bookers' hookers

Rings of Saturn

2009-07-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

W.G. Sebald

Politics, Society and the Media

2009-04-19T10:02:00.001-07:00

Paul Nesbitt-Larking

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

2009-04-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

The Emigrants

2008-10-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

The Emigrants / W.G. Sebald / A New Directions Paperbook
Translated by Michael Hulse

The Other Boleyn Girl

2007-11-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

The Other Boleyn Girl / Philippa Gregory / Penguin Books

Again with the gem I was first attracted to the celebrity-garnished cover and the words 'now a major motion picture'. But as I took the first tentative steps into King Henry VIII's reign, I discovered that my theory still holds - novels turned into movies starring top Hollywood stars are guaranteed winners. The language is kept simple and Gregory did away with keeping the plot shrouded in mystery and suspense. There is no sense in deploying that method of drawing readers since it is set against the backdrop of history. The niche of this novel however, is the way Mary's life was rolled out before the reader like a roll of carpet slowly unraveling it's motif. The enervating and cavalier life at court is beautifully and poetically depicted. The helplessness of a woman as a trading currency for influence and power is astutely felt through the pages. Between the covers of this must - read lies the life of a helpless girl amidst the advent of history and all it's fortuity. One can't claim to know Henry's Anne Boleyn without first knowing Gregory's Mary Boleyn.

The Beach

2007-08-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

The Beach / Alex Garland / Penguin Books USA

50 Facts That Should Change The World

2007-07-23T01:54:00.007-07:00

50 Facts That Should Change The World / Jessica Williams / Consortium Books & Dist.

We Are All The Same

2007-07-23T01:54:00.006-07:00

We Are All The Same / Jim Wooten / Tantor Media Inc.

Be Cool

2007-07-23T01:54:00.004-07:00

Be Cool / Elmore Leonard / Harper Torch

White Oleander

2007-07-23T01:54:00.003-07:00

White Oleander / Janet Fitch / Recorded Books

The Bluest Eyes

2007-07-23T01:54:00.001-07:00

The Bluest Eyes / Toni Morrison/ Penguin USA

Beloved

2007-07-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

Beloved / Toni Morrison / Random House Inc.

As Seen on TV

2007-06-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

As Seen on TV / Chris Kerr / Pheonix

The Voices

2005-08-13T19:03:00.001-07:00

The Voices / Susan Elderkin / HarperParennial

Pol Pot - History of a Nightmare

2005-07-23T01:54:00.001-07:00

Pol Pot - History of a Nightmare / Philip Short / Paperback

The Color Purple

2005-07-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

The Color Purple / Alice Walker / Harcourt

Tresspassing

2005-07-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

Tresspassing/Uzma Aslam Khan/Flamingo Books

Interpreter of Maladies

2005-03-24T21:54:00.000-08:00

Interpreter of Maladies / Jhumpa Lahiri / Flamingo

Despite raving reviews and the 2000 Pulitzer Prize, this one rates average on my list. I picked it up because I've developed a taste for Asian authors, particularly Indian writers. The stories' backdrop are colourful enough, with the masala of food, colourful saris and the different layers of the Indian society. However the stories end too abruptly for my liking. Like the story of Mrs. Sen, where a middle-aged lady develops an unlikely bond with the boy she was baby-sitting. One day she gets involved in a minor accident and that was the end of her baby-sitting days. No explanations as to why and how the accident affected her and the side-line bussines of her baby-sitting. Most of the stories similarly climb to a climax an unrelentingly jumps off the cliff. Save for one story that actually ended with an ending. It wasn't a happy one, but it brought the short tale to a closing. Her style of writing gave the impression that Lahiri got caught up in building the stories and suddenly got too tired to bring them to a proper end. The nine short stories left me with the recurring "So, what was the point of that story?".

Angela's Ashes

2005-03-22T18:38:00.000-08:00

Angela's Ashes / Frank McCourt / HarperCollins Publishers

Despite all the hardship depicted so vividly, this book kept me glued from cover to cover. It is hard to imagine how Frank McCourt actually made it past adolescence with the constant lack of food and nourishment. The babies were brought up on sugar water instead of milk, there is usually no heat in the house and rags are used in place of diapers. Above all that, there is Frank's undivided loyalty to has Dad, Mam and his little brothers. The language is simple, the picture is clear and the poverty is saddening. Frank McCourt recalls his childhood with unbiased detail and unrivaled storytelling finesse. At the end of the story, I find myself sincerely wishing him a better life in America, the land of opportunity. 'Tis a moving story and an amazing book, it is.

Tuesdays with Morrie

2005-02-07T06:12:00.000-08:00

Tuesdays with Morrie/Mitch Albom/Time Warner

A gem. This one is a gem. For anyone looking to better themselves, this is ultimate guidebook. I have never read a true story that is more profoundly moving than this. It chronicles a student's final meetings with his mentor, a person so full of wisdom and love, larger than life itself. It is a wonder how a person can see through all the materials of this world and find peace and harmony inspite of it all. Morrie describes himself as a person changing more and more into something better as he nears his death. In truth, in my opinion, he was an awe-inspiring individual to begin with. That's what enabled him to approach death in such a different perspective. As Albom and Schwartz covered the different aspects of What Matters In Life, I saw the right way of giving love and forgiveness, taking the best that life has to offer, and discarding material values set by the media. It tells me how to become a better person. Albom describes this book as a final thesis with his mentor, Morrie Schwartz. I give it a verdict of an A+.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2005-01-24T08:29:00.000-08:00

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory / Roald Dahl / Puffin Books

As with Anne, I was off to a tough start with Charlie. But as I progressed, I found myself captured by the simple story line flawlessly created by Dahl. I opened the book thinking I'm too old for Wonka's antiques. Before I knew it, I was flying down the corridors of the factory, sampling his myterious array of chocolate creation. Somehow, what seems rediculous in real life seemed completely natural with Wonka. Now I'm anxiously awaiting the movie premier!

Out of Africa

2004-11-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

Out of Africa/Karen Blixen/Penguin Books

This book is ultimately, doubtlessly, my all time favourite and will remain so for a good many years. The way Karen Blixen takes you across the fields of African safaris and her own coffee plantation is jst purely magical. I can simply close my eyes and picture each blade of grass, each swaying tree. What amazes me is her innitial impression of the country when she first arrived in Africa. Her words brought about the beauty of the landscape out of the pages and into the readers mind. This book truly speaks of her love for the African country and all there is in it.

Eucalyptus

2004-11-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

Eucalyptus/Murray Bail/Harcourt

I can almost smell the scent of the eucalyptus leaves each time I turn the pages. I simply love the way the author brings me along the topography as flawlessly as if we were walking hand in hand over Holland's property. Also, I found myself being transported from one scene to another as if in a dream. It's only flaw, to me, is the way the stranger's stories are always ending abruptly, without a conclusion. Of course, the ending to his stories aren't the point of each chapter. To me, each story seems a progression of Ellen's and the stranger's relationship during their wanderings. Besides the page-turning storyline, the way each chapter relates to a speceis of eucalypt is also my favourite aspect of this book. All in all an interesting read.

The Catcher in the Rye

2004-11-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

The Catcher in the Rye / J.D. Salinger / Little, Brown and Co.

This is probably the most pointless book I've ever read. Although, I can't quite bring myself to call it a waste of time. Many times it really tested my patience. The story is a monologue by this way-ward sixteen year old, Holden Caulfield, who has a seriously impulsive behaviour. All through the book, he impulsively wonders from one topic to another, without exactly making the point that he set out to when he first ventured into a given subject. He generally has a personal dislike or problem with everything everybody does, from his roomie's shaving habits, to his date's pleasant chatter to a friend. Nothing makes him happy, except for his siblings, whom he adores with all his heart, strangely. It's also full of slangs that are understandable but are irritating as hell. Altogether, not a book I would pick up a second time.

The English Patient

2004-10-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

The English Patient / Michael Ondaatje / Vintage Books

This has got to be the most beautiful book I have ever read. The author is practically reading it to me himself. I was captivated from the first page to the last. The language - simply poetic. The setting of the story - simply maginificent. The characters - a work of art. I didn't catch the movie during it's hayday, and I bought the book only years after the movie was produced. As a result, my opinion of it is purely based on the author's voice. I can't imagine anything stronger than Almasy's love for Katherine. Ondaatje flawlessly transported me from the burning deserts of the Sahara, to the war-ravaged Italian countryside. Each character speaks of it's own place in the book, as well as their true calling in the war's aftermath. Be it the bomb expert Kip, or the passionate nurse Hanna who has lost everything, or the thief who calls himself Caravaggio, and even the barely living English patient himself. Each time I close this book, it is like waking from a beautiful yet illusive dream. This is definitely worth a read.

Anne of Avonlea

2004-09-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Anne of Avonlea/L.M. Montgomery / Dover Publications

And so I turned to the final page of Anne of Avonlea with a deep sigh,as if saying farewell to a beloved chum. Having finished reading this book leaves me with a bitter-sweet ache. Another chapter of Anne's life is past. It is sweetly innocent, full of signs of a maturing mind and is hard to let go of. But like all happy things, it must come to an end. As sad as it is to say goodbye to sixteen-year-old-Anne, one must, in order to make way for next phase of her life.
I picked up this second installation of the Anne siries in full faith of it's predecessor. Green Gables was perfect poetry in prose, and in Avonlea, Montgomery did not fail to deliver once more. I will forever be intregued as to how L.M. Montgomery comes up with the most conradicitng of characters - from stoic, disciplined Marilla to chatterbox, nosey Mrs. Lynnde, from starry-eyed, ever-day-dreaming Anne to practical Diana Barry, the list goes on.

A Crime in the Neighbourhood

2004-08-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

A Crime in the Neighbourhood \ Suzanne Berne \ Penguin Fiction

What a breath of fresh air! I picked up this book because I wanted something similar to Sydney Sheldon and Mario Puzo, but with less blood and gore. The cover was intriguing enough, and the title beckons me into what I thought would be a journey to uncover the crime and the criminal.
I was dead wrong.
The crime that occured in this particular, picture-perfect,1970's town is merely a backdrop to the story of a girl dealing with the realities of life. The fact that her parents' split up happened around the same time as the murder convinced her that everything happening in this universe are intricately tied in with each other. Everything is worth noticing, worth noting down in her little spiral notebook. She became obsessed with jotting down every little detail of every occurance and keeping documentary evidence of each one. Years later, as an adult, she reflected on this as a desperate move to feel protected, her father having left the family for no better reason than to be with another woman.

LA Confidential

2004-07-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

LA Confidential/James Ellroy/Arrow Books

I have to admit, I thought I'd made a mistake buying this one. The first few pages were completely incomprehensible to me, thanks to Ellroy's writing in the lingo of the 50's cops and robbers. But after I got a hang of the slangs, I was caught up in the book. Ellroy spins a tale of fast-paced police drama and politics, dealing out one criminal after another with stunning twists and in cold-hearted detail. The story spans over a decade, but somehow Ellroy got me glued from cover to cover. For heart-stomping crime lovers, this is a treasure trove. No bulls, no flurry, just damn good writing.

Waiting

2004-02-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

Waiting/Ha Jin/Vintage International

My sister found this one dull because it has no climax. I agree. And yet it carried me through cover to cover. I was looking for an oriental writer for a change and I landed on a gold mine. The story's backdrop is set in China's late communism era, where Chairman Mao's doctrine rules the day while the threat of Western influences plants it's early seeds, and tradition still holds a strong grip on the rural community. The storyline itself has neither dramatic rises no falls. What kept me reading was his narration of the various sects in Communist China - the strict administrators, the submissive yet cunning underclass and the ignorant but hopeful rural villagers. Here communist China comes off as drab and dreary, but at the same time it's colourful tapestry of food, culture, literature and local traditions still shows itself. This book, to me, brought out China, besides it's story.>

My Soul To Keep

2000-08-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

My Soul To Keep / Judith Hawkes / Dutton

The Other Side of Midnight

1999-08-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

The Other Side of Midnight / Sydney Sheldon / Grand Central Publishing

A Painted House

1999-07-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

A Painted House / John Grisham / Bantam Books

Windmills of the Gods

1997-08-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Windmills of the Gods / Sydney Sheldon / Grand Central Publishing

Fatherhood

1997-07-23T01:54:00.001-07:00

Fatherhood / Bill Cosby / Berkley Pub Group

Arranged Marriages

1997-07-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

Arranged Marriages / Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni / Random House Inc.

Little House on the Prairie

1996-08-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Little House on the Prairie / Laura Ingalls Wilder / Harper Collins

Papillon

1995-07-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

Papillon / Henri Charriere / Harpercollins

Anne of Green Gables

1994-09-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Anne of Green Gables / Lucy Maud Montgomery

From the moment I turned the first pages of Anne, I knew it would be one of my all-time favorites for the rest of my life. I'm not quite certain as to which one caught my attention first, the movie or the book, although I'm strongly inclined to think it was tho book that came to me first. Anywho, the on-going word after word monologue that went two to three pages long at a time of the complete and unabridged version didn't deter me from reading and rereading it whenever the craving for Anne-foolishness crept into me every now and then. All in all, I think I've read the book a minimum of five times. The only thing stopping me from doing so, again, is because the book has gone missing.

I love the story of Anne's life so much because it is the childhood I never had. She grew up in what is depicted as the most beautiful countryside village on Prince Edward's Island, called Avonlea. The name of the Cuthbert's place itself presents the floral paradise at which I wouldn't mind spending all my time.

The other aspect of Anne that amazes me is her eternal optimism. She is constantly looking to better herself and no task is too daunting as long as you the companion of a bossom friend or a wild imagination. She does have her faults, but they all seem to compose her in to a more colourful and somehow refined being.

I know this sounds cliched, but I beleive it to be true among all avid readers. I use to let myself float away with my imagination and walk along the roads of Avonlea with Anne as she traverses the canvas of the little village, looking for something pleasant to record in her book of memories, something askew to set astraight, and always finding something beautiful in every morsel of life that she encounters along the way.

Anne, at Green Gables, will always be my favourite escape.

Roots

1994-07-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

Roots / Alex Haley / Dell Book