A Review: The Night Circus

I don't really know where to start with this review... I can't seem to find the right words to aptly describe my reading experience with the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Erin has an incredible grasp of the English language and her writing so clearly embodies quality writing; with a complex vocabulary that boasts words I thought were made up, yet she manages to keep me comprehending the story. If I were to describe this book in a single word, I would easily choose: phantasmagorical (yes, that's a real word). The imagery that she transforms into prose from her imagination is truly remarkable; the reader is transported to her fictional story places where you can practically smell the odors... feel the familiarity, comfort and atmosphere around you... and visualize the setting in great detail.

The book is composed of 5 parts, and each chapter is short enough that a commute to work (or home) is the perfect chance to read. Each chapter focuses around a specific storyline that, at the start of the book, seem like they couldn't be further apart, or are completely unrelated. But, as you progress through the book, you start to piece together these seemingly unrelated parts, into a single story that converges beautifully. I found that when I started reading, I had trouble keeping track of each storyline and characters I was reading or what date and year it was. It was as if each storyline was a distinct root of a tree and as the story progressed, you moved towards the trunk where the story comes together--piece by piece, branch by branch.

I have not had a quality read like this in many years. Most books are written simply (and that's not a bad thing) and quite to the point. Or, they're written in such a fashion that I can't seem to understand what is being said (now, this is often 'bad') or there is a suggestion context. The intricate story she creates in her mind and then weaves together through words is complex and solid. It takes immense skill to create these timelines and stories of characters and then entwine them together in a fashion that makes sense and enhances the reading experience. The book starts out slowly and you can tell because as you're starting, nothing really makes a lot of sense and you're given glimpses into where she'll take you. You're introduced to the main characters and fed some basic background about who they are and a little of the role they will play--you're given the premise on which the story will be built upon, but nothing more until it's appropriate.

In addition to her careful plotting of pieces together, she manages to create a shifting atmosphere and impression of what's happening, for the readers. I felt the beginning of the book to be far more dreamy, light and fluffy but as the book progresses, even these dreamy places felt heavy and darker... like something (someone?) was lurking in the shadows. And as you spiralled towards the climax of the plot, things come together hard and fast. The dream is turning into the reality and you have to start paying attention to what's happening or you'll be in big trouble because you won't be prepared!

The Night Circus is a fabulous read for anyone looking for something different to read or an escape from the ordinary. And don't be scared off by the girth of the book... you'll get through it much faster than you might think.

And before I forget...

A Review: The Cat Whisperer

We've been out of internet at home for almost a full week now. I spend all day at work in front of a computer and have full internet access for over 8 hours a day; which is what I suspect, explains why I'm not clawing at the walls yet. I spent the weekend finishing my unexpected read: The Cat Whisperer by Mieshelle Nagelschneider.

You may or may not remember that I have a new fur baby and I'm relearning how to effectively care for your cat. Some of this new found knowledge is attributed to the fact that I volunteer with The Annex Cat Rescue for the past 2 or 3 years. And, it's very true that you can take the wildcat out of the jungle but you can't take the jungle out of the domestic cat. Buckingham is a well-mannered gentlecat just like his tuxedo outfit would suggest. But, he's still got those feline urges that make him unruly and silly, every now and again. I've picked-up a lot of practical knowledge about cats, but have yet to master some of the finer nuances of feline behaviour.

If you have a cat (or want to get one) and are keen to better understand the way they think, and make your life a feline heaven, you'll want to pick up this book to read. I remember when I was that kid when I could do nothing more than beg ask for that family pet and Mieshelle recounts her own experiences with cats (and other animals) to help others who are having trouble in their feline paradise. Mieshelle is a thorough writer about her subject of expertise; she has a life-time of experiences with cats and the way they are and her knowledge is based on experience and intense observation. The thing that many city humans miss out on (and modern humans in general) is that we have lost touch with working with animals. I see dogs dragging their humans down the street choking on their collar or humans who inhumanely declaw their cats, thinking only about what suits them or people who think their meat didn't deserve to be treated well before ending up on their dinner tables. But all the while, these people think this is normal or that this is the way it should be. Like the horse that has helped humans build history, cats and dogs played a significiant role to getting us where we are. But now, we're generally so far removed from them that we've all but forgotten how to listen to them and read them and build a real relationship with them.

The book is broken into sections that a reader who is desperate for relief from their inappropriate urinating/defecating cat or the multicat household which has become a battle zone, can immediately zip directly to that section and read the subject in its entirety. She addresses common problems that cat owners have dealt with or are dealing with. And, if you decide to read the book from cover to cover, the flow in which she's laid out is logical and builds on the previous one and is appropriately chapter referenced where applicable. The writing style is casual and easy to follow. She uses plenty of examples yet inserts many detailed scenarios that might come to mind while the reader is reading. She also has plenty of papers and references footnoted throughout the book for those who wish to do further reading/research. Her primary objective is to help us humans better understand our feline friends and adjust the environment appropriately so that our cat can do what we want in a humane and practical manner without resorting to drugs. Many of the procedures are lengthy, repetitive and require a great deal of patience but that's exactly what modern humans are missing... real patience and let's face it: animals are great teachers for this.

But, there are few things that are perfect in this world and I found that as detailed as she often is, it felt like sometimes I was being told that I wasn't doing things the way they should be done. Things that in my personal practice, have not caused me any problems currently or in the past. I felt invisibly attacked--yes, a little sensitive on my part. She also had a lot of shameless self promotions peppered throughout the book about checking out her product page or her personal consultation page, to which I've just added to... hahaha. But, upon reviewing these sites, I think they are worth looking into because she has some very solid products which I'd seriously consider purchasing and her consultation practice is one which I'd also seriously consider if I was having unresolvable issues of my own. Most pet stores don't come close to providing any real substantial items like these and products are often cheaply made or poorly designed. Perhaps I'll do another review in the future when I purchase something (like that timed feeder!).

My opinion? The book is written simply and substantially complete with relevant content that the average cat owner could easily put into practice. Any new-to-cat-ownership humans should definitely pick it up for a read so that they can better understand their new feline friends. Simply put, get her book as a reference piece in your home if you have a cat because she's quite thorough and basic cat behaviour will probably not be changing significantly in this lifetime so unlikely any need for an updated edition. Otherwise, check it out at your local library and take it for a reading test-drive before you make a conclusive decision to purchase it.

Two Reviews: The Hunger Games

I'm so far down the rabbit hole on this one I'm not sure I can really get into anything else until I'm "allowed" to get into the second part of this trilogy. Going from deciding this is a lame story for kids, to thinking about the characters and their motives while I'm raking leaves... seriously. So far down. But, despite this, I'm moving right along this month. I picked up the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins more out of curiosity than anything else. It seems like a lot of what I've been reading lately has not been planned! But, that's part of the fun.

The Hunger Games was written several years back but has become a huge hit and was made into a movie. I probably don't need to hype it up much more than that since Jennifer Lawrence has become a household name. This series was written for youth, but, it's surprisingly gruesome and violent (granted, that's up to your imagination) and gained a wide following. I finished reading the book in a work week. As usual, this fictional story took time to pull me in; it didn't take long though. Collins uses a first person present perspective through the eyes of the book's protagonist, Katniss Everdeen. Because of this style, she writes simply and to the point; we are in the mind of Katniss experiencing each moment as she is. This is not a story telling but rather, a live account of a character's life. We're brought into the story through the eyes and thoughts of Katniss.

The story is set in a dystopian future where the people live in Panem--the remnants of North America. The rich and advanced live in the Capitol, enslaving the surrounding districts by exploiting them for specific purposes. This keeps each of the districts in some sort of oppressed state where they live to provide and work for the citizens of the Capitol. We are provided little background about what happened for the world to arrive at this state of opposing wealth and extreme poverty.

I'm not sure if Collins had the intention to talk about specific themes in the book but my take of the primary theme is that it's a satire of reality television. The games themselves are staged and controlled in a way which the gamemakers analyze and create situations to improve ratings in the Capitol. Though all the districts are required to watch, not for entertainment but because they are forced to, in part of the punishment of their Treaty of Treason, the people of the Capitol watch purely for entertainment. They have no connection to the tributes whereas those in the districts are hoping that their tribute won't die. It's a matter of survival for those of the district and for fun, in the Capitol. The lives of those in the districts is hard and real whereas those living in the Capitol are seemingly frivolous and fake. Even in one part of the book, Katniss reflects about the absurd values that those in the Capitol have about appearance.

I couldn't read the book and not watch the movie--especially since it was released on Netflix. The movie was pretty true to the story of the book but as expected, could not capture the first person present perspective and as someone who read the book before watching the movie (never ever read the book AFTER watching the movie!), I found it shallow and lacking depth of character. In addition to this, the camera angles and styles the director chose was making me sick! I suspect it was done to capture the first person perspective of the action but I was eating dinner watching it and had to sit further away during chase scenes so I could keep my meal down.

Nevertheless, I am excited about the second installment of the trilogy and am anticipating my literary palette cleanser before falling back down the rabbit hole ;)

A Review: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

This book was not originally on my list and I haven't heard of it either. It came as a recommendation from my former manager as she said it is "light hearded, whimsical and funny". The only other information available to me was the back cover of the book that read "A reluctant centenarian with a life much like Forrest Gump's (if Gump were an explosives expert with a fondness for vodka) decides it not too late to start over...".

The author Jonas Jonasson is a Swede with a twisted and creative sense of humour. The plot he doctors up is twisted and ridiculous all while inserting itself in actual world history very nicely. This isn't a novel that has an overarching theme throughout the book, imbedded in the characters and plot; it's simply a book that requires some knowledge of historical events, an imagination and a sense of humour. Our story is centered around the main character Allan Karlsson--a centenarian who's as alert as you or I but bored of his life in the old folk's home. So, he decides to leave. He doesn't have a plan or a specific desire to go anywhere. But, when in his life has he ever?

As the reader follows Allan's journey of a series of unfortunate events, for others; we are also taken back to the days when he dined with Mao and Truman. For someone who is well versed in basic modern world history, this is either a sheer delight with the unusual story that unfolds, or is a blasphemous piece of prose that doesn't take history seriously. I think it's fun to see how Jonasson takes some liberties with what might have actually transpired between these historical figures and Allan Karlsson while maintaining the actual historical outcome.

The story itself doesn't have any specific purpose other than to entertain. I'd say if you're looking for something of a light and fun read with no real objective or outcome, this is one of those books. It's amusing and will, at times, make you laugh out loud or stare in disbelief at the absurdity of the events unfolding before you.

A Review: Austenland

Let me start off by saying, wow. What a whirlwind read: I picked up Austenland because I have been avoiding Blindness for weeks; I started it and just couldn't get fixated enough to read it on my own. So, as Amb did too, I grabbed Austenland and away I went... 2 days ago. I finished reading this in 2 day, folks! I figured this would be one of those smutty "chick lit romances" that throws in this poor woe-is-me heroine who hasn't the foggiest idea of what to do with herself in terms of her love life and readers read as she awkwardly struggles to grow and mature as a character and then coincidentally finds love with a wonderful Darcy-esque man. *swoon*

I generally shun and abhor chick flicks/lit romances. Yuck. But, as Amb promised, I fell right into the rabbit hole on this one. I didn't have high hopes for the literary quality of the prose and I suppose that was the weakest point for me... the conversation style writing. It felt lazy and lacking a solid grasp of quality writing. However, I'm no writer and similar to my perspective on wine, if you like it, then that's good enough.

The story presents us our heroine, Jane Hayes. Similar to the target reader demographic, she is in her 30s and probably read Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and then was introduced to the impeccable BBC rendition of the same story, in 1995; and like many of Austen's modern female readers, fallen in love with Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy a la Mr. Colin Firth.

(Note: most of you male readers might be completely confused about who this "Mr. Darrrcyyy" is and why us females swoon so much over him. It's ok, you'll never get it; it's a girl thing. We're all in love with Mr. Darcy in some way.)

Oh don't look at me like that, Mr. Darcy!

Jane is down and out on her love life and through a surprise inheritance from a great aunt, finds herself gifted a trip to Pembrooke Park--a fantasy place where the Regency era comes to life and the patrons participate in a staged farce of Regency romance and a life of leisure. The reader follows Jane's story from starting as an awkward, damaged and unsure heroine. She becomes the heroine that we all want her to be: strong, confident and comfortable with who she is and what she wants.

The book makes a great premise for a chick flick movie, and that's exactly what happened--though I have yet to watch the movie that came out earlier this year--but lacks real "meat" as a literary gem and could easily be defined as being a quick and easy read that fits the purpose of being a literary palette cleanser; a break from something heavier. It was fun and thrilling for a P&P fan like myself but it certainly doesn't make you think or react viscerally like The World According to Garp.

If you're looking for a guilty pleasure rush of excitement, girly thrills and a Mr. Darcy fantasy, then this is the perfect read for such a purpose!

“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.” --Oscar Wilde

Our world is filled with all sorts of diverse subjects, themes and stories; there are so many that I want to immerse myself and just take it all in; I thirst for knowledge and new experiences. I'm sure you can tell through my blog posts, that I have a wide range of interests with a few key focuses that I could easily devote my entire life, if I was allowed to. The main one is certainly my equestrian activities but reading helps me get into the heads of other people to know what their lives are/were like.

My mom always said that the best thing to do for yourself is to read. When you read, you're taken on an adventure that is far away; be it a fictional or non-fictional read. I am inspired by Amb to read more and to allow others to have an idea of where I've gone, with my reading. In an effort to accomplish this, I am going to undertake a new project called the "Book Club 2013" and I'll be posting a list of books I will be reading and subsequently reviewing.

A new page has been created to keep track of this new project and I hope that you will join me in suggesting good books to read! :)

A Review: The World According to Garp

I'm not a heavy fiction reader. In fact, my requirements for a good fiction are generally high and typically, I bore quickly from a fictional read that doesn't catch my attention right away. This was my initial thought about The World According to Garp. I received the book (along with others) from ADW 5 years back when we first met. I suspect it was his way of trying to impress me with his bookworminess; frankly, he had a better chance of wooing me just by donning his glasses. The pile of books sat on my desk until I decided that I need to read more.

I didn't know what to expect from The World According to Garp; the cover gives nothing away and I've never heard of the author, John Irving. Wikipedia summarizes the major themes: death, gender roles, and sexuality. I was skeptical considering the dark subjects it focuses upon and wonder what Mr. Irving would do, to draw his reader in. The Wiki article goes on, to mention that this book is Mr. Irving's best selling title: I decided it was worthy of a chance.

Like much of our media now, there is a lot of sex in The World According to Garp; used as both a noun and a verb. The act of sex, getting it, wanting it, forcing it and the implications or expectations associated with being a specific sex. You could say that Irving sold the book like most marketers do now... with sex; a whole lot of it. But, he doesn't glamorize it like those CK billboards. He makes no attempts to hide anything about the "real deal". The implications of the act of sex as well as what it means to be associated with a specific sex. Irving really messes with the reader's socially conditioned version of sex as both a verb and noun. We're made to feel uncomfortable and out of our natural comfort zone of understanding and what's "normal".

Complimenting this theme of sex, he displays the dualities in virtually everything. Where there is life, there is a moment where death becomes the dominant leader. Or where there is bliss, there is great sorrow and sadness to contrast. The reader is never allowed the opportunity to just be happy for Garp and his family/friends. There is always momentary happiness which is usually followed by a great deal of sadness. But, isn't that the way life sort of is? I found the book's subjects to be very real. Surprisingly, several of the people in my life have read the book and have generally provided a somber or dire perspective on the plot. They have even gone as far as to tell me that the book is "heavy" and "they wouldn't read it again".

Although the story is thoroughly speckled with unusual (and uncomfortable) situations and characters that the average reader might consider to be too crude or even offensive, the reader is always reminded that the world isn't a pretty place and that the theme of sex seems to seep into everything somehow. I find myself not the least bit offended by Garp's actions as I keep a similar realistic (?) view on the world and its people. None of the bizarre cirucmstances seem too far fetched in my mind. So when I finished reading The World According to Garp, I was neither strongly opposed to the subjects he talks about or the characters Irving creates. I felt like Irving represented people with  experiences of disappointment, sadness, disappointment, anger/rage, jealousy, joy, desire, anxiety and happiness. I'd say he got well into the minds of people in general and just decided to make up an interesting story to "put it out there", if you will.

I know Irving has written some other books--not only this one has been adapted to the silver screen--and they all seem to address unconventional themes and issues; so certainly a "heavy read", but one that is real enough to keep us grounded in the reality of the world and its people.

A Review: The Big Short

I finally committed to picking-up a book I had started over a year ago... and actually finish reading it. And let me tell you, I was totally missing out by putting it off for so long! I'm going to follow Amber on her path with book reviews and put out my personal review of The Big Short, by Michael Lewis.

I had wanted to read The Big Short for several reasons. It is touted as being a relatively thorough look at the financial crisis that transpired in 2008 and I have a penchant for non-fiction social & cultural study genre books. It helps that I am within this large and complex realm of finance so none of it was too far a stretch of what I've experienced myself.

Lewis pieces together the story of the financial crash through the key characters who had a hand in creating the big opaque machine of credit default swaps (CDS) and collateralized debit obligations (CDO). He gets into the moving parts of the "machine" that created the sub-prime mortgage meltdown and writes about the major financial institutions that were involved and the actual people behind the creation and exploitation. He takes these bigger than life characters of this financial system and basically removes the often intimidating exterior of these people and makes them relatable and... human. The reader really gets into their heads through context to their (often) hilarious personalities and backgrounds, thereby getting a better picture of the reasons why they did what they did.

Lewis excels at humourously portraying not only incidents and characters but is able to look critically and plainly at a situation and stating it without pretension. And you'll know this is true when you find yourself chuckling in public at the paragraph you just read. You're drawn into the world while he does this and the read goes by quickly even if you don't understand every single word he's said. He formulates the book in a manner that is relatively easy for the average reader to follow; seeing as even the financial institutions and rating agencies (like Moody's), who should have known about what was going on, didn't. Lewis has quite the way of aptly describing the core of what the subprime mortgages are and the intricate system that was woven by those players.

He is able to keep the interest of a reader like myself through all the jargon, numbers and complexity by turning the real life men (and women) into caricatures--often emphasizing the quarks and nuances of these people and piecing together the various events which led to the collapse of the subprime mortgage-backed CDOs.

The Big Short isn't a story of good guys or bad guys but about the inherent greed and immorality that the financial system allowed and evolved into during the 1980s boom to bring about the situation that came to a cumulative peak in September 2008. It's essentially a story about people and the tragic consequences of their actions.

NOTE: highly recommend also reading Liar's Poker.