As you know I'm in a local book club. Since I pretty much read YA/Paranormal/Sci Fi --you know the whole sha bang--I wanted to expand my book reading and the book club forces me to read books I would never look at. Sure some are hard to read and make my slow reading even slower--but the one I'm reading now has suprised me.
I did a review way back on my first book for the book club The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
The second book was Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Don't click to see what's inside --I'm borrowing the picture. Go to Amazon.com for that.
Here is the synopsis:
All children should believe they are special. But the students of Hailsham, an elite school in the English countryside, are so special that visitors shun them, and only by rumor and the occasional fleeting remark by a teacher do they discover their unconventional origins and strange destiny. Kazuo Ishiguro's sixth novel, Never Let Me Go, is a masterpiece of indirection. Like the students of Hailsham, readers are "told but not told" what is going on and should be allowed to discover the secrets of Hailsham and the truth about these children on their own.
Offsetting the bizarreness of these revelations is the placid, measured voice of the narrator, Kathy H., a 31-year-old Hailsham alumna who, at the close of the 1990s, is consciously ending one phase of her life and beginning another. She is in a reflective mood, and recounts not only her childhood memories, but her quest in adulthood to find out more about Hailsham and the idealistic women who ran it. Although often poignant, Kathy's matter-of-fact narration blunts the sharper emotional effects you might expect in a novel that deals with illness, self-sacrifice, and the severe restriction of personal freedoms. As in Ishiguro's best-known work, The Remains of the Day, only after closing the book do you absorb the magnitude of what his characters endure. --Regina Marler
My take:
This was slow in the beginning. It took me awhile to get into it and understand what the heck was going on. The middle picked it up through to the end. I think the way it is written is what was hard for me. Since I write in first person I tend to gravitate towards books that are written that way and if they are not the book tends to drag for me. The story idea is brilliant but the way its told is odd. I had a hard time figuring out the time period. I thought it took place in the 50s or 60s and the summary says the 90s. Everyone in the book club pretty much agreed on that confusion. I thought some characters traits were odd and in some parts I thought it needed more. In the end --I did like it. Just not raving about it.
This is the book that is surprising me. A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White is great. I really like this book and I'm not done. I will give a full review later. It's not written in first person but it seems to hold my attention and the pace flows quickly. So far, I definately would recommend this one. Check out my review on this next week.
***The books I'm reading that are not part of the book club (purely for my interest):
I just finished Eldala by Michelle Gregory and really liked it. You should check out her site.
Kieran's blood boils every time he hears about the abuse handed down by Teleria's nobility. But years of hiding in his father's smithy have taught him to avoid trouble. Content with being a blacksmith, the only disruptions in his well-ordered life are his disturbing dreams. It isn't until his twentieth birthday, when he receives a mysterious letter and sword from King Arathor - the man who claims to be his real father - that he wonders if his nightmares have become reality. If he believes Arathor, he will have a chance to end a twenty-year curse over Teleria, and free the people from King Rahnak's oppression. But it could also mean giving up his quest to find the mysterious woman with whom he shares an intimate heart connection.
My take:
I really liked this book. It was more up my alley. I am always in awe by authors who create worlds that are similar to ours but are different. This is like a medieval world with it's own language and cool magic. Kudos Michelle on making up a language. The names are great too. I've been having trouble in this area with my own WiP so I am inspired by this. It's a great love story and her descriptions are fantastic. The magical element added a nice touch. You know me love story, YA, and any sort of magical element--I get a mushy and smile. The pace is good and the writing fantastic. You should check this out.
Michelle is also hosting a blogfest on July 1st and will be giving away a prize during her blogfest. I will be interviewing Michelle and will post it the last week in June. So stay tuned.
So I'm trying to figure out what to read next. I said I would read Hunger Games but I may save that for later in the summer. I did take a peek at the first page and didn't want to put it down. We will see. I may read the novella by Stephanie Meyer. It's short and I could fly through it. Hopefully--remember slow reader here. I also have Candor by Pam Bachorz. I won this from the awesome Elana. I'll let you know. My list on Goodreads.com is getting longer and I'm trying to keep up the Shelfari site too. I think I have too many sites going on along with too many books to read.
Do you have any good books to share? (I know I asked this last week but you guys read faster than me.)
Any fellow blogger books you recommend?
***I will be hosting ***Writing the Next Line on Friday June 18th.**** So promote it and come back.
This is my 100th post how crazy is that. To my CPs --I'm off to critique.
Have a great day! Sorry for the long post.
