: who is the man next to me, why am I wearing an engagement ring, and where am I?

‘I have no memory. According to Ben, and according to the doctor I met this afternoon, tonight, as I sleep, my mind will erase everything I know today.’

Christine has amnesia. The man next to whom she wakes up every morning, Ben, who claims that he’s her husband, tells her that she has been in a car accident twenty years ago, and that that’s the reason why she wakes up every morning, feeling like a 27 years old woman, while in fact, she’s 47 years old.
‘Chrissie’ is writing a journal, so that when she wakes up, she can read it and remember all the things that happened the days before. The more she writes in her journal, the more she remembers and the more she doubts. Can she trust Ben? What is he hiding for her?

‘Before I Go To Sleep’ is Steven ‘S.J.’ Watson his first book, after attending the first course Writing a Novel at the Faber Academy. The book has been published in more than 30 different countries around the world and it is also announced that the book would be adapted for the big screen, starring Nicole Kidman.
After reading the first chapter of the book, it reminded me of some movies, such as ‘Premonition’ and ‘The Vow’. ‘The Vow’ tells the story of Paige, who got in a car accident as well and wakes up from here coma with severe memory loss. She doesn’t remember her husband Leo, so he tries to win her heart again.
Ben is trying the same thing, such as telling Christine constantly that he’s given up a lot just to take care of her.

I don’t think that the movie will overdo the book, especially because Watson writes very detailed, so you know exactly what goes on in Christine’s mind.
Watson also writes in a way that makes you think of all the things that can happen later on in the book. Maybe it’s because of his writing style, or the story itself, but the book also leaves you with a lot of questions, such as ‘What would I do in this situation?’ and questions about the content: What if she made up all the things she wrote in her journal? That’s what makes the book different from all the others books, because it’s not only a good book to read, but also a book that leaves you think for hours.

There is no particular link between Steven’s study and the subject of the book, amnesia. On the contrary, he studied Physics at the University of Birmingham. I’m amazed that, even though he’s not an psychologist or  neurologist, he gives the impression that he is, since he put the whole story very well and expressed the protagonist’s feelings and thoughts so clear and credible.
Before I Go To Sleep is a timeless, original, shocking book, with an intense ending, and definitely one I will recommend not only to my parents, future (grand)children and uncles, but also to YOU.

Watson wants to hear his readers’ opinions, that’s why he mentioned the hashtag #B4IGTS in his credits, asking ‘us’ to join the discussion on Twitter.

Julide Boyraz

Review ‘A Gift of Magic’

 

‘A Gift of Magic’ was written by Lois Duncan, who also wrote a quite famous book, called ‘I know what you did last summer’. Even more famous is the horror movie by the same name  made after the novel.

The book is about a strange family. The mother, Elizabeth Garett, has just decided that she doesn’t want to follow her husband around the globe anymore (he’s a journalist) and settles down in her birthplace with her three children: Kirby, Nancy and Brendon. Each child has received a gift from their grandmother on mother’s side. Kirby the gift of dance, Brendon the gift of music, and the main character, Nancy, the gift of, of course, magic. Well, in my eyes not the kind of magic we’re used to, so to speak, but more the gift of mind reading. For the first time in their lives the three children go to a public school, after having been educated at home for years.
The local psychiatrist, mr. Duncan (and Elizabeth’s former boyfriend), comes to know of Nancy’s special gift and thinks she might have ESP. Later on in the book she begins to use her gift for some ‘life saving’ things, but also just for fun and to teach some people she doesn’t really like, a lesson. She obviously hates it that she can do things to people without physical contact.

‘A gift of magic’ was written in 1971, but you really don’t notice when you’re reading, the book is an easy read and you never think: ‘Wow, this is an old book’. because of this, this book will never become very unpopular, I think, you can read this in twenty years again and it still fits in the world where you’re living in. For me it’s not the best book to read, it’s just… to girly perhaps? It wasn’t terrible for me, but if you’re a boy, I would look for another novel. This book is just perfect for any girl between 14 and 16 years old.
When you have read the book you will notice it also tries to send a message: ‘with great power comes great responsibility’, I’d say. Nancy has a gift that can be used to influence other people’s behavior, she has to learn how to deal with it, and learn to control it.

The book is very easy to read, when you’re reading it (even when you’re a boy) you run quite fast through it. The book is very straight to the point, a lot of things happen in those 227 pages. There is very little whiny and sugary writing in the book. ‘A Gift of Magic’ is not childish at all! Maybe the subject could have been written for children, and the main characters are mainly children, but it’s written for ‘young adults’ and adults.

Overall, I could recommend you to read this book, if you’re not searching for a thick book to read. Especially when you’re a female ‘young adult’ I think this book is just right for you. This book reads fast, so you can finish it within three days with normal reading.

You can buy a hardcopy of ‘A gift of Magic’ here (new: $6.50). Or for the more modern people: here you can buy the e-Book version (for free!).

Written by: Arthur van Leeuwen

A Summer of Drowning by John Burnside

Imagine yourself walking through a mysterious, magical forest. While walking through it you know something is luring from the dark, waiting to strike, but you’re not really able to mind due to the calming effect of the enchanting world around you. This is the feeling you get while reading John Burnside’s ‘A Summer of Drowning’.

This book tells about the life of a girl named Liv, who lives with her mother on an island in the Arctic circle. Liv herself is the narrator of the story and she tells about the summer when she was eighteen years old. During this summer her quiet life is disturbed by some strange, and slightly frightening events, supposedly caused by the mysterious and dangerous creatures of the north..

Though this might sound very exciting, the amount of action in the book is actually rather small. It rather focusses on Liv’s thoughts and what she sees, than on the events happening around her. But still, the book can’t be called boring. For the detailed thoughts of the narrator and beautiful descriptions of the Norwegian landscapes make the book seem so real, even the tiniest event will make you shiver.

Apart from amazing descriptions, strange events and mysterious creatures, two other things that amazed me were the complicated relationships and the intriguing behavior of the main characters. For example Angelika, Liv’s mother,  won’t or can’t attach herself to other human beings, but she did knowingly keep her child and decided to raise it. And Liv, an eighteen year old girl that is almost as much of a recluse as her mother,  keeps spying on people but doesn’t intend to connect with them.

It’s hard to choose the best part of the book, the things that are written down or the way they are written down. Because the descriptive, almost hypnotic writing style was something that struck me. This unique writing style is probably caused by the fact that, originally John Burnside wasn’t a novelist but a poet.

Though he has won several prizes for both his poetry ad his novels, not everyone was that impressed by his previous novels.

‘Although it sounded interesting to me, I initially decided to skip it because the previous “Burnside novels” I’d read I was less than taken with.’

But after the appearance of ‘A Summer of Drowning’ the general opinion changed and it was decided that John Burnside wasn’t just a brilliant poet, but also a remarkable novelist.

Although I do agree on the fact that he is a very capable novelist, there’s something else I strongly disagree  with. And that is the opinion that ‘A Summer of drowning’ is ‘a disturbing and provocative book’ and it would contain ‘madness and myth-making collide’.

The book may be interesting enough, but it really isn’t the breathtaking, scary, fantasy thriller other people choose to call it. The atmosphere in the book is just too calm for it to be that.

Not that I mind that much, I really did enjoy reading the book and I would recommend it to anyone who can handle a little bit of tediousness and who appreciates this poetic writing style.

The Coldest Blood by Jim Kelly

The police thinks the deaths are just accidents, but journalist Philip Dryden has a different opinion…

Jim Kelly has written nine crime novels of which six cover a different story about the same main character, the local journalist who  goes by the name of Philip Dryden. The Coldest Blood is the fourth novel in this series. Kelly is, just like Dryden, a journalist who lives in the city of Ely. It could be that the character in his novels is based on himself, because of those similarities.

In England they’re expecting the coldest winter since 1947 and people are freezing to death in the cathedral city  of Ely (a cathedral city is a title which was given to cities in the United Kingdom in medieval times that had a specific type of cathedral). Philip Dryden is a journalist for the local newspaper. His wife has been in a coma for a long time after she had a car accident and now that she is slowly recovering she is depressed. One day Dryden runs into the death of two men. One found in his apartment in Ely and the other on his farmhouse. Both of the men froze to death and the police thinks they are just accidents. Dryden thinks otherwise and he starts to dig deeper into the mystery of the deaths and discovers a connection between him and the men from when they where kids.

Kelly really manages to make you feel like you’re in the story and to transfer the feelings of the main character, Dryden. This helped me to understand the story better and also made it more fun to read. Nevertheless a slight drawback I experienced was the fact the throughout he story there are extracts in which the story is not chronological. This made it quite confusing at times.

I was always interested in what was to come next, because Kelly slowly builds the story from the beginning to the plot  (which was, by the way, really thrilling).

I really liked Kelly’s way of writing. For example the way he displays the conversations between Philip Dryden and the taxi driver he has befriended, Humph. These conversations are always being held with few words, and they’re often quite funny to read.

Even though I mentioned earlier that I sometimes disliked the flashback Dryden has throughout the story, I really enjoyed the way it gave you a good view of the things Dryden experienced in his childhood.

A praise for Jim Kelly and The Coldest Blood from Punch: “A story that continuously quickens the pulse… makes every nerve tingle. The suspense here is tight and controlled and each character is made to count in a story that engulfs you while it unravels”.  This was not written by me, but I agree on every aspect. Overall I thought The Coldest Blood is a very well written novel, with an excellent storyline. The thrilling plot and the slowly building intro make this one of my favourite thrillers. I can gladly recommend this book to the people who love thrillers.

‘The Good Thief’ by Hannah Tinti

‘What is the thing you want most in the world?’ That is a central question in ‘The Good Thief’.  If there is someone who definitely knows what he desperately wants, then it’s certainly Ren, a family. Twelve-year-old Ren, abandoned as an infant at Saint Anthony’s orphanage, is missing his left hand. He doesn’t know why or how it happened, he only knows that no one will ever adopt him.  Ren can’t work that hard without a hand. While I was reading this book I got goose bumps, I wanted to sign the adoption papers . Hannah Tinti, co-founder and editor-in-chief of One Story magazine, can mysteriously ensure that you’ll hold on the story and will be binds to the characters. You’ll be gripped from beginning to end and not relieved …

This book is about a boy named Ren, who had no idea what happened in his past. That’s the reason why he is extremely curious. One day a man appears, Benjamin Nab, who pretends to be his older brother. It is Rens lucky day he is adopted, or not? After a few weeks he will find out that Benjamin is not an honest man. Benjamin earns his bread with various criminal activities and he uses Ren for it. You’ll guess it already, Ren goes along with this,  because he doesn’t know better. After a while he begins to hesitate about how Benjamin really is. Benjamin lies about everything, he’s actually a bastard. Later, Ren realizes that he is depended on Benjamin, because this is the man who has the answers to all his questions, about the future and the past.

Tinti, the writer of the best-seller ‘Animal Crackers’ , is the co-founder of the magazine One Story. She also received the  ‘2009 PEN/Nora Magid award’ for excellence in editing. She also joined the Public Radio program ‘Selected Shorts’. She writes very detailed and with passion, she describes certain situations in a special way. Her writing style is very exceptional. She describes complex situations but you can still easily get through it.

What you can clearly see in the book is that the author works towards the denouement, there are so many things happening with Ren while you’re reading it, but in the end there is only one discovery. Ren finds out the biggest secret in his life and that is what Hannah Tinti constantly wants to clarify. You’re every time amazed at what happens, and I think that’s a priceless gift.

‘You’re supposed to steal from other people,’ said Benjamin. ‘Not me.’ ‘ I wasn’t stealing.’ ‘What would you call it, then?’ Ren remembered what Benjamin had said on the road, after they’d stolen the farmer’s horse. ‘Borrowing, with good intent.’ Benjamin looked up and shook his head, as if he was having his own private conversation with the ceiling. ‘Look,’ he said. ‘You just can’t go around taking care of people. They’ll grow to depend on you, and then you won’t be able to leave them when you have to.’

The Good Thief, Hannah Tinti, part 2, page 212

So, I think you have to read this book. This book offers almost everything, it’s a chilling and unpredictable story, you’re every time astonished at what happens. It is also extremely well written, Hannah Tinti writes with passion and you can feel that as a reader. I understood what Ren was going through and I was also a little bit suspicious about Benjamin. The story keeps you stuck and will not let you go.

Do you love a book that gives you a bit challenging? Then read The Good Thief.