The Next Good Book
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I love a good read!  Sometimes I get so excited about a book that I just want to shout about it. Other times, I do not look up long enough to digest what I am reading at all.  This site will give me an incentive to think about what I am reading… and i am hopeful it will help you to find
THE NEXT GOOD BOOK.

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel

10/31/2014

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The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel
242 pages

What’s it about?
This is a collection of short stories.

What did it make me think about?
I was so intrigued with what Hilary Mantel would write for a short story after reading “Wolf Hall”.  "Wolf Hall" was anything but short.

Should I read it?
I enjoyed almost every story.  I especially found “The Heart Fails Without Warning” interesting.  Hilary Mantel writes in such a strong style that even though the subject matter was completely different than Tudor England, I could still recognize her writing.  If you like short stories you will enjoy this book.

Quote-
“Like last year’s school uniform, it was too big for her.   It didn’t matter, because the school  had made it clear they didn’t want to see her this term.  Not until she’s turned the corner, they said, on her way back to a normal weight.  Because the school has such a competitive ethos.  And it could lead to mass fatalities if the girls decided to compete with Morna.”

Question-
Which story resonated with you?

If you like this try-
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

8 stars

 
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The secret place by tana french

10/16/2014

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  The Secret Place by Tana French
452 pages

What’s it about?
This is one of a series of Irish mystery/crime novels written by Tana French.  "In the Woods" was the first novel I read by French, and I have enjoyed each subsequent book.  The Secret Place revolves around the murder of a young man and the involvement of a group of teenage girls from a nearby boarding school.

What did it make me think about?
This book made me think more about how women relate to each other; our friendships, our loyalties, even our lack of kindness towards each other at times.  The mystery was a backdrop for what Tana French had  to say about women, especially young women and friendships at this important time in their lives.

Should I read it?
In my humble opinion this book was 50 pages too long.  It was still an enjoyable book but some parts were painfully wordy. 

Quote-
"You forget what it's like.  You'd swear on your life you never will, but year by year it falls away.  How your temperature ran off the mercury, your heart galloped flat-out and never needed to rest, everything was pitched on the edge of shattering glass.  How wanting something was like dying of thirst.  How your skin was too fine to keep out any of the million things flooding by; every color boiled bright enough to scald you, any second of any day could send you soaring or rip you to bloody shreds."

Question-
Do you really think teenage girls are this competitive and mean to each other?

If you liked this try-
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

7 stars

 
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How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia by Moshin Hamid

10/8/2014

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How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia by Moshin Hamid
228 pages

What’s it about?
This book follows an impoverished young boy as he moves from the countryside to the city and becomes a corporate tycoon in "rising Asia".  Think you have read this before?  You are so wrong!  It is delivered in the guise of a self help book, but underneath it all it is a love story.  The structure of the book is off-putting at first, but over the course of the novel you begin to discover what a master Mr. Hamid is.  He manages to disarm your defenses with the self help aspect of the book.   You don't see the depth of what he is writing about.  Not until it is too late and you are deeply moved by his story.

What did it make me think about?
This novel made me think about how difficult life in Pakistan must be.  By the end of the book you are brought back to the understanding that we all share the same human emotions no matter what our circumstances.  Really incredible and inventive writing!

Should I read it?
 I really enjoyed "The Reluctant Fundamentalist", and so I was excited to read Mr. Hamid's latest book.  I liked this book even better than his previous book.  I highly recommend this novel.

Quote-
 "You feel a love you know you will never be able to adequately explain or express to him, a love that flows one way, down the generations, not in reverse, and is understood and reciprocated only when time has made of a younger generation an older one."

Question-
Did you like the format of this novel?

If you liked this try-
And the Mountains Echoed by Khalid Hosseini

9 1/2 stars
2 Comments

COLORLESS TSUKURU TAZAKI AND HIS YEARS OF PILGRIMAGEBy Haruki Murakami

10/5/2014

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COLORLESS TSUKURU TAZAKI AND HIS YEARS OF PILGRIMAGE
By Haruki Murakami
386 pages

What’s it about?
I have been wanting to read a novel by Haruki Murakami for a very long time.  This book is the latest in a long line of novels that are incredibly popular in Japan and also with literary critics.   The central character in this book,  Tsukuru Tazaki, is a young Japanese man who is struggling to make sense of his life.  His name "Tsukuru" means builder and he has always been fascinated with train stations.  He ultimately becomes an engineer specializing in the building and renovating of train stations. During his second year of college he is devastated when he is cut off by his group of high school friends.   The close group consists of four other students, two other boys and two girls.  He is the only student without a color in his surname, (blue, red, white, and black) thus the title of the book.    After this experience he feels colorless and unworthy and this impacts his relationships going forward.  He gets to a point in his life where he must examine the mystery of what happened in this friendship and then move forward.

What did it make me think about?
 This book seems like it has many layers.  I think if I read it over and over again I would garner more from it each time.  It certainly made me think about our self perceptions versus other peoples' perceptions of us.  How does the way we view ourselves color our path in life?

Should I read it?
 I really enjoyed this book.  At times it seemed uneven, but the prose is beautiful and the plot is just as good as the writing.  The mystery of why Tsukuru is ostracized keeps you wanting to turn the pages.   Murakami is a writer I will be exploring more in the future.  

Quote-
"As we go through life we gradually discover who we are, but the more we discover, the more we lose ourselves."

Question-
 What novel do you suggest I try next by Haruki Murakami?

If you liked this try-
A Gesture Life by Chang Rae-Lee

8 1/2 stars
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    “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
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     ratings

    1 to 2- I did not enjoy this book.
    3 to 4- I found some aspect of this book redeeming but would not recommend it.
    5 to 6- I really enjoyed something about this book (characters, plot, meaning etc.) but it was uneven. Some aspects were stronger than others.
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