Books Recently Read
David Lodge – Home Truths (1999)
One can finish this novella in an uninterrupted sitting of 2 hours. Beautifully crafted and plotted, and so very different from the “bestsellers” one normally gets these days, I bought this book from Carrefour for RM9.95, less than one-third of its normal retail price, what a bargain!
Not to be missed also are his Changing Places (1975) and Small World (1984)
Dan Brown – Angels and Demons (2000)
I started this book about 5 months ago but never got round to finishing it till recently. I supposed after the sensational The Da Vinci Code, this novel, undeservingly overshadowed, didn’t seem all that exciting to me. But objectively speaking, it’s really a good novel to have for reading on those boring evenings despite the unconvincing twist toward the end.
Isabel Allende – Of Love and Shadows (1984)
Another book that was started months ago. No thanks to its uninteresting beginning, I stopped at page 13 and was uninspired to continue the book until recently when I ran out of reading materials at home. But once the momentum was kept going, I found it to be rather engaging. Isabel Allende is an expert in weaving very intricate plots around a host of interesting inter-connected characters. And like her other novels, her writings were sprinkled with touches of both realism and magic throughout. So, it’s a book worth mentioning afterall.
Her other novels include Eva Luna (collection of short stories), The House of the Spirits, Daughter of Fortune and Portrait in Sepia.
Anita Shreve – A Wedding in December (2005)
I was craving for some light reading and remembered Anita Shreve for her romanticism. One finds the ingredients normally used in “chick-lit” here. An enjoyable read nevertheless. And there’s no occasion to pause and ponder anywhere in the book. A perfect companion for those lazy afternoons when one doesn’t want to think at all.
Overall, nothing compared to her “The Last Time They Met”, Shreve’s most intriguing novel ever, in my opinion. I also like her “The Pilot’s Wife” albeit predictable and her “All He Ever Wanted”.
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette – Cheri and The Last of Cheri (1951?)
Not the kind of stuffs I’d normally read but for the fact that I found this book in “Pay Less Books” and paid RM3.00 for it. Turned out to be an absolute treasure. Colette was one of the most celebrated French writers of the 20th century and was acclaimed master of the delicate art of love. Her other finest works include Gigi and the Claudine novels.
I read in an article in the London Review of Books lately that Audrey Hepburn was discovered by Colette to star in “Gigi”.
One can finish this novella in an uninterrupted sitting of 2 hours. Beautifully crafted and plotted, and so very different from the “bestsellers” one normally gets these days, I bought this book from Carrefour for RM9.95, less than one-third of its normal retail price, what a bargain!
Not to be missed also are his Changing Places (1975) and Small World (1984)
Dan Brown – Angels and Demons (2000)
I started this book about 5 months ago but never got round to finishing it till recently. I supposed after the sensational The Da Vinci Code, this novel, undeservingly overshadowed, didn’t seem all that exciting to me. But objectively speaking, it’s really a good novel to have for reading on those boring evenings despite the unconvincing twist toward the end.
Isabel Allende – Of Love and Shadows (1984)
Another book that was started months ago. No thanks to its uninteresting beginning, I stopped at page 13 and was uninspired to continue the book until recently when I ran out of reading materials at home. But once the momentum was kept going, I found it to be rather engaging. Isabel Allende is an expert in weaving very intricate plots around a host of interesting inter-connected characters. And like her other novels, her writings were sprinkled with touches of both realism and magic throughout. So, it’s a book worth mentioning afterall.
Her other novels include Eva Luna (collection of short stories), The House of the Spirits, Daughter of Fortune and Portrait in Sepia.
Anita Shreve – A Wedding in December (2005)
I was craving for some light reading and remembered Anita Shreve for her romanticism. One finds the ingredients normally used in “chick-lit” here. An enjoyable read nevertheless. And there’s no occasion to pause and ponder anywhere in the book. A perfect companion for those lazy afternoons when one doesn’t want to think at all.
Overall, nothing compared to her “The Last Time They Met”, Shreve’s most intriguing novel ever, in my opinion. I also like her “The Pilot’s Wife” albeit predictable and her “All He Ever Wanted”.
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette – Cheri and The Last of Cheri (1951?)
Not the kind of stuffs I’d normally read but for the fact that I found this book in “Pay Less Books” and paid RM3.00 for it. Turned out to be an absolute treasure. Colette was one of the most celebrated French writers of the 20th century and was acclaimed master of the delicate art of love. Her other finest works include Gigi and the Claudine novels.
I read in an article in the London Review of Books lately that Audrey Hepburn was discovered by Colette to star in “Gigi”.
posted by Lin at 9:26 PM
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