Fantasy reading...continued...

Continuing my fantasy reading… some stray thoughts , as usual ….

Writing a good fantasy must be more difficult than writing a literary fiction. In addition to having a good story and characters, you have to invent a whole new world ,  strange magical rules that govern the world and even stranger names for the characters. They also introduce the world and characters in such way that it seems totally natural and flows into the story seamlessly.

The name of the wind is doing that perfectly. I haven’t understood all the rules till now , but I still think I have. At least enough to say I am enjoying reading…

But it is intense and tiring as well , Kvothe gets into so many troubles , you feel the world is not fair or kind. Still, can't complain, especially when he or his listeners are not complaining .

This book is 50% done now and I think I will take another 2-3 days to finish it. I will probably need a lighter , happy book to help me through this book.

A unique thing about magic in this world is you are not born with any special abilities to learn it. Anybody who gets opportunity and is willing to pay and work hard can become a magician (arcanist as called in this book.)

I love the theme of music running through this book, it is as if I can hear it. It calls to me at an unexpected level. I wish Kvothe would become a musician rather than an arcanist.

A little hard to believe fact is Kvothe’s 'master of all' personality. No one could be that gifted in my opinion. A first person narrator of any book starts looking like a braggart soon and Kvothe is no exception. I think I like third person narratives better , but then it is obviously not my choice to make…

As a break, have started on Ruth Hogan’s ‘The keeper of lost things’. This is advertised as the feel good book of 2017. Hope it makes me feel good too….

2017: Books

The year 2017 was very good in terms of reading and books for me. I have read at least half of the books that I have bought this year which is good but I have not been able to curb the impulse to buy more and more books. In short, I read more but I bought much more !

I acquired a kindle this year and since then I have been buying e books . Only physical books that I bought were second hand ones. I also bought several books by weight, Rs.100 per kg last month.

My reading preferences have changed suddenly and drastically this year. From a non fiction and mystery reader, I have become a fantasy and literary fiction person. I generally do not prefer to but this year I have reread a few books.

Last few months , from September onwards, I have been reading around 10-12 books per month.I have been writing about all the books that I read in my diary since last couple of months. But  I may not have mentioned about some books anywhere , so the actual number may be more.In total , I have read around 80 -85 books this year.

A few books that I loved and I would like to recommend

Lincoln in the bardo by George Sanders - the winner of the man booker prize this year. Abe Lincoln’s youngest son dies.This story is about the president coming to terms with this . More than that, it is the story of the son understanding that he has died. I loved the writing style and the concept.

Trouble with sheep and goats by Joanna Cannon - One day, Mrs.Margaret Creasy simply disappears. Two 10 year old girls who start looking for her and then for God in all the houses of their lane . They believe that He can protect all the persons in their world. The novel is alternately written in voices of the girls and in third person.

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman - An utterly delightful and well written novel about a girl who wants to be very ordinary and almost invisible.

We were liars by E.Lockhart - A YA novel, I normally do not read YA novels but this was recommended on booktube. A very well written novel about a group of teenagers whose life changes one summer.

Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb - I finished last book of this trilogy yesterday. These are fantasy books and very very chunky. The last book is 850+ pages. They are part of a huge series consisting of 16 books in total. It is a story of FitzChivalry, a bastard son of Prince Chivalry. The story starts when he is 6 year old. His upbringing, his special powers, his profession (of an assassin),his training, the political intrigue, his quests are narrated in a very interesting manner. I like this book for another reason too - this gave me the confidence that I can read really chunky books too.

The end of your life book club - Will Schwalbe . Author’s mother was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. While waiting for the chemo sessions at the hospital , she and Will started discussing the books they have read and this book club was started.

The girl with a dragon tattoo -Stieg Larsson. I watched a marathi play based on this novel . I had read the book many years back but watching the play made me want to read it again. I found it as well written and horrifying as I had thought before.

Universe vs Alex Woods -Gavin Extence . I Loved the character of Alex who is a smart 17 year old , a science nerd and a reader . His great friend is Mr.Peterson who is old, somewhat cranky and grows marijuana. I loved Alex’s voice :smart,funny and stating some profound truths in a simple way.

Uprooted -Naomi Novik. While this may not be the greatest book ever, it is special to me because it got me into the fantasy genre. This is a story of a magical, evil forest and is fast paced and well written.

To the bright edge of the world - Eoin Ivey . This book tells the story of an expedition that Captain Forrester took to the Wolverine river in Alaska. It is also the story of his wife Sophie who had to stay behind.

Lillian Boxfish takes a walk -Kathleen Rooney . Mrs.Boxfish,who is almost 80, takes walk, in New York city, on a new year’s eve, thinking about her life till now. This is a story of struggle of a working woman in 20s.

The uncommon reader-Alan Bennett. The Queen is the uncommon reader who takes up reading at a late age and due to this she finds all her other duties boring. This is a  small ,well written and entertaining book with some great quotes about books and reading.

My aim for next year is to read lesser number of  books but of different varieties including nonfiction , to buy less books and finish the books that I have and to write more .

Her fearful symmetry- Audrey Niffenegger

Her fearful symmetry- Audrey Niffenegger

Reading fiction after many days… the last novel I got from the library was dry , boring ….or was it just my frame of mind ?

But I like this book ...it is alive,colourful,vibrant….I started reading it in the rickshaw that I took to work …. The attraction ?…. a ghost ...well , three ghosts to be exact…

(There is small unrelated ghost story in the book...I mention it because I loved the idea…. ghost of a tree...which doesn’t do anything...just exists ,probably because it longs to….)

This book is a story of two pairs of twins. The story of twins has lots of possibilities...especially when identical...if one believes Indian astrology,then these should have similar ,almost parallel life journeys…( I know a pair of non identical twins ,who have such  parallel life stories…) but then what would the writer’s imagination do ? Write same story twice ? ...boring….well...our twins do not have parallel or similar life stories...but they look remarkably alike….

An interesting factor...this story happens in the vicinity of Highgate cemetery in London...cemeteries are probably atmospheric….there was one next to my ancestral house in Goa...I remember its spooky presence ,though there were no scary stories associated with it …. I could never calmly on the road on which it was situated ….I ran as fast as I could…

Coming back to this book which happens in and around the cemetery ( symmetry and cemetery ...homophones ?) ….

Another interesting snippet ….all characters of this novel have uncommon professions...except may be RJ , but the RJ is an old lady...there is a crossword maker who suffers from OCD , an eternal student doing a doctorate since many years , friends of Highgate cemetery conducting  guided tours and a pair of twins having no interest in education or jobs….(but all I can think is how do they manage their finances…)

I think there is a little of everybody in me...there is Marijke(the RJ) who walks away to a new life , Martin(the crossword setter) who retreats in a shell , Robert who has loved and lost ,a pair of anxious parents Jack and Edie whose twin daughters are ready to move out of the house and of course the twins who don't want to do anything particularly….

Halfway through the book I realise that I have read this before ...but  I remember only a few snatches here and there...like the ghost who loves the cosy comfort of a small drawer and a kitten who unknowingly puts terrible ideas in the heads of both people and ghosts…

I will call this book good ,entertaining but not great. There were many unanswered whys, why did Edie and Elspeth ( the elder pair of twins , Edie being the mother of younger pair of Julia and Valentina) do what they did ? And it defies logic that they did not get caught...why did Elspeth become a ghost ? And why was she confined to that flat ?...

Well...the author did not get any solutions for these , so she has taken the next best alternative….she has made her ghost ponder over these questions….( with no conclusions of course….)