Without Blood by Alessandro Baricco

Alessandro Baricco is famous Italian writer and "Without Blood" (2002.) is one of his famous novels.

It`s short, but tells more than some three times longer novels. For me this novel was like a good and strong wine.

Baricco tells an almost real story (it could happen), divided in two parts separated by time. First part tells about little girl`s family murder at the end of war. In second part this girl Nina (already old woman then) meets with last surviving murderer Tito, who secretly spared her life. She had taken her time, prepared and fulfilled her revenge...almost... They sit down and share the memories. Tito thinks that Nina will kill him, but Nina isn`t so sure anymore... The war is over for them.

I liked Baricco`s writing style: clear and poetic, almost stingy in words, yet making each character psychologically deep. I could almost hear them speaking, so well written the dialogues are.

"Without Blood" is first novel I have read from A. Baricco and I`m impressed. Must search for his best known novel "Silk"...

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonneguth

I read my fourth TBR book in one evening at the beginning of May, but couldn`t push myself to write a post about it.

"Breakfast of Champions" is my first ever read book from Vonneguth`s writings. I wasn`t sure if I`ll like it, because I have heard that whether you love or hate Vonneguth, there is no middle way. I think I`ll be the one who love :)

I suppose anyone knows this book, so I won`t repeat the plot. I liked the way Vonneguth tells stories, also in some places I got little but unsatisfied by his sudden change of story - his is swiftly switching between different subjects. One thing I liked the most, is his laughing about things other people take seriously:

There were one quadrillion nations in the Universe, but the nation Dwayne Hoover and Kilgore Trout belonged to was the only one with a national anthem which was gibberish sprinkled with question marks.

Some Vonneguth audio books are waiting for me, so I`m going to dig deeper into Vonneguth world.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

The Art of War basically is old old book of Chinese advices how to fight, lead army and overcome enemy. I read two copies of it - one with only Sun Tzu`s thesis, second with other authors commentaries and explanations. Why I read it? Because I read one magazine article, where it was said, that Art of War was used by Cesar, Napoleon and others, as well as it is used in nowadays in USA army and some big companies trying to be the best in market.
Hmm, this book can really be used in company`s management, because some war strategies are quite similar to organization management. For example, need for clear and not doubtful commands, advice to put best soldiers (workers) on first line, importance of understanding ones own weaknesses and strengths etc.
Overall, it`s boring literature if one don`t think how to use those advices in life.

Free audio-books

Simply Audiobooks usually sells audio-books, but now they offer some books for free. I downloaded:

• The Stolen White Elephant by Mark Twain
• The Madonna of the Future by Henry James
• The Waste Land by T.S. Elliott
• Famous Missions of California by W.H. Hudson
• The Camel`s Back by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I don`t know anything about those books, but I hope I`ll like at least 2 of them. Lately I`ve been working on computer much and my eyes get tired soon so I`m not able to read much in the evenings, so the audio-books are great choice for me now.

All quiet on the Western Front by Erich M. Remarque

My fourth TBR Challenge book. I`m not sure why I choose it. Maybe because I have read some other books by Remarque and loved Black Obelisk. I have always loved Remarque`s humour and his ability to make reader laugh even in sad moments.

All quiet on the Western Front shows World War I through the eyes of young soldier Paul who dies almost at the end of war. It`s so realistic that it may even get you sick in some parts of novel and make you laugh at others. I have read some other war novels, but this is the most realistic one. It tells what really happens to men who becomes soldiers and what the life is for them.

It`s hard to tell more, You have to read yourself....

From Past to Future

Read: Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell
It`s said to be the best biography of Charlotte Bronte and her family written by her friend. Maybe it`s true, but it`s definitely not the best of biographies. Book seemed flat. I suppose its advantage is disadvantage at the same time. Elizabeth knew Charlotte and was able to get letters from other Charlotte`s friends and talk with people who had met her, but at the same time Elizabeth couldn`t or didn`t want to tell more things about Bronte family`s life `cause many people where still alive and couldn`t like what she could write.
You can get eBook from Gutenberg: Volume 1 and Volume 2

Start reading: The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman
It`s said to be very good non-fiction book.

Blogger`s list of 10 childhood books I can`t forget

Inspired by Stephanie`s "Blogger`s list of 10 books I can`t live without" I have created list of 10 of my favourite childhood books I can`t forget.

1. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne - simply love that little bear and his friends
2. Blue castle by L.M. Montgomery - taught me something about love...
3. The Count of Monte Cristo by A. Dumas - it is NOT a children`s book, I know, but I read first it at age 10 and fell in love with it
4. Anne of Green Gables (all books) by L.M. Montgomery - liked these books more than about other girls :)
5. The Wonderful adventures of Nils by S. Lagerlof - Swedish writer`s most popular children`s book, I liked its story.
6. The Mysterious Island by J. Verne - Oh, I was so excited about this book!
7. Captain Grant`s Children or In Search of the Castaways by J. Verne
8. Karlsson on the roof (and other books about this nasty guy) by A. Lindgren
9. Forest Newspaper by V.V. Bianki - great Russian children`s writer tells about life in forest, great source of information.
10. The Sherlock Holmes stories by A.K. Doyle - I started my journey into detectives with Holmes...

Of course, there are many more books, but these ones are best kept in my memory and I`m even willing to re-read them.

Third book finished!

I finished Peter the First by Aleksey Tolstoy. Review will follow soon. Great book, great man! I`m going to search for more books about Peter the First.

P.S. Picked up one additional book (unplaned): "The Life of Charlotte Bronte" by Elizabeth Gaskell. It`s said to be the best biography of this great writter and her family.

Investigation of old postcard

I found this lovely postcard while reading "Peter the First". It`s postcard for International Women`s Day from 1976. As I got the book in library`s give away book shelf, I have no idea about the people postcard was addressed to.

Sender is a man and receiver is two women. It means that those women were living together. Maybe mother and daughter, maybe two sisters? There isn`t an address in address field. Maybe postcard was put in an envelope?

I know that in those years it was common to give a postcard (or greeting card) with a present. So it could be possible that postcard was attached to "Peter the First" and this book was a present in International Women`s Day. Oh, people gave books as presents those days more often than now... But! Man and women weren`t living together, because sender has written: "I`m waiting for your letter". So my presumption is less possible, if only he sent a parcel.

What else is written on the postcard:

Z. and D.! Greetings in lady`s most splendid Day! Be always beautiful and joyful! A.L.

(Didn`t wrote the names, because it doesn`t matter.) Nice. He definitely kept warm feelings in his heart about them.

Such finding make me think about love and relationship and past as well.

How many of these books have You read?

100 books You should read goes around the blogosphere :) Apparently if you read this meme, you are automatically tagged! So, I guess that means if you are reading MY list, then you are tagged as well! (I was "tagged" by reading this over at Literary Cache blog who got it at Stephanie's Blog!)

Look at the list of books below: * Bold the ones you’ve read * Italicize the ones you want to read * Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in. If you are reading this (and haven't participated yet), tag, you’re it!

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) - TBR 2007
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel) - read half of it, didn`t like
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) - TBR 2007
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) - love it
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell) - TBR 2007
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible - have read Old Testament
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) - read some 5 or 6 times, love it
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

16 read till now.
Tell me if you suggest me reading a book from this list I haven`t Italicized (simply don`t know some of them).

Comfort of Strangers by Ian Mcewan

It`s Ian Mcewan`s second novel, written in 1981. Read this book in February as additional book to my TBR list. In one word - disgusting. It`s the first feeling after I closed this book. BUT! It doesn`t mean that I didn`t like Comfort of Strangers. There is something tempting in it. Maybe it`s slow and gentle atmosphere of Venice, maybe it`s that scary feeling (it`s too good to be true...) in the air almost till the end of the book, when Robert and his wife shows their real faces.

What I couldn`t understand in Mcewan`s novel, was those two families: two Americans, Colin and Mary, tired of themselves, searching for something and two Italians, Robert and Caroline, sadistic and sick persons. I coudn`t understand and still can`t, why Americans went to visit Robert and his wife for second time, if they knew, that there is something wrong with them. I woudn`t go. Robert and his wife I simply despise, but I can understand how they grew to become brutal, sadistic and masochistic.

Anyway, I told here only the surface of the novel. One needs to dig deeper to understand it clearly. For example, Colin and Mary are too close to each other as well as they become childish and it makes them more open to strangers who would interupt their intimacy, Colin is quite feminine and it makes him more suitable for a "victim" role.

5 points to Mcewan for showing dark side of normal everyday life. Not sure if I`ll read another novel of him. I`m afraid, I can imagine how his other novels end......

Quote of the Day

"Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?" /Henry Ward Beecher/

Fatu-Hiva: Back to Nature - Thor Heyerdahl

Finished reading my 2nd TBR book already last week and managed to read one additional book in the same evening "Comfort of Strangers" by Ian Mcewan, but about that in next post.

Fatu-Hiva: Back to Nature is great Norwegian traveler and scientist`s Thor Heyerdahl first book. After the wedding, he and his wife Liva travel to Fatu-Hiva, small island from Madagascara island group in Oceania. They hope to find the paradise here. Theoretically it`s possible: almost no civilization, only local indians, lots of fruits, fish and meat, warm climate. In reality paradise is spoiled by people themselves. Europeans have brought ilnesses and vision about consumption. Local people just want to exploit Thor and his wife in terms of money and presents.

From talks with other Europeans in Tahiti and life on Fatu-Hiva there is one conclusion - paradise is where you aren`t :).

Quite short, nice written novel, also not as professional as Ra and other books. Got the feelling like I was travelling with Thor and Liva.

Bookstore - paradise or hell?

I went into a bookstore yesterday in search for a present. I love and hate bookstores at the same time. Love because of books. Hate because there are so many new books I want to read, but I can`t afford to by them all... So - paradise or hell?

Into my 2nd TBR book

After some days off and some days reading magazines I have begun reading my 2nd TBR book - Fatu-Hiva: back to Nature. It is entertaining and educating book at the same time. I enjoy it very much, too bad that I don`t have much time in the evenings, so it goes only 20-30 pages per evening.

Das Glasperlenspiel - Hermann Hesse (Updated)

Just finished this book :) Review will follow tomorrow hopefully.

____________________________________________________________________

Ok, here comes my review.

I read this book for quite a long time and with pleasure, but still got a feeling of not understanding it completely. So I made a little research about the author and his novel The Glass Bead Game (Das Glasperlenspiel).

Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962) is German poet, writter and painter. He got Nobel prize in Literature in 1946. The Glass Bead Game is on of his most well known writtings. H. Hesse was interested in theological writtings, Greek mythology, got inspired by Shopenhauer and budhism. He was stronply against nazis and war.

He started The Glass Bead Game already in 1931, first published in 1943, Swiss. When nazis banned his writtings, this novel served as spiritual haven from political conflicts and war. It is his last novel as well.

The Glass Bead Game tells about intelectuals living in fictional province in 23rd Century called Castalia. Do mind, that novel isn`t science fiction! Intelectuals live in monastic order, mainly care only about different arts - music, philosophy, mathematics etc. Glass bead game - the greatest art of them all - is about connection different usually not connected disciplines in reality, for example music with arhitecture. The best of Game players becomes Magister Ludi. Main character Joseph Knecht is very talanted student and Castalia`s citizen. He becomes Magister Ludi and is brilliant at his work, but with time he understands, that he needs to do more, do something else to help the real world understand and love Castalia (if real world will lost it`s need in those spiritual workers, it wil be end of Castalia. So he resignes from his position and leaves Castalia to teach his friend Designori son. Tragedy lies in the obstacle that Castalia has made him unsuitable for his longed real life...

To what conclusion I came? The Game symbolize the ways how humans construct realities; to understand the reality one needs to understand many things, questings, sciences etc. and has to be able to connect cause with results. Besides, this book is much about following one`s destiny and fulfilling it.

As I said previously, this book is like real chokolate. To really get the taste, one needs to read slowly. H. Hesse uses long sentences, references to other musical works and writtings as well as rich language. I read this book in my native language (so I`m not able to write down some quotations, sorry for that) and I shall say that I didn`t know many words :D

Not everyone will like this book. Some will put it back in shelf not getting through first fifty pages about what is Castalia and glass bead game (these ones were boring for me....).

TBR Challenge

Joined this challenge a minute ago. Hope to stick to the reading list 2007 (on the left) and read one book per month. It would be great to read more, but I doubt it, `cause there`s only 24 hours per day :) I used to be real book worm once, but high school and job made their corrections....

Right now I`m approximately in the middle of "Das Glasperlenspiel". This book is like good music or chokolate cake - I can`t eat much of it in one time.